Governor Approves 70% Bills (So Far)
Governor Kim Reynolds has until June 15 to sign bills into law (or keep them from becoming law with a veto). As of May 30, the Governor has taken action on 70% of the 172 bills sent to her this year. You can check on the status of all enrolled bills here. Here are the…
2025 Bill Tracker Updated
The LWVIA tracks a wide variety of bills during each legislative session. This year not only did the Legislature introduce a record number of bills, they passed 70+ bills in the final three days of session, most with massive strike-after amendments. The LWVIA Bill Tracker is now fully updated with end-of-session actions. We will continue…
Session Ends!
The 2025 Iowa Legislative Session ended this morning (May 15) at 5 a.m. Collectively the House and Senate passed all nine budget bills, the federal block grant bill, opioid settlement spending, a ban on the use of eminent domain for carbon pipelines, Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) reform, sports wagering revenue spending, the Governor’s rural health…
Legislative Overtime: Budget Tracking
UPDATED (5/8/25, 5:13 pm). We are one week into legislative overtime with no clear indication that we are near adjournment. Legislators blew past their targeted May 2 adjournment and are now working without expense reimbursement and personal staff. It’s a weird showdown between Republicans – Senate & Governor versus House. Right now the Senate and…
Late Resolution on Gay Marriage
Sen. Sandy Salmon (R-Bremer) introduced a concurrent resolution yesterday (May 7) that conveys the Iowa Legislature’s deep displeasure with the courts over gay marriage. Senate Concurrent Resolution 12 states that the 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision that legalized same sex marriage throughout the country was antithetical to the US Constitution. The resolution states that “Obergefell…
We Have Budget Targets!
Governor Kim Reynolds and the Iowa Senate have agreed to a budget target for next year. The House followed suit this afternoon and released its own target, which was slightly higher ($36 million more). In the famous words of former US Senator Tom Harkin, this less than 1% difference is “pencil dust.” While that difference…