The changes made to a bill's language during the legislative process can shed light on intent. From each relevant session law, note the file number for the legislation that was enacted. Then look at that bill file to:
If the bill was originally a study bill, also look at that file.
For the past several decades, bills that modify a current code section indicate how the section is to be changed via special formatting. Underlining indicates new text; strikeouts indicate deleted text. If entirely new sections are being added, just the words New Subsection will be underlined.
Use the online bill book to access this information. (See other options for accessing bills as needed.)
Application
See the following cases for examples of ways the court has used bill book information to interpret legislative intent:
The picture to the left shows the side menu for HF205 from the 90 G.A. The large center viewing area (not pictured), would show the information selected from the left-hand options
Bill Versions
In the Bill Information section, use the Versions drop-down to move between the introduced and (if it passed both chambers) the enrolled versions of the bill.
If you are looking at the enrolled bill, the section under Versions will only list amendments that passed; otherwise, you will see No Amendments for the selected bill. If you are looking at the introduced bill, you will see a drop-down of any amendments that were introduced.
Under Related Information, you can also see different legislation that is closely related to this bill. For example, if it started out as a study bill, that will be linked.
Bill Explanations
In Iowa, legislators request a bill be drafted by the Legislative Services Agency (formerly the Legislative Services Bureau). Bill explanations started being selectively attached to the end of the original bill in the 1940's. They are currently required for most bills by Senate and House rules. Most explanations are fairly brief.
Note that beginning with 2014 legislation, bill explanations now start with the following disclaimer: “The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.”
Find the bill explanation at the end of the introduced version of the bill.
Bill History
The bill history section lists the actions taken on a bill. Be sure to click the Show All link to see all actions.
Note that this section will list all introduced amendments, whether they passed or not.
The actions will include links, primarily to the House and Senate Journals, which are the official record of legislative actions.
Under Related Information, for bills from 2012 or later, there may also be links to video of House and Senate floor debate.
Fiscal Notes
Chamber rules require that certain types of legislation include a fiscal note, drafted by the LSA, that explains the law's financial impact. If one or more fiscal notes are available, they will be linked in the BillBook in a Fiscal Notes Information section. See Joint Rule 17 for more on fiscal notes.
Lobbyist Declarations
Under Related Information, the online BillBook provides a lobbyist declarations link to see the registered lobbyists who took a position on the bill (for, against, or undecided).
Color Coding
Print, and some online, sources use the following color-coded system:
Paper and PDF versions of a bill book will include bill versions and amendments in chronological order. To get different bill versions from a web-based bill book, click on the bill versions drop-down menu or click on print options and then select the bill version you want.