With ample time to recover from the 2025 legislative session, elected officials are getting back to work in the interim. Major updates include a new Iowa House Majority Leader, staff changes in the Office of the Governor, the...more
Last week was the first week beyond the scheduled 110th day of the 2025 Iowa Legislative Session, and legislators made significant strides toward adjournment. On Thursday, the chambers released a joint budget agreement; with...more
It was a quieter week at the Iowa State Capitol as we reach the final stretch of the 2025 legislative session. As the first year of a general assembly, session is scheduled for 110 days, and this year, that day falls on...more
Governor Reynolds not seeking reelection -
In a video published on Friday, April 11, Governor Kim Reynolds announced that she will not seek reelection in 2026. In the post, Governor Reynolds cited her desire to be with...more
Week 12 of the 2025 Iowa Legislative Session featured the final major deadline before legislators’ per diem runs out on the 110th day of session: the second funnel. To survive this deadline, bills must have passed through a...more
The Iowa Legislature returned after the first funnel deadline in Week 8 and the pace shifted as the Iowa House and Senate spent more time on floor debate and attention shifted to Ways and Means and Appropriations bills and...more
Friday, March 7 marked the first funnel deadline for the 2025 Iowa legislative session. By midnight, policy bills had to be passed by a committee in its originating chamber to remain eligible for consideration this year....more
Week 6 of the 2025 Iowa Legislative Session has come and gone. Inside the Capitol, it was bustling with members of the public protesting and testifying in subcommittee while the outside world experienced sub-zero...more
Week 5 of the 2025 Iowa Legislative Session closed with the first major deadline of the year. Individual legislators had until Friday, February 14, to request bills and joint resolution drafts to the Legislative Services...more
Iowa mourned the passing of Representative Martin Graber this week, who experienced a sudden heart attack on Friday, January 31. The House of Representatives canceled the majority of business on Monday for the visitation and...more
The 91st General Assembly reconvened at the Capitol for a full week of legislating. Last week, there were 144 new bill introductions between both chambers, and 90 bills passed out of subcommittee. Currently, 33 bills have...more
The 91st General Assembly gaveled in last week to begin the 2025 Iowa legislative session. The Republican Party returned to the Capitol with an even stronger hold on the legislature after the 2024 election, increasing their...more
The Iowa Legislature gaveled in yesterday, Monday, January 13, for the first day of session. All returning and newly elected House and Senate members convened at the Capitol for the first year of the 91st General Assembly....more
In Iowa, 188 bills and resolutions were passed in the 2024 session of the 90th General Assembly (the Governor vetoed one bill, HF2539 regarding open records; see the veto letter for more information). The majority of those...more
The legislature picked up the pace in week 14 as a real push toward the end of session began. The House and Senate spent extensive time on the floor, working to clear their calendars—which included several controversial...more
Bill introductions slowed to a trickle by week 13, with just a handful of days left until the end of the scheduled legislative session. Most of the work happening now is in the Appropriations Committee, Ways and Means...more
Week 12 brought more signs of Spring: the Pella Tulip Time Queen and her court graced the Capitol with their presence and their Dutch letters. In March Madness news, the Sweet 16 weekend kicked off with the Iowa State Cyclone...more
The first day of spring was last Tuesday, bringing new life to the Capitol in week 11. As the weather continues to warm, farmers will be eager to start planting crops; we will keep you apprised of the soil temperature in the...more
With the end of the second legislative funnel, all eyes turn to the House and Senate Unfinished Business Calendar. Starting this week, the Senate can only consider House bills, House Joint Resolutions, and Unfinished...more
Floor debate took up the majority of the time in the Capitol this week, with the House debating extensive calendars every day this week, a total of 29 bills, and the Senate debating 12 bills total on Monday and Tuesday. Three...more
Week Eight brought remarkable and historic weather, a late-night floor debate in the House, and the first bills signed by the Governor this session....more
Week 7 brought the first significant floor action of the session, with full debate calendars in both the House and Senate. In total, the House debated and approved 45 bills this week, which will now go to the Senate; the...more
The first funnel of the legislative session was a sprint to get as many bills passed through committees as possible. It was unusually busy, with more than 100 bills introduced since last Thursday, including successor bills...more
Week five of the legislative session was full of subcommittee and committee action. The first funnel is this week, Friday, February 16. A large number of bills moved forward in week five, but several key priorities have yet...more
Week four of the legislative session was action-packed. Drafters, legislators, advocates, and staff are hustling to keep up with the pace and volume of bills being introduced and moving through committees. A number of...more