Iowa is on the brink of becoming the next state to embrace captive insurance companies. On April 24, the Iowa Senate unanimously passed Senate File 549 (SF 549), as amended, “a bill for an act relating to captive insurance...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
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
One of the last pieces of legislation the Iowa legislature sent to Governor Kim Reynolds’ desk for assured signature was a bill banning vaccine passports in Iowa. House File 889 contains several prohibitions regarding...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
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
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
The Iowa Legislature passed a bill last week enacting several changes to Iowa tax laws. This post addresses the changes made to Iowa’s Sales and Use Tax laws. These changes will be implemented when Governor Reynolds signs the...more
With the passage of SF458, residential contractors will have their right to collect attorney’s fees as part of their mechanic’s liens restored, assuming Governor Reynolds signs bill, which is expected within the next 30 days....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 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
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