The 2023 session of the 90th Iowa General Assembly began Monday, January 9....more
Legislative activity came to a close last week, as Governor Reynolds signed the remaining enrolled bills into law, completing action on all of the approved legislation from the 89th General Assembly. Governor Reynolds...more
We are now 30 days beyond the scheduled 100th day of session. The legislature had been on a bit of a hiatus for the last two and a half weeks, gaveling in and out as required by Constitution/rule…until this week. Progress...more
Officially into overtime, legislators are now working without receiving per diem and without assistance from their clerks. At the end of week 16, the lack of agreement on the Education Savings Accounts (ESA) issue continues...more
The legislature met their second legislative funnel deadline this week. This means that policy bills that did not receive floor approval in their originating chamber and advance through committee in the opposite chamber are...more
With the end of Week Nine, we are official beyond the halfway point of the scheduled legislative session. This week also marks one week until the second legislative funnel, which is scheduled for next Friday, March 18. There...more
Week seven brought major legislative action. The legislature passed historic tax reform on Thursday, a major priority of Governor Reynolds and leadership in both the House and the Senate for 2022. These recent developments,...more
Week four brought more bill introductions and the continued rapid pace of committee work. We are now two weeks from the second funnel deadline, February 18. Over the next two weeks, committee work will continue with bills...more
Week 2 of the legislative session was shortened by the MLK Jr. holiday weekend as well as travel difficulties caused by the weekend winter storm. Bill introductions continue to ramp up, with 152 bills introduced this week...more
On Thursday, October 28, the second Iowa special legislative session concluded with the legislature approving the second Legislative and Congressional District Plan (SF621) and Covid Vaccine Exemptions (HF902). Governor...more
Special Iowa Legislative Session -
Governor Reynolds signed a proclamation today, September 14, 2021, declaring a special legislative session to convene on Tuesday, October 5, 2021. The purpose of this special session...more
Officially into overtime, week 17 ended with many negotiations left to be had. Rank and file legislators were not called into the Capitol on Monday (5/3) or Tuesday (5/4) as there was no floor work or committee blocks...more
The 110th day of the legislative session is two weeks from today. Debate is now limited to: bills passed by both chambers, Appropriations bills, Ways and Means bills, Government Oversight bills, Administrative Rules Review...more
With two weeks until the second funnel, week 10 was dominated by extended floor debates on big-ticket Republican priorities.
..Rental Vouchers (SF252) prohibits local ordinances that require landlords to accept federal...more
3/22/2021
/ Background Checks ,
Censorship ,
Governor Reynolds ,
Gun Laws ,
Housing Choice Vouchers ,
Inheritance Tax ,
Pending Legislation ,
Public Schools ,
Rental Property ,
Social Media ,
State and Local Government ,
State Legislatures
With funnel week behind us, both chambers focused their efforts on floor work to move bills past the second funnel (April 2). Bills that survived this first funnel must now be passed out of the originating chamber and...more
As this was the first funnel week of the 2021 legislative session, both chambers focused their efforts on committee work. Despite already passing a massive number of bills through committee in the first seven weeks of the...more
The highlight of this week in Iowa and around the country remains Mother Nature and the unprecedented weather cycle causing major disruptions in the power grid. Here in Iowa, temperatures spent much of the week below zero,...more
2/22/2021
/ Census ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Election Laws ,
Governor Reynolds ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Legislative Committees ,
Pending Legislation ,
Redistricting ,
Severe Weather ,
State Legislatures ,
Vaccinations
Week 5 at the Iowa legislature brought a lot of action both in committee and in each chamber. Dozens of bills passed out of House and Senate committees each day this week, which is a much faster pace than any recent session. ...more
Week four brought extensive committee work in both chambers Monday-Wednesday, with a slower day on Thursday due to the snow in Des Moines and across the state, though virtual meetings allowed the Senate to continue to conduct...more
Update: On Monday, January 25, the Governor introduced another bill, SSB1065, which establishes a student first scholarship program for certain pupils attending nonpublic schools.
The legislature did not meet on Monday in...more
1/26/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Education ,
Executive Orders ,
Governor Reynolds ,
Private Schools ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Public Health Emergency ,
Public Schools ,
Relief Measures ,
Scholarships ,
State Constitutions ,
State Legislatures ,
Tax Deductions ,
Teachers
The Legislature convened on Monday, January 15, with new COVID-19 protocols controlling access in the Capitol. The opening of the General Assembly began with remarks by leaders in both chambers and joint conventions for the...more
Governor’s Desk-Bill Status Report -
After an 11-week recess and a number of long days and late nights, the “second” session of the 88th General Assembly of Iowa adjourned sine die Sunday, June 14, 2020, almost two months...more
Legislators returned to the Capitol Wednesday, June 3, to resume the 2020 session after being paused due to COVID-19 for 11 weeks. The session is expected to adjourn sine die for 2020 on Friday, June 12....more
This week saw more Governors easing restrictions on economic activity in their states as confidence grows that adequate resources have been marshaled by the government and health care systems to be able to respond to a surge...more
This week, as states around the country began slowly re-opening, the federal guidelines were allowed to expire signaling a shift in focus from quarantine to containment. The second round of Paycheck Protection Program funding...more