Terry Reams, a Mason City veteran, and his service dog, Lola, were introduced at the Iowa House of Representatives March 13, 2025 as lawmakers passed legislation on the misrepresentation of animals as service animals. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch)
Iowa House lawmakers unanimously passed legislation Thursday changing how the crime of misrepresenting an animal as a service animal is charged.
Intentional misrepresentation of an animal as a service animal or service animal in training is already a crime in Iowa, charged with a simple misdemeanor. However, there are some requirements in state law that an officer must meet before charging a person for this offense. The person must be given a written or verbal warning that misrepresenting an animal as a service animal is illegal, and the person must know that the animal in question is not actually a service animal or service animal in training.
House File 615 would strike these two provisions, allowing law enforcement to charge someone for misrepresenting an animal without having to give a prior warning and in cases where a person erroneously believed the animal in their possession was a service animal.
Service animals are animals that perform specific tasks to help people with disabilities, like guide dogs, or dogs that can retrieve medication or provide seizure alerts. Emotional support animals, which do not require specific training, are not considered service animals.
Rep. Ross Wilburn, D-Ames, thanked the disability community in Iowa for bringing the legislation to the forefront. He said the legislation will “add clarity” to better support people with legitimate service animals.
Rep. Christian Hermanson, R-Mason City, introduced and thanked his constituent, Terry Reams, a veteran who came to the Iowa Statehouse Thursday with his service dog, Lola, to advocate for the measure. Hermanson said Reams came to him and Rep. Shannon Latham, R-Sheffield, to share the issues he and others face “due to misrepresentation of service animals in our communities.”
The legislation passed by the House Thursday came from these discussions, Hermanson said, and will strengthen protections for people with legitimate service animals if enacted.
“I want to thank Terry and Lola for their tireless advocacy and for bringing this issue to our attention, and I want to thank this body for recognizing the important importance of the legislation passed today,” Hermanson said. “Terry is a relentless advocate, and Lola is, without a doubt, a very good girl.”
The legislation heads to the Senate, where the bill’s companion, Senate File 234, has already received approval by the Senate State Government Committee.