Week eight marks the halfway point in the legislative session and two weeks until the session funnel on Friday, March 18. This week brought the most floor action we have seen all session, with over 50 bills advancing through...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
The headline of week three: tax, tax, tax – both the Senate and the House introduced their tax proposals this week. Also this week, two notable trends continued to develop and emerge...more
The 2022 session of the 89th General Assembly began Monday, January 10.
Legislative Branch Developments
Makeup of the 89th General Assembly
Republicans maintain their majority in both chambers. House Republicans...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
On Thursday, October 21, the Legislative Services Agency (LSA) delivered its second redistricting plan, including the second set of maps, to the Iowa legislature....more
The Legislative Services Agency (LSA) delivered its second redistricting plan, including the second set of maps, to the legislature at 10:00 a.m. Thursday, October 21. A short time later the maps were released for the public...more
Today, October 5, 2021, the Iowa Senate rejected the first Legislative and Congressional District Plan. The plan, SF620, failed to pass 18-32, thus triggering the need for the Legislative Services Agency (LSA) to prepare a...more
On Thursday, September 16, the Legislative Services Agency (LSA) delivered its first Proposed Redistricting Plan Report, to the Iowa legislature. The U.S. Census Bureau determined the total resident population of Iowa as of...more
At 10:00 a.m. Thursday, September 16, the Legislative Services Agency (LSA) delivered its first Proposed Redistricting Plan Report, including the first set of maps, to the legislature....more
Two and a half weeks beyond the 110th calendar day of the session, the 2021 session of the 89th General Assembly of Iowa adjourned sine die just before midnight on Wednesday, May 19. Originally slated to end April 30,...more
5/24/2021
/ Abortion ,
Affordable Housing ,
Broadband ,
Child Tax Credit ,
Concealed Weapons ,
Diversity ,
Employee's Childcare ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Renewable Fuel ,
Social Media ,
State and Local Government ,
State Budgets ,
State Education Departments ,
State Elections ,
State Legislatures ,
Tax Reform ,
Vaccine Passports
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
Today marks the 110th day of the legislative session. The last scheduled week of session has ended and we are now into extra innings....more
With Week 15 behind us, we are now on the brink of the last scheduled week of session. The 110th calendar day of session falls on April 30....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
Budgets and floor debate dominated week 13. Most of the work was packed into Tuesday, April 6, and Wednesday, April 7, with short sessions at the beginning and end of the week....more
4/12/2021
/ Appropriation ,
Broadband ,
Constitutional Amendment ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Diversity ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Property Tax ,
Redistricting ,
State and Local Government ,
State Budgets ,
State Constitutions ,
State Legislatures ,
Tax Reform
In Week 12, the Iowa Legislature passed through the second funnel and Rita Hart dropped her contest of the election results. The Governor has signed over three dozen bills....more
The eleventh week brought a steady bustle around the Capitol as we head into the next important legislative deadline, the second and final funnel ends on Friday, April 2. In order for bills to continue to be considered by the...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
As of the end of week six, the legislature had passed more than 1,500 bills out of committee. Week seven saw even more committee action, and legislators continue to advance bills in an effort to meet the upcoming funnel...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