House File 849 - Introduced HOUSE FILE 849 BY COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC SAFETY (SUCCESSOR TO HF 201) (COMPANION TO SF 35 BY MCCLINTOCK) A BILL FOR An Act relating to harassment by the dissemination, 1 publication, distribution, or posting of personal 2 information, and making penalties applicable. 3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA: 4 TLSB 1084HV (1) 91 as/js
H.F. 849 Section 1. Section 708.7, subsection 1, Code 2025, is 1 amended by adding the following new paragraph: 2 NEW PARAGRAPH . c. A person commits harassment when 3 the person purposefully and without legitimate purpose 4 disseminates, publishes, distributes, or posts personal 5 information about another person, without the other persons 6 consent, with the intent to threaten, intimidate, annoy, or 7 alarm the other person, or with the intent to encourage or 8 entice third parties to threaten, intimidate, annoy, or alarm 9 the other person. 10 Sec. 2. Section 708.7, subsection 2, paragraph a, Code 2025, 11 is amended by adding the following new subparagraph: 12 NEW SUBPARAGRAPH . (5) A violation of subsection 1, 13 paragraph c . 14 Sec. 3. Section 708.7, subsection 8, Code 2025, is amended 15 by adding the following new paragraph: 16 NEW PARAGRAPH . 0c. Personal information means a persons 17 contact information or the contact information of the persons 18 family, including but not limited to the persons or familys 19 home address, phone number, email address, social media 20 profile, place of employment, photographic or film depictions 21 of the person or the persons family, or any other information 22 designed to allow other persons to threaten, intimidate, annoy, 23 or alarm the other person or persons family. 24 EXPLANATION 25 The inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with 26 the explanations substance by the members of the general assembly. 27 This bill relates to harassment by the dissemination, 28 publication, distribution, or posting of personal information. 29 The bill provides that a person commits harassment when 30 the person purposefully and without legitimate purpose 31 disseminates, publishes, distributes, or posts personal 32 information about another person, without the other persons 33 consent, with the intent to threaten, intimidate, annoy, or 34 alarm the other person, or with the intent to encourage or 35 -1- LSB 1084HV (1) 91 as/js 1/ 2
H.F. 849 entice third parties to threaten, intimidate, annoy, or alarm 1 the other person. A violation of this provision of the bill 2 is harassment in the first degree, which is an aggravated 3 misdemeanor. An aggravated misdemeanor is punishable by 4 confinement for no more than two years and a fine of at least 5 $855 but not more than $8,540. 6 The bill defines personal information as a persons 7 contact information or the contact information of the persons 8 family, including but not limited to the persons or familys 9 home address, phone number, email address, social media 10 profile, place of employment, photographic or film depictions 11 of the person or the persons family, or any other information 12 designed to allow other persons to threaten, intimidate, annoy, 13 or alarm the person. 14 -2- LSB 1084HV (1) 91 as/js 2/ 2