Author: Amy Campbell

The Iowa Senate will debate three controversial bills today:

• SF 615: Iowa Health & Wellness Plan Work Requirements: Requires ACA Medicaid expansion population – those up to 133% federal poverty level who are otherwise not eligible for traditional Medicaid – to work at least 80 hours/month.
• SF 507: Local Government DEI: Prohibits state and local governments and any governmental subdivision from hiring DEI staff or having a DEI office.
• SF 473: Foster Care Religious Beliefs: Prohibits Iowa HHS from requiring a foster parent to affirm, accept, or support a policy on gender identification or sexual orientation that conflicts with their own religious beliefs (or prohibiting them from being foster parents because of these views).

You can view the entire Senate debate list here. They plan to begin debating at 1:00 pm (you can watch here).

The House on the other hand plans to run its own list of bills, including one LWVIA opposes (HF 924), one that we support (HF 926), and two election bills:

• HF 924: Lowering age to purchase firearms from 21 to 18.
• HF 926: Creating a safe harbor for human trafficking victims.
• HF 928 : Reforming election recounts (with an amendment that is supported by county auditors)
• HF 954: Banning ranked choice voting and other policy changes suggested by Secretary of State

You can tune into the House debate here – timeframe for debate start is unknown.

LWVIA Bill Tracker: ialobby.com/billtracker/lwvia

Monday marks Day 57 of the 110-day scheduled session, just over the halfway point. Friday (March 7) was the first “funnel.”  Bills had to be voted out of committee before this deadline in order to stay alive and keep moving through the process.  Bills that failed to make it out are done for the year. To get to this point, Weeks 7 & 8 saw a total of 357 subcommittees scheduled, far outpacing previous years. 

Hundreds of policy bills died for the year, and the session shifts focus to the remaining policy proposals along with enacting the budget and tax bills that will close down the 2025 session.  Just a few stats to start you off:

• Legislators introduced 2,032 bills (as of 3/7/25).  That’s about 14 bills for each legislator.
• LVWIA Bill Tracker is tracking 265 bills – half of them are still alive (132 bills).

Since we’re at the halfway point, it’s also worth noting that the House, Senate and Governor have not yet agreed on education funding, typically one of the first bills signed into law every year. The House is holding out for a 2.25% increase while the Senate and Governor have agreed to a 2% increase.  

Second Funnel

We now have four weeks until the second funnel deadline on April 4. For policy bills to remain alive after that date, they need to be passed out of committee in the opposite chamber. That means Senate bills are out of House committees, and vice versa. The only committees meeting after April 4 are Ways & Means (tax issues), Appropriations (budget issues), and Government Oversight (special issues).   

There is a way to fast-track bills so they can be funnel-proof.  If a bill exists in identical form in both the House and the Senate, and both of those bills survived the first funnel, they are largely considered to have survived the second funnel as well, even though neither of them has been passed by a full Chamber yet. In the lobby, we refer to this as “double barreling” a bill. You’ll see that in the Governor’s rural health bills and Iowa Health and Wellness Plan work requirement bills. 

Governor’s Policy Bills are Still Alive

House and Senate committees worked furiously this past week to keep a number of legislative proposals alive for further consideration.  The survivors include a number of the Governor’s proposals, including:

• Banning using cell phones during instructional time (HF 782/SF 370)
• Comprehensive energy bill (HF 834/SSB 1112)
• Legislation focused on improving math scores (HF 784/SF 450)
• Expanding childcare programs (HF 623/SF 445) 
• $1 billion cut for businesses in unemployment insurance taxes (SF 504)
• Improving rural health care (HF 754/SSB 1163)
• Addressing disaster relief (HSB 246/SSB 1188)

Tax and Budget

Bills dealing with taxes or spending are exempt from the funnel, so you will see a number of those trickle in over the weeks ahead as the Legislature begins to piece together the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) budget. The first step in this process will be the 10:00 am March 13th meeting of the Revenue Estimating Conference (REC). The REC is tasked with meeting three times per year – in March, October and December – to analyze revenues and expenditures for the State and give guidance on how much the Governor and Legislature have to allocate in their budget. 

At their December meeting, the REC estimated that General Fund revenue for Fiscal Year 2025 (current year) would be $9.1536 billion. They forecasted that the state would collect $8.73 billion in the upcoming (FY2026) budget year. If that estimate is lowered on March 13, the Legislature will need to prepare their FY2026 budgets based on that lower number.   The meeting will be live streamed on LSA’s YouTube channel accessed here.  After the REC numbers are set, look for legislative leaders to begin releasing “budget targets” that dictate the amount each appropriations subcommittee is allowed to spend in their budget bills.  

Property Tax Overhaul

On Thursday, the House and Senate Ways & Means Committee Chairs, Rep. Bobby Kaufmann and Sen. Dan Dawson, introduced their plan (HSB 313 and SSB 1208) to overhaul Iowa’s property tax system, proclaiming it the biggest system overhaul since 1977. The bill would create a 2% annual growth cap on revenues coming into ALL property tax levies. However, it would allow cities and counties to capture new valuation from new construction, annexation and boundary adjustments, major improvements, etc. Under the current system, a city seeing a big increase due to growth loses all of that increased value above a certain percentage. 

The bill also makes a number of changes to school property taxes, including phasing out the local government’s share of the regular program foundation base over 5 years, and reducing the local foundation property tax (the $5.40 levy) to $2.97 per $1000 of assessed value. These and other changes would shift about $426 million from local property taxpayers to the State. 

The property tax bill also eliminates the rollbacks that exist on residential and commercial property by ratcheting the assessment limitation on those classes up to 100% of value over the course of the bill. The bill would provide a $25,000 homestead property tax exemption for all homeowners and raise the existing veteran property tax exemption to $7,000 (from $4,000). The bill would also provide a new property tax credit to Iowans over 70 years old who make less than 350% of the federal poverty level.

Cuts to property taxes will impact your local governments’ ability to maintain basic infrastructure and their ability to contribute to things that are important to their community (like public health, libraries, trails, emergency services).

iDOGE Input Sought

Governor Kim Reynolds announced an Iowa DOGE initiative during her Condition of the State Address in January. The Governor wants to continue streamlining state government and add to the work she has done over the past few years by turning the focus toward local government efficiencies.  Her staff is putting together a Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Task Force comprised of business leaders and local government officials that will look at the services provided by local governments with an eye toward finding a more efficient way to deliver those services. She released a press release on February 10 outlining some of these details and a DOGE page has been added to her website.  While this effort takes shape, the Governor and her staff are looking for ideas from the public of places where efficiencies can be found. You can submit ideas for them to consider at doge.feedback.iowa.gov/. 

Bills Surviving Funnel

LWVIA has a bill tracker that is updated at least once each day. This year the status of bills is linked, so you will always have real-time information about the current status of a bill. You can find it at: ialobby.com/billtracker/lwvia. The default list are the “active” bills that survived the funnel. You can switch that to “inactive” in the menu to view bills that didn’t make the cut.

Here’s a quick rundown of what survived – check the bill tracker for full descriptions.

Surviving Bills

• Prohibiting DEI offices, staff, and training at private colleges (HF 854), community colleges (HF 855), and state/local governments (HF 856)
• Prohibiting Regents’ universities from requiring DEI and critical race theory courses for students and prohibits incentivizing faculty to take or offer such classes, dubbed the “Freedom from Indoctrination Act” (HF 269)
• Requiring Regents’ universities to publish each course’s syllabus on their websites, called the “Syllabus Transparency Act” (HF 270)
• Prohibiting education accrediting agency from taking action against a higher education public institution in Iowa for complying with state law, named the “Accreditation Autonomy Act” (HF 295)
• Prohibiting non-citizens who attend Iowa colleges from expressing support for “terrorist organizations” which many legislators said is targeted at anti-Israeli sentiment (HF 576)
• Establishing a “School of Intellectual Freedom” at the University of Iowa, which of course cannot teach diversity now but no irony there (HF 437)
• Requiring campaign materials that includes the use of AI-generated images to disclose its use (HSB 294)
• Giving a tax credit for the purchase of firearm safety devices and safes (HF 132)
• Requiring a multidisciplinary school threat assessment team to help prevent school violence and connect students with services (HF 163/SSB 1099)
• Requiring school human growth and development classes include a realistic video demonstrating a fetus’ “humanity” and stages of development (HF 391)
• Amending the Iowa Constitution to allow minors and individuals with disabilities to testify remotely via video in hearings, vs. face-to-face confrontation (HJR 9/SJR 9)
• Amending the Iowa Constitution to call for a constitutional convention (HJR 11) and change how constitutional convention commissioners are appointed (HF 654)
• Enacts the “Uniform Public Expression Protection Act” by creating a special motion for expedited relief when it comes to freedom of speech and press, right to assemble and petition, and rights of association (SF 47/HF 472)
• Appropriating $750,000 to develop a joint human trafficking prosecution unit, creating “safe harbor” for victims, requiring agency review of available restorative facilities and protective services, and changing civil statute of limitations (HF 452)
• Requiring county attorneys to issue written opinions on officer-involve shootings for referral to grand jury or attorney general (HF 549)
• Requiring juvenile courts and Iowa HHS to screen a child referred to them for exploitation and substance use (HF 801)
• Improving access to services for youth with serious emotional disturbances (HF 833)
• Creates new mandatory minimums for felons possessing firearms (SF 105/HF 176)
• Places limits on discovery in claims for post-conviction relief (SF 393)
• Allowing a health care provider to refuse to provide a service if they morally disagree with it (SF 180)
• Governor’s rural health care bill, which includes the merger of all health professional recruitment and retention programs and moving certificate of need decisions to Iowa HHS  (HF 754/SSB 1163)
• Requiring the 182,000 Iowans covered by the Iowa Health & Wellness Plan report working at least 80 hours/month (HSB 248/SF 363)
• Allowing commitments for those experiencing “psychiatric deterioration” (HF 312)
• Requiring state university medical, dental, and nursing school enrollment be 80% Iowans or graduates from Iowa undergraduate schools (HF 301)
• Requiring parental consent for HPV and similar vaccines (HF 384/SF 304)
• Requiring parents be given information on immunization exemptions and that the exemption information be posted on school websites (SF 6/HF 299)
• Increasing legislator salaries from $25,000 to $45,000 beginning in 2027 and adding $150/day to their per diem expenses ($450/day total); increasing leader salaries from $37,000 to $67,500 annually; adding an automatic legislative salary COLA of 3%; and increasing statewide elected official salaries (SF 544)
• Increasing taxes on vape products to match cigarette taxes (SF 475) 
• Legalizing drug testing equipment, including but not limited to fentanyl test strips (HF 699)
• Making schools “seizure safe” with faculty and student education  (HF 835/SF 368)
• Allowing renters to test for radon and requiring landlords mitigate  (HF 700)
• Distributing free radon testing kits  (HF 707)
• Requiring radon mitigation in new homes  (HF 82) 
• Allowing chaplains in Iowa schools (HF 884) and allowing voluntary classes in “scripture” in K-12 public schools (SF 510/HF 845)
• Prohibiting the Iowa Utilities Board from considering climate change when determining whether to issue hazardous liquid pipeline permits (HF 302)
• Placing restrictions on medication abortion providers, including information that talks about abortion reversal, which is medically inaccurate (HF 775)
• Requiring all libraries, including public libraries, comply with obscenity laws (HF 521)
• Banning libraries from joining the Iowa Library Association or the American Library Association or forfeit their state funding (HF 880)
• Prohibiting minors from attending obscene performances, but no longer outlaws drag performances or appearing in public in drag, as was the previous version (HF 891)
• Requiring schools make free period products for students in grades 6-12 (HF 883)
• Banning ranked choice voting (SF 459)
• Requiring DOT to provide a list of non-citizens to Secretary of State and allows the state to contract with an external vendor for voter verification (SF 550)

There is honestly so much more we could list, but check out the bill tracker for the full list. Some of the things that died: equalizing crack and powder cocaine, bringing back the death penalty for cop killers, investigating the need for a girl’s state training school, constitutional amendment for reproductive rights and the right to a clean environment, constitutional amendment for citizen initiatives and referendums, court-ordered surgical castration for sex offenders, enhanced penalties for people who commit crimes in masks, prohibiting subpoenas and search warrants for menstrual health data, eliminating the statute of limitations for childhood sexual assault, requiring infertility insurance coverage, requires legislative bills to keep their numbers, ending the bottle deposit law, lowering the minimum age to carry weapons from 21 to 18, requiring people to be a member of a party for a year before running for office or voting in a primary, and criminalizing homelessness.

On Monday, March 3rd, the House Education Appropriations Subcommittee met to discuss the future of Education Choice in Iowa. Education Choice refers to the various avenues parents can take to have their children effectively educated throughout their adolescence. Some choices include public schools, private schools, homeschools, and microschools. All of these options have the potential to receive funding from the state using public dollars, making this conversation impactful on all Iowans. 

The purpose of the meeting was to share a presentation by EdChoice, a nonprofit organization dedicated to making more forms of education available for parents and communities to utilize for their children. The overall argument to support Education Choice programs is that public schools typically spend more per-student pre-year than outside Education Choice programs. 

Funding education choice programs intends to allow rural communities to find schooling opportunities outside of public schools that may be inaccessible. States with existing education choice programs that have large rural populations, like Iowa, found that the top Education Choice program utilized in their state was micro-schools. These schools have one or two teachers and serve a limited number of students. 

The presenters discussed that funding education choice programs is important because 2% of school-aged children participate in schooling outside of the public school setting, but only take up 1% of the education budget. Supporters of Education Choice ask for 0.3% of the total budget, while public education makes up 18.1% of the budget. 

A post-COVID study on Education Choice done in Iowa found that the average amount spent from an ESA per student was $6,800, which was $600 less than the maximum amount. Studies that covered different states across the country found that in states that never had an ESA policy, private school tuition increased by 28%, and in states that always had an ESA policy private school tuition rose by 15%. 

While these are promising numbers for parents and families who are interested in private schools, there was no information shared about the impact that the funding adjustments had on public schools. School choice provides unique and positive education opportunities for students and parents, but there are more questions about what these policies mean for the public schools of Iowa. These discussions will continue throughout the legislative session.  

It’s important to note that the Iowa Legislature has yet to appropriate funds for schools, something typically done by February. The House is holding out for 2.25% increase; the Senate and Governor are stuck at 2%. The Senate bill, which passed on party-line vote, added an additional $157 per student and $148.9 million total increase in state funding to public schools. Meanwhile, schools say they need far more than either of those numbers (Senate Democrats offered a 5% amendment that was shot down).

Written by Jessica Seelinger, LWVIA lobby intern

Last week Iowa made history, but not the kind you’d put on a postcard.

On Friday, February 28, Governor Reynolds signed Senate File 418 into law, making Iowa the first state in the nation to remove a protected class from its civil rights code. The bill eliminated gender identity as a protected class, rewrote the definition of sex in state law, and replaced mentions of gender identity with “gender theory.”

If you tuned into the House debate, you probably noticed a recurring theme. Every single House Democrat found a way to quote Iowa’s state motto, “Our liberties we prize, and our rights we will maintain”, in their floor speeches. The phrase was repeated so often that if someone had turned it into a drinking game, they likely wouldn’t have survived the afternoon. But the repetition wasn’t just rhetoric. It was a deliberate response to what many saw as a fundamental betrayal of Iowa’s long-standing commitment to civil rights.

There was an attempt to soften the bill. Ten House Republicans introduced an amendment that would have preserved transgender protections while keeping the bill’s definitions section. However, after being attacked by conservative media outlets, the amendment was withdrawn before it could even be debated. Of the ten who sponsored it, only two ultimately opposed the bill.

Debate on the chamber floors was heated. Senator Jason Schultz, who managed the bill, argued that Iowa’s transgender protections conflicted with recent Republican-backed laws on bathroom access and women’s sports. He framed SF 418 as a necessary correction. Senator Bennett, however, called it a “shameful rebuke” of Iowa’s history, while Senator Blake warned it set a “dangerous precedent” by stripping rights from an already marginalized community.

In the House, Representative Steve Holt framed the bill as a victory for women’s rights, while House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst countered that it ignored the rights of some women while privileging others. Representative Wichtendahl, spoke from personal experience, highlighting the devastating impact the bill will have on transgender Iowans, including herself. Her remarks brought the entire gallery to tears. In a rare moment of defiance, House Democrats broke floor rules to give her a standing ovation. LGBTQ advocates at the Capitol argued that the Democrats showed more courage just by clapping than those 10 amendment sponsors had hours before.

Outside the chamber, thousands of Iowans gathered at the Capitol all week for a four day long protest, begging legislators to reject the bill. Faith leaders, including pastors and clergy from across the state, held signs reminding lawmakers that “Trans Lives R Sacred.” 

Despite the public outcry, SF 418 passed along party lines in the Senate on Thursday, 33-15. A few hours later in the House, the vote was 60-36, with five Republicans, Bergan, Harris, Lohse, Mommsen, and Sieck, breaking party loyalty to vote against it.

Governor Reynolds signed it into law the next day. In her statement, she claimed the law “safeguards the rights of women and girls” and insisted it merely aligns Iowa with federal civil rights law. However, most civil rights laws expand protections, not remove them.

If there’s one good thing about this bill, it proves that government can work “efficiently” when it wants to. It only took eight days for Republican lawmakers to codify that an entire group of Iowans is not wanted in this state.

With SF 418 now on the books, Iowa joins 28 other states that lack legal protections for transgender individuals. The consequences will be felt in employment, housing, education, and public spaces. Legal challenges are inevitable, and advocacy groups have already signaled their intent to fight back. 

But for now, Iowa holds a unique distinction. We are now the first state to roll back civil rights protections in modern history and the only state where Republicans were too busy playing bingo during debate to listen to their colleagues and constituents.

Not exactly a tourism slogan, but here we are.

This article was written by Chloe Gayer, part of the LWVIA lobby team.

The Iowa Senate will have a subcommittee today (Wednesday, February 26) on their newest attempt to reinstate the death penalty (SF 320). You can take action by emailing your legislators, emailing the members of the subcommittee and committee, attending the subcommittee meeting virtually and commenting, or adding written comments.

The bill allows the death penalty for people who intentionally kill a correctional officer or peace officer, and includes exemptions for individuals who are mentally ill or have an intellectual disability. LWVIA adamantly opposes all attempts to reinstate the death penalty.

Join the subcommittee today (2/26) at 4:30 p.m.

• Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84903200746?pwd=4b2aOaLUnQSuyDBbojxWOGW3LZEdRo.1
• Meeting ID: 849 0320 0746; Passcode: 577269
• +13092053325,,84903200746#,,,,*577269# US
• +13126266799,,84903200746#,,,,*577269# US (Chicago)
• +1 309 205 3325 US or +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)

Add your written comments here (remember these are public):

• https://www.legis.iowa.gov/committees/meetingPublicComment?meetingID=40214&action=viewCommitteePublicComments

Contact the subcommittee members directly:

• Sen. Scott Webster (R-Scott)
• Sen. Dave Rowley (R-Dickinson)
• Sen. Janice Weiner (D-Johnson)

Contact your legislator and legislators on the full Senate Judiciary Committee.

One of the biggest highlights of the state of Iowa is its incredible biodiversity. Native Iowa prairies are just as biodiverse as rainforests. With the intense importance of Iowa’s natural resources, the legislature is in charge of effectively funding measures that will both protect existing ecosystems and support the state’s farmers. So let’s check in on what our legislators have been doing.

SJR 6: The big bill of the week was this joint resolution amending the Iowa Constitution to repeal the natural resources and outdoor recreation trust fund. This trust fund was created by voters in 2010 with 63% support but the Iowa Legislature has not funded it. In the overflowing subcommittee room, opposition urged legislators to reject this change because Iowa voters did not vote for this to be repealed, Iowans do not want to live in a state with limited outdoor opportunities, and that without the fund, conservationists and farmers would be working against each other instead of together. Despite the many groups presenting against the resolution, it moved forward. 

SF 161: This bill would require the Iowa Department of Agriculture & Land Stewardship (IDALS) to conduct a study on nitrogen fertilizers that are at least 25% nitrogen. This study would be funded by the general fund and designed to help produce farming practices and technological innovations that would limit nitrogen-based fertilizer usage on farmland. The subcommittee recommended passage. 

HSB 165: This bill is being called the Freedom to Garden Act, giving landowners the freedom to plant whatever they would like on their land without regulation. The goal of the bill is to allow landowners to garden any fruit or vegetable they desire for personal use. This act would only apply to plants and local governments would still have the ability to regulate livestock production. This bill also does not apply to controlled substances or to producing plants for sale. The Freedom to Garden Act moved out of subcommittee. 

Environmental Day at the Capitol: The Capitol was crowded on Wednesday (February 19) with many environmental organizations attending Environmental Day at the Capitol to discuss their key issues with policy makers. Organizations such as the Iowa Environmental Council, Sustainable Iowa Land Trust, and the Blank Park Zoo were in attendance, along with the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, county conservation boards, and more. They focused their efforts on the subcommittee for SJR 6 and packed the room with advocates fighting to keep the natural resources and outdoor recreation trust fund open. Throughout the day the organizations tabled at the rotunda and provided research to support Iowa natural resources and programs. 

Between farmlands and conservation efforts, Iowa is a force for environmental regulation conversation. These bills are moving toward the next step in the legislative process, it’s time to get involved with SJR 6, SF 161, or HSB 165, contact your Senator & Representative now before these bills move out of committee and become safe from the approaching “funnel” deadline (March 7).

This blog post was written by Jessica Seelinger, who is interning with LWVIA lobbyists at The Advocacy Cooperative. Jessica is a graduate student at Drake University and has worked previously in county conservation.