2B.13 Editorial powers and duties.
1. The Iowa Code editor in preparing the copy for an edition of the Iowa Code shall not alter the sense, meaning, or effect of any Act of the general assembly, but may:
a. Correct manifestly misspelled words and grammatical and clerical errors, including punctuation, and change capitalization, spelling, and punctuation for purposes of uniformity and consistency in Code language.
b. Correct internal references to sections which are cited erroneously or have been repealed, amended, or renumbered.
c. Substitute the proper chapter, section, subsection, or other statutory reference for the term “this Act” or references to another Act of the general assembly when there appears to be no doubt as to the proper method of making the substitution.
d. Substitute the proper date for references to the effective or applicability dates of an Act when there appears to be no doubt as to the proper method of making the substitution.
e. Correct names of agencies, officers, or other entities when there appears to be no doubt as to the proper method of making the correction.
f. Transfer, divide, or combine sections or parts of sections and add or revise headnotes to sections and section subunits. Pursuant to section 3.3, the headnotes are not part of the law.
g. Change words that designate one gender to reflect both genders when the provisions apply to both genders.
h. If any Code section or part of a Code section, or any Act of the general assembly which is intended to be codified, is amended by more than one Act or more than one provision in an Act of the general assembly, and the amendments do not expressly refer to or amend one of the other Acts or Act provisions in question, harmonize the amendments, if possible, so that effect may be given to each and incorporate the amendments as harmonized in the Code section. If amendments made by several Acts are irreconcilable, unless one of the amendments repeals or strikes the language in question, the Iowa Code editor shall codify the amendment that is latest in date of enactment by the general assembly. If amendments made by provisions within an Act are irreconcilable, unless one of the amendments repeals or strikes the language in question, the Iowa Code editor shall codify the provision listed last in the Act. If one of the amendments repeals or strikes the language in question, the Iowa Code editor shall codify the amendment that repeals or strikes the language.
2. The administrative code editor in preparing the copy for an edition of the Iowa administrative code or bulletin shall not alter the sense, meaning, or effect of any rule, but may:
a. Correct misspelled words and grammatical and clerical errors, including punctuation, and change capitalization, spelling, and punctuation for purposes of uniformity and consistency.
b. Correct references to rules or sections which are cited erroneously or have been repealed, amended, or renumbered.
c. Correct names of agencies, officers, or other entities when there appears to be no doubt as to the proper method of making the correction.
d. Transfer, divide, or combine rules or parts of rules and add or amend catchwords to rules and subrules.
e. Change words that designate one gender to reflect both genders when the provisions apply to both genders.
f. Update the address, telephone number, facsimile number, or electronic mail address of an agency, officer, or other entity.
g. Perform any other editorial tasks required or authorized by section 2B.5A.
3. a. The Iowa Code editor may, in preparing the copy for an edition of the Iowa Code, establish standards for and change capitalization, spelling, and punctuation in any provision for purposes of uniformity and consistency in language.
b. The administrative code editor may establish standards for capitalization, spelling, and punctuation for purposes of uniformity and consistency in the Iowa administrative code.
4. a. The Iowa Code editor shall seek direction from the senate committee on judiciary and the house committee on judiciary when making Iowa Code changes.
b. The administrative code editor shall seek direction from the administrative rules review committee and the administrative rules coordinator when making Iowa administrative code changes, which appear to require substantial editing and which might otherwise be interpreted to exceed the scope of the authority granted in this section.
5. The Iowa Code editor may prepare and publish comments deemed necessary for a proper explanation of the manner of publishing a section or chapter of the Iowa Code. The Iowa Code editor shall maintain a record of all of the corrections made under subsection 1. The Iowa Code editor shall also maintain a separate record of the changes made under subsection 1, paragraphs “b” through “h”. The records shall be available to the public.
6. The Iowa Code editor and the administrative code editor shall not make editorial changes which go beyond the authority granted in this section or other law.
[C24, 27, 31, 35, 39, §169; C46, 50, 54, 58, 62, 66, 71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, §14.13]
84 Acts, ch 1117, §1; 85 Acts, ch 195, §1; 86 Acts, ch 1242, §5, 6; 91 Acts, ch 258, §13
C93, §2B.13
95 Acts, ch 67, §1; 96 Acts, ch 1099, §2; 2003 Acts, ch 35, §18, 49; 2010 Acts, ch 1031, §46 – 48; 2014 Acts, ch 1141, §41 – 47; 2019 Acts, ch 92, §14; 2020 Acts, ch 1090, §1
Subsection 2, NEW paragraph f and former paragraph f redesignated as g