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 Committee, or leadership offices, as legislators work out the state budget. The House and Senate sent 16 bills to the Governor’s desk, and she signed two into law.
With a supermajority in the Senate (34 Republicans to 16 Democrats), all of the Governor’s appointments to various state positions were easily confirmed, though there were concerns from Democrats about some of them.
The Senate moved forward with four budgets, inching closer to the finish line. The House has yet to introduce bills reflecting their budget targets.
Budget Activity
The Senate Appropriations Committee approved several bills on Thursday: Administration & Regulation; Agriculture & Natural Resources; Economic Development; and Transportation, Infrastructure & Capitals budgets. All will be eligible for consideration on the Senate floor when the legislature returns next week.
The House has released its budget targets but has not yet introduced bills to match. Aside from the Standing Appropriations Budget which is typically amongst the last bills to be introduced in a legislative session, the Health and Human Services budget is the only remaining budget bill yet to be introduced. We expect to see that early next week.
As a reminder, the House proposed a budget of $8.955 billion and the Senate proposed $8.872 billion, an $82 million difference. Negotiations to align the budget targets continue.
Executive Branch Update
Last week, the Governor signed two bills into law. The Religious Freedom Restoration Act (SF 2095) was signed on April 2 and takes effect immediately, providing a legal test for courts to use when weighing a person’s exercise of religion against a compelling governmental interest. Twenty-six states have enacted versions of RFRA.
The Governor signed the bill at an event by The Family Leader and released this statement:
“Thirty years ago, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act passed almost unanimously at the federal level. Since then, religious rights have increasingly come under attack. Today, Iowa enacts a law to protect these unalienable rights—just as twenty-six other states have done—upholding the ideals that are the very foundation of our country.”
Governor Reynolds also signed an act repealing gender balance requirements for the state’s boards and commissions. The law removes the requirement that state panels attempt to find a candidate that balances the board’s gender representation.
The Governor signed the bill in her office at the Iowa State Capitol and released this statement:
“I believe that our focus should always be on appointing the most qualified people. That includes engaged citizens with a genuine interest in serving their state or local community, as well as individuals with valuable experience that directly relates to the position,” said Gov. Kim Reynolds. “This approach ensures that boards and commissions at all levels of government are effective and that each one serves Iowans well. That’s exactly what this bill aims to accomplish.”
Gubernatorial Appointments
The Senate approved the Governor’s appointments this week, including those assigned to the Iowa Board of Regents, the Department of Education, the Judicial Nominating Commission, the Iowa Economic Development Authority/Iowa Finance Authority, and several others. Democrats requested that some of those appointments be voted on individually, while most occurred en bloc, meaning they were approved in one fell swoop if there were no objections in the chamber.
Soil Temperature
Despite the brief snowfall mid-week, the weather continues to warm as we usher in April. According to Iowa State University Soil Monitoring, the current soil temperatures around the state are rising to the low-40s, which is nearing the 50-degree temperature we need to begin planting corn or soybeans. We continue to track soil temperature as an indicator of when the farmer legislators will apply pressure to end session and get into the fields.
What’s next?
Budget season is upon us; much of the activity will be taking place via the Appropriations committees/subcommittees. We can expect that Appropriators and Leadership will be working behind the scenes to negotiate and finalize budget numbers. And despite the sine die coming into sight, income tax proposals remain on the table—though this becomes a larger lift as the days left in session dwindle.
There is just one full week left until the scheduled 110th day of session. The full 2024 Session Timetable can be found here.
