Iowa 2025-2026 Regular Session Status: Passed Senate

SF 259 — A bill for an act limiting the release of personal information for traffic violations observed by an out-of-state traffic camera, making penalties applicable, and including effective date provisions.

Last action — Placed on calendar under unfinished business.

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. ✓
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed House
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill has passed the Senate. Introduced February 11, 2025. It now moves to the second chamber.

Next likely step: consideration and a floor vote in the House.

Prognosis

Advancing 46% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

High

How often bills like it became law.

  • Passed Senate

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 1 sponsor

    1 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Cleared a recorded vote

    Passed 2 recorded votes so far.

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

39 added · 76 removed

Plain-language change summary

The amendments to Senate File 259 clarify the rules around sharing personal information related to traffic violations captured by cameras outside of Iowa. Notably, the bill now specifies that local authorities and law enforcement agencies cannot release personal information if it is intended for issuing fines for out-of-state violations. This change is significant as it strengthens privacy protections for individuals and limits the use of their personal data in situations where they might not have any legal recourse. Additionally, the definition of terms has been simplified by removing some unnecessary phrases concerning definitions, which streamlines the bill overall.

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Latest
Senate File 259 - Introduced SENATE FILE 259 BY COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION (SUCCESSOR TO SF 51) A BILL FOR An Act limiting the release of personal information for traffic violations observed by an out-of-state traffic camera, and making penalties applicable.
Senate File 259 - Reprinted SENATE FILE 259 BY COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION (SUCCESSOR TO SF 51) (As Amended and Passed by the Senate March 26, 2025) A BILL FOR An Act limiting the release of personal information for traffic violations observed by an out-of-state traffic camera, making penalties applicable, and including effective date provisions.
TLSB 1640SV (3) 91 th/ns S.F.
SF 259 (4) 91 th/ns/mb S.F.
A person who requests personal information from the department or a law enforcement agency by presenting a registration plate number shall affirm the reason for the request, subject to penalty for perjury.
A person who requests personal information from the department, a local authority, or a law enforcement agency by presenting a registration plate number shall affirm the reason for the request, subject to penalty for perjury.
Notwithstanding section 321.11, subsections 1, 2, and 3, the department and any officer or employee of a law enforcement agency shall not release personal information of a person who was issued a driver’s license by the department or who has a motor vehicle registered in this state, if the release of such information would be used to issue or collect a fine for a violation of a traffic law observed by a traffic camera outside of this state.
Notwithstanding section 321.11, subsections 1, 2, and 3, the department, a local authority, and any officer or employee of a law enforcement agency shall not release personal information of a person who was issued a driver’s license by the department or who has a motor vehicle registered in this state, if the release of such information would be used to issue or collect a fine for a violation of a traffic law observed by a traffic camera outside of this state.
EXPLANATION The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.
4.
Under current law, the department of transportation (DOT) is prohibited from releasing personal information, if requested by the presentation of a registration plate number, to a person other than an officer or employee of a law enforcement agency, an employee of a federal or state LSB 1640SV (3) 91 -1- th/ns 1/2 S.F.
The department may adopt rules pursuant to chapter 17A to administer this section.
259 agency or political subdivision in the performance of official duties, a contract employee of the department of inspections, appeals, and licensing in the conduct of an investigation, or a licensed private investigation agency or a licensed security service.
Sec.
An officer or employee of a law enforcement agency is authorized to release the name, address, and telephone number of a motor vehicle registrant to a person requesting the information by the presentation of a registration plate number if the officer or employee of the law enforcement agency believes that the release of the information is necessary in the performance of the officer’s or employee’s duties.
2.
This bill requires a person who requests personal information from the DOT or a law enforcement agency by presenting a registration plate number to affirm the reason for the request, subject to penalty for perjury.
EFFECTIVE DATE.
By operation of law, any person who knowingly swears or affirms falsely to any matter or thing required under Code chapter 321 (motor vehicles and law of the road) to be sworn to or affirmed, including as required by the bill, is guilty of a class “D” felony.
This Act takes effect January 1, 2026.
A class “D” felony is punishable by confinement for no more than five years and a fine of at least $1,025 but not more than $10,245.
SF 259 (4) 91 -1- th/ns/mb 1/1
The bill prohibits the DOT and any officer or employee of a law enforcement agency from releasing to an otherwise eligible requester the personal information of a person who was issued a driver’s license by the DOT or who has a motor vehicle registered in Iowa if the information would be used to issue or collect a fine for a violation of a traffic law observed by a traffic camera outside of Iowa.
The bill does not prohibit the release of personal information if the requester is investigating other criminal or civil law violations captured by a traffic camera.
By operation of law, a person who violates this provision commits a simple misdemeanor punishable by confinement for no more than 30 days and a fine of at least $105 but not more than $855.
LSB 1640SV (3) 91 -2- th/ns 2/2
View plain text versions (3)

Amendments

1 amendment

Click Show changes on an amendment above to see how it modifies the bill.

Action History

  1. Placed on calendar under unfinished business.

  2. Placed on calendar.

  3. Committee report, recommending passage.

  4. Subcommittee recommends passage.

  5. Subcommittee Meeting: 01/29/2026 8:00AM House Lounge 2.

  6. Subcommittee: Young, Behn and Madison.

  7. Read first time, referred to Transportation.

  8. Message from Senate.

  9. Immediate message.

  10. Passed Senate, yeas 40, nays 7.

  11. Amendment S-3006 adopted.

  12. Amendment S-3006 filed.

  13. Committee report, approving bill.

  14. Introduced, placed on calendar.

Sponsors

  • COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION · Primary

Sponsorship breakdown

Export CSV (upgrade) →

1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 149 not signed on · 8 voted No

Sponsors (1)

  • COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (149)

149 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 149 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Votes

Shall the bill pass?

Passed 40 Yea · 7 Nay · 3 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Republican 30002
Democrat 8800
Unaffiliated 1001
Total 39803
% of votes cast 78%16%0%6%
How each member voted (50)
Member Party Vote
Celsi — Not Voting
De Witt — Yea
Art Staed Democrat Nay
Cindy Winckler Democrat Nay
Herman C. Quirmbach Democrat Nay
Izaah Knox Democrat Yea
Janet Petersen Democrat Nay
Janice Weiner Democrat Yea
Liz Bennett Democrat Yea
Matt Blake Democrat Yea
Mike Zimmer Democrat Yea
Molly Donahue Democrat Yea
Sarah Trone Garriott Democrat Nay
Sarah Trone Garriott Democrat Nay
Thomas Townsend Democrat Nay
Tony Bisignano Democrat Nay
William A. Dotzler Jr. Democrat Yea
Zach Wahls Democrat Yea
Adrian Dickey Republican Yea
Amy Sinclair Republican Yea
Annette Sweeney Republican Yea
Carrie Koelker Republican Yea
Charlie McClintock Republican Yea
Cherielynn Westrich Republican Yea
Dan Zumbach Republican Yea
Dave Sires Republican Yea
David D. Rowley Republican Yea
Dawn Driscoll Republican Yea
Dennis Guth Republican Yea
Doug Campbell Republican Yea
Jack Whitver Republican Yea
Jason Schultz Republican Yea
Jeff Reichman Republican Yea
Jeff Taylor Republican Yea
Jesse Green Republican Yea
Julian B. Garrett Republican Yea
Kara Warme Republican Yea
Ken Rozenboom Republican Yea
Kerry Gruenhagen Republican Yea
Kevin Alons Republican Yea
Lynn Evans Republican Not Voting
Mark Costello Republican Yea
Mark S. Lofgren Republican Not Voting
Mike Bousselot Republican Yea
Mike Klimesh Republican Yea
Mike Pike Republican Yea
Sandy Salmon Republican Yea
Scott Webster Republican Yea
Tim Kraayenbrink Republican Yea
Tom Shipley Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Shall the bill pass?

Passed 38 Yea · 12 Nay
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 23800
Republican 14100
Democrat 1300
Total 381200
% of votes cast 76%24%0%0%
How each member voted (50)
Member Party Vote
Allen — Yea
Bertrand — Yea
Bolkcom — Nay
Bowman — Yea
Boulton — Nay
Breitbach — Yea
Brown — Yea
Chapman — Yea
Chelgren — Yea
Greene — Yea
Hart — Yea
Hogg — Nay
Horn — Yea
Jochum — Nay
Kapucian — Yea
Kinney — Nay
Lykam — Yea
Mathis — Nay
McCoy — Yea
Ragan — Yea
Schneider — Yea
Segebart — Yea
Zaun — Yea
Anderson — Yea
Shipley — Yea
Danielson — Yea
Dix — Yea
Dvorsky — Nay
Edler — Yea
Feenstra — Yea
Johnson, D. — Nay
Herman C. Quirmbach Democrat Nay
Janet Petersen Democrat Nay
Tony Bisignano Democrat Nay
William A. Dotzler Jr. Democrat Yea
Amy Sinclair Republican Yea
Chad Behn Republican Yea
Craig P. Johnson Republican Yea
Dan Dawson Republican Yea
Dan Zumbach Republican Yea
Dennis Guth Republican Yea
Jack Whitver Republican Yea
Jason Schultz Republican Yea
Jeff Taylor Republican Nay
Jennifer J. Smith Republican Yea
Julian B. Garrett Republican Yea
Ken Rozenboom Republican Yea
Mark Costello Republican Yea
Mark S. Lofgren Republican Yea
Tim Kraayenbrink Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Subjects

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Frequently asked questions

Who sponsors SF 259?
SF 259 is sponsored by COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION.
What is the current status of SF 259?
This bill has passed the Senate. Introduced February 11, 2025. It now moves to the second chamber.
Where can I track SF 259?
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Last checked for changes 3 months ago · updated continuously

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