This Week in the Iowa Legislature
The second funnel deadline has come and gone! Hundreds of bills failed to meet the deadline and will not be considered further this session. This week lawmakers raced to push key legislation through subcommittees and committees before the deadline. This meant hours of caucus discussions behind closed doors as legislators decided which bills would ultimately move forward.
With both funnel deadlines behind us, we are entering the budget and tax policy phase of the session. Lawmakers have four weeks or so to introduce and finalize the state budget and pass any tax reform.
On Tuesday, Rep. Sami Scheetz (HD 78) resigned after he was appointed to fill a vacancy on the Linn County Board of Supervisors, leaving House Democrats with 32 members. His open seat will result in yet another special election in the coming weeks.
Then on Wednesday, end distracted driving advocates, law enforcement, lawmakers, and survivor families looked on as Governor Reynolds signed the long-awaited Hands-Free Driving bill into law. Governor Reynolds thanked the families who have lost loved ones to distracted driving for sharing their stories and the End Distracted Driving Iowa Coalition for all its efforts pushing for the bill. She was correct in declaring “This bill will save lives!”
Bill Trackers Updated
The AS team has updated your bill trackers in Advokit to reflect those bills surviving or dying in the Second Funnel Deadline. If you see a bill that you believe is listed incorrectly, please reach out to a member of our team. Occasionally, bill information is not updated on the legislative website in a timely manner so Advokit can also be behind. We will correct any inconsistencies brought to our attention.
Eminent Domain and Carbon Capture Pipeline Legislation
The Senate advanced an eminent domain bill through both subcommittee and the full Senate Commerce Committee for the first time this week. For years, House-passed pipeline and eminent domain measures have stalled in the Senate. Sen. Mike Bousselot put HF 639 on the committee agenda—but only after dropping a key amendment hours before the meeting. The amendment would impose new requirements on the Iowa Utilities Commission and allow voluntary easements beyond pipeline corridors. Democrats opposed the last-minute move, but the amended bill still cleared committee unanimously. Pipeline opponents who have pushed for HF 639 decried the amendment as a move to remove any meaningful reforms and limitations to eminent domain for CO2 pipelines from the bill. It is unclear if the House will go along with the Senate’s approach to this very contentious issue.
Key Issues Surviving the Second Funnel
Several of the key issues discussed this session made the funnel deadline with hopes of being debated prior to adjournment. Those include: all the Governor’s proposals from energy and education to disaster response, eminent domain, PBM reform, DEI in education, prior authorization updates, election administration changes, state employee paid parental leave, and human smuggling/trafficking.
House Republicans Say No to Pesticide Liability Shield
For the second consecutive year, Speaker Grassley announced on Thursday House Republicans lacked the necessary votes to pass the controversial pesticide liability bill, SF 394. Despite squeaking through the Senate with a narrow 26-21 vote, it was subsequently referred to the House Judiciary Committee after its final meeting of the session.
Looking Ahead
With the second funnel behind us, legislators will now focus on passing bills on the floor, crafting the state budget, and considering tax legislation. While an agreement on K-12 education funding has reportedly been reached between the House and the Governor, the Senate has yet to approve it. Until this is resolved, leaders will not be able to release budget targets.
Floor debate and work in the Appropriations and Ways and Means Committees are expected to dominate through the end of session. We will again be reaching out to budget committee chairs to discuss client spending priorities as the budget process begins in earnest.