House approves bill to reorganize magistrate appointments and raise judicial pay

Representative Crawford told the House the bill “makes significant changes to the magistrate system here in Iowa,” explaining the measure would move magistrate appointments from individual counties to judicial election districts and remove the statutory count of 206 magistrates so the Supreme Court can allocate magistrates by workload.

Crawford said the bill establishes a senior-magistrate role for retired magistrates who meet service requirements, prescribes rules for compensation and removal, and raises judicial officer salaries by 5% effective June 2027 while setting magistrate compensation at 40% of district associate judge pay. Crawford said the act appropriates funds for those increases and would enact most changes on Nov. 1, 2026.

An amendment (H8278) offered by the floor was described as originating from conversations with the magistrates association and ‘‘creates a right of first refusal for magistrates currently serving, giving priority to those magistrates currently serving for the term that commences on 08/01/2027’’ and would be repealed on 07/31/2031. Representative Wilburn spoke in support, saying the amendment helps address attrition and preserves experience while allowing future adjustments based on updated workload data.

The House adopted the amendment and then voted to pass House File 2706, as amended. The clerk reported the vote tally as 84 ayes, 8 no, and 8 absent/not voting; the bill received a constitutional majority and was declared passed.

The measure’s central change moves magistrate deployment away from a fixed county allocation toward a workload-based district model and ties compensation to other judicial salaries. Supporters said the changes reflect technological and demographic shifts in how warrants and judicial business are handled; the amendment was presented as a temporary protection for incumbent magistrates. The bill will now be transmitted to the Senate for further action.