1
HF 849 – Criminal Harassment, Doxxing (LSB1084HV)
Staff Contact: Justus Thompson (515.725.2249) justus.thompson@legis.iowa.gov
Fiscal Note Version – New
Description
House File 849 expands the definition of harassment by adding provisions relating to the
dissemination, publication, distribution, or posting of personal information.
Under the Bill, a person commits harassment when they purposefully and without legitimate
purpose disseminates, publishes, distributes, or posts personal information about another
person, without the other person’s consent, with the intent to threaten, intimidate, annoy, or
alarm the other person, or with the intent to encourage or entice third parties to threaten,
intimidate, annoy, or alarm the other person. A violation is harassment in the first degree under
Iowa Code section 708.7(2)(a), which is an aggravated misdemeanor.
Background
An aggravated misdemeanor is punishable by confinement for up to two years and a fine of at
least $855 but not more than $8,540.
Assumptions
• The following will not change over the projection period: charge, conviction, and sentencing
patterns and trends; prisoner length of stay (LOS); revocation rates; plea bargaining; and
other criminal justice system policies and practices.
• A delay of six months is assumed from the effective date of this Bill to the date of first entry
of affected offenders into the correctional system.
• Marginal costs for county jails cannot be estimated due to a lack of data. For purposes of
this analysis, the marginal cost for county jails is assumed to be $50 per day.
Correctional Impact
House File 849 expands the definition of harassment. The correctional impact cannot be
estimated but is expected to increase the number of convictions under Iowa Code section
708.7. Figure 1 shows estimates for sentencing to State prison, parole, probation, or
Community-Based Corrections (CBC) residential facilities; LOS in months under those
supervisions; and supervision marginal costs per day for an aggravated misdemeanor. Refer to
the Legislative Services Agency (LSA) memo addressed to the General Assembly, Cost
Estimates Used for Correctional Impact Statements, dated January 13, 2025, for information
related to the correctional system.
Figure 1 — Sentencing Estimates and Length of Stay (LOS) in Months
Conviction Offense Class
Percent
Ordered to
State Prison
FY 2024 Avg
LOS in
Prison (All
Releases)
Marginal
Cost Per
Day
Percent
Ordered to
Probation
FY24 Field
Avg LOS on
Probation
Avg Cost
Per Day on
Probation
Marginal
Cost CBC
Per Day
Marginal
Cost Per
Day Jail
FY24 Field
Avg LOS on
Parole
Marginal
Cost Per
Day Parole
Aggravated Misdemeanor
(Persons)
48.9% 9.5 $24.51 58.9% 26.0 $7.68 $18.37 $50.00 22.5 $7.68
Fiscal Note
Fiscal Services Division 2
Minority Impact
House File 849 creates a new criminal offense by expanding the definition of harassment. As a
result, the Department of Management (DOM) Criminal Justice Planning cannot use existing
data to estimate the minority impact of the Bill. Refer to the LSA memo addressed to the
General Assembly, Minority Impact Statements, dated January 13, 2025, for information related
to minorities in the criminal justice system.
Fiscal Impact
House File 849 is expected to increase the number of convictions under Iowa Code section
708.7, but the extent of the increase in costs to the Department of Corrections (DOC) is
unknown. Figure 2 shows the average State cost per offense for an aggravated misdemeanor.
The estimated impact to the General Fund includes operating costs incurred by the Judicial
Branch, the Indigent Defense Fund, and the DOC. The cost would be incurred across multiple
fiscal years for prison and parole supervision.
Figure 2 — Average State Cost Per Offense
Sources
Department of Corrections
Department of Management (DOM) Criminal Justice Planning
/s/ Jennifer Acton
March 28, 2025
Doc ID 1525347
The fiscal note for this Bill was prepared pursuant to Joint Rule 17 and the Iowa Code. Data used in developing this
fiscal note is available from the Fiscal Services Division of the Legislative Services Agency upon request.
www.legis.iowa.gov Offense Class Average Cost
Aggravated Misdemeanor$6,800 to $11,800