Five weeks beyond the 100th calendar day of the session, the 2022 session of the 89th General Assembly of Iowa has adjourned sine die. Originally slated to end on April 20, stalled negotiations on Education Savings Plans...more
Week 17 was more of the same. The second full week of overtime, this week came and went without an agreement on the Education Savings Accounts (ESA) issue which continues to drive the delayed adjournment. It remains unclear...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
Tuesday, April 20 marked the scheduled 100th day of session, and with it, per diems expire for legislators. We are now officially into overtime. It is difficult to discern when the legislature will adjourn sine die. Chambers...more
Week 14 was very similar to week 13. Small steps were made toward adjournment, but resolutions on the major outstanding issues remain elusive and the budget process continues to be on hold (except for the Transportation...more
The Iowa legislature met its first major milestone of the 2022 legislative session. Today brings the close of the first legislative funnel. This means that for bills to remain “alive” and eligible for further action, the...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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Iowa’s Response to Coronavirus -
As the nation and the world react to the spread of COVID-19, Governor Reynolds’s Office is coordinating Iowa’s response with the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) as the lead...more
At the close of the first third of the 15-week legislative session, bills are being sent to the Governor for her signature, the House and Senate have each passed their respective education funding level bills, the Governor’s...more
At the close of the thirteenth week, there are only three scheduled weeks left in the legislative session. Functionally—because Easter weekend is next weekend - that amounts to fourteen work days until the 110th day, the...more
Week 11 brought a balanced amount of floor and committee work, with a pause on Wednesday for two special recognitions. The legislature celebrated Pioneer Lawmakers, those lawmakers and honorary individuals who have served the...more
Three weeks out from the second funnel deadline, both the House and Senate continued to work through bills on their calendars. Much of the focus was on floor work this week, with a fair amount of committee work peppered...more
This week, the focus remained on passing bills out of subcommittees and committees. Next week is “funnel week.” Friday, March 8 is the deadline for House bills to pass out of House Committees and Senate bills to pass out of...more
The second week of the legislative session started out relatively slow due to the observance of Martin Luther King Day on Monday and cancellations of committee work for weather-related reasons on Tuesday.
Floor action was...more
The 88th General Assembly convened this week, with Republicans holding a 32-18 majority in the Senate and a 54-46 majority in the House.
Floor action focused on canvassing the 2018 election, organizing the chambers,...more