HF2173 was introduced on January 27, 2026 and referred to the House Environmental Protection Committee. A three-member subcommittee was appointed on January 29, with Representative Wengryn as chair. The subcommittee met on February 5 and recommended amendment and passage. The full committee reported the bill favourably on February 18 with a 9-4 vote (four members excused). On February 19, the committee report was approved, and the bill was renumbered as HF2640 — a standard Iowa procedure where bills that receive substantive committee revision are reissued with a new number to reflect the committee's recommended version.

HF2640 was introduced and placed on the House calendar on February 19, 2026. On March 3, Representative Wengryn — who had chaired the original subcommittee — filed amendment H-8102, which significantly reworked the bill by removing the entire airport reporting infrastructure, adding an agricultural exemption, and simplifying the title. The amendment has been filed but not yet adopted. Iowa's 2026 session is scheduled to adjourn April 21, leaving roughly seven weeks for floor action.

LSA LEGISLATIVE SERVICES AGENCY [cite: 1, 2]
Serving the Iowa Legislature [cite: 3]

Fiscal Note [cite: 4]

Fiscal Services Division [cite: 5]

HF 2640 - Geoengineering and Weather Modification Prohibition (LSB6061HV) [cite: 6]
Staff Contact: Garry Martin (515.281.4611) [email protected] [cite: 6]
Fiscal Note Version - New [cite: 6]

Description [cite: 7]

House File 2640 requires entities that operate an airport open to public use to submit monthly reports to the Department of Transportation (DOT) beginning October 1, 2026. The reports must include information regarding the physical presence of aircraft equipped with components that may be used to intentionally emit, inject, release, or disperse air contaminants into the atmosphere for the express purpose of affecting temperature, weather, climate, or the intensity of sunlight, as well as information regarding the landing, takeoff, stopover, or refueling of such aircraft at the airport. [cite: 8] Any airport out of compliance with the reporting requirements is ineligible to receive State funding until compliance is achieved. [cite: 9] The Bill requires the DOT to submit aggregated reports to the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the State law enforcement agencies that support enforcement of weather engineering prohibitions. [cite: 10] The Bill requires the DOT to adopt administrative rules implementing the reporting requirements. [cite: 11] The Bill prohibits the emission, injection, release, or dispersion of a chemical, substance, or apparatus into the atmosphere within the State for the express purpose of affecting temperature, weather, climate, or the intensity of sunlight, or any other purpose not presently regulated by State or federal law. [cite: 12] Under the Bill, any person who violates the prohibition is guilty of a Class D felony. [cite: 13] The Bill imposes an additional civil penalty of up to $100,000 on the corporations that engage in weather engineering. [cite: 14] Each day a violation occurs constitutes a separate offense. [cite: 15]

Background [cite: 16]

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. [cite: 17]

Assumptions [cite: 18]

• The following will not change over the projection period: charge, conviction, and sentencing patterns and trends; [cite: 19] prisoner length of stay (LOS); revocation rates; plea bargaining; and other criminal justice system policies and practices. [cite: 20]
• County jail data is unavailable. For purposes of this analysis, the marginal cost for county jails is assumed to be $50 per day. [cite: 21]
• Conviction data reflects the total number of convictions in adult court, which may include multiple convictions per individual. [cite: 22] Not all convictions lead to incarceration, and there may be a delay between conviction and prison admission, which can contribute to differences in totals. [cite: 23]
• A six-month delay is assumed from the effective date of the Bill to the date the first offender will enter the correctional system. [cite: 24]
• Offender-based convictions are a count of individuals convicted of the same offense. [cite: 25] Each offender is counted only once per lowa Code section, regardless of the number of individual convictions. [cite: 26]
• Admissions are a count of individuals newly admitted to the Department of Corrections (DOC) for supervision during a selected time period, based on the most serious offense committed. [cite: 28]

Correctional Impact [cite: 29]

House File 2640 creates a new offense classified as a Class D felony. [cite: 30] The correctional impact of the Bill cannot be determined because the number of new convictions cannot be estimated. [cite: 31] Figure 1 shows estimates for sentencing to State prison, parole, probation, or Community-Based Corrections (CBC) residential facilities; [cite: 32] LOS in months under those supervisions; and supervision marginal costs per day for a Class D felony. [cite: 33] Refer to the Legislative Services Agency (LSA) memo addressed to the General Assembly, Cost Estimates Used for Correctional Impact Statements, dated January 12, 2026, for information related to the correctional system. [cite: 34]

Sentencing Estimates and Length of Stay (LOS) in Months [cite: 35]

Figure 1 [cite: 36]

Minority Impact [cite: 38]

The minority impact cannot be determined since the number of new convictions under the Bill is unknown. [cite: 39] Refer to the LSA memo addressed to the General Assembly, Minority Impact Statements, dated January 12, 2026, for information related to minorities in the criminal justice system. [cite: 40]

Fiscal Impact [cite: 41]

The fiscal impact cannot be determined because the number of new convictions under the Bill cannot be estimated. [cite: 42] The average State cost per Class D felony is between $13,000 and $18,100. [cite: 43] The estimated impact to the General Fund includes operating costs incurred by the Judicial Branch, the Indigent Defense Fund, and the DOC. [cite: 44] The costs would be incurred across multiple fiscal years for prison and parole supervision. [cite: 45]

Sources [cite: 46]

• Department of Corrections [cite: 47]
• Division of Data, Planning, and Improvement (DPI), Department of Management (DOM) [cite: 48]

Doc ID 1601751 [cite: 49]
/s/ Jennifer Acton [cite: 50]
March 4, 2026 [cite: 50]

The Fiscal Note for this Bill was prepared pursuant to Joint Rule 17 and the lowa Code. [cite: 51] Data used in developing this Fiscal Note is available from the Fiscal Services Division of the Legislative Services Agency upon request. [cite: 52]