This Week in the Iowa Legislature
Happenings at the Capitol continued at a steady pace during the fifth week of the 2026 session. This week lawmakers spent a considerable amount of time in committee deliberations and behind-the-scenes negotiations that will determine which bills actually move forward before next Friday’s funnel deadline.
As session progresses, hearings are running longer, testimony was more animated, and exchanges between lawmakers — and sometimes the public — carried more edge than earlier in the session. Several bills drew strong reactions from the public and legislators alike, mirroring the broader national political climate. More often, we are seeing polarization and culture-driven issues spill into everyday policymaking with more demonstrations and aggressive behavior in public hearings. In practical terms, it means optics and messaging are starting to matter just as much as the policy details themselves.
Education funding stayed front and center this week as the Senate debated its Supplemental State Aid (SSA) proposal increasing K-12 education funding by 1.75 percent. The bill cleared the Senate and has now landed in the House Appropriations Committee. A House subcommittee is scheduled for this bill on Monday (2/16) and could then be debated on the floor soon after.
Public Health Coalition pushes for Higher Tobacco Tax
On Tuesday, a press conference marked the launch of the Iowa Health Initiative, a new statewide coalition focused on reducing tobacco-related death and disease through evidence-based policy solutions. The group is advocating for a $1.50 per-pack increase to Iowa’s cigarette excise tax and expanding the state’s definition of “Other Tobacco Products” — currently taxed at 50% of wholesale price — to also include e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches. To date, 33 organizations have signed on in support of the effort. Representative Brett Barker has introduced HF 2406 to advance the proposal, and the bill has been referred to the House Ways and Means Committee. Coalition leaders say the measure is aimed at improving health outcomes, reducing youth nicotine use, and lowering long-term healthcare costs for Iowa taxpayers.
Looking Ahead
Next week marks the start of the First Funnel Week chaos. For policy proposals to remain “alive”, they must pass through both a subcommittee and the full policy committee by Friday, February 20th. If they do not pass out of a policy committee, they will be ineligible to be considered for floor debate for the rest of the legislative session (A reminder tax and spending bills in the Ways and Means and Appropriations Committees are exempt from this deadline). Lawmakers will be juggling a packed subcommittee and committee schedule to try and get their priorities past the deadline. To keep up with the back-to-back hearing schedule, click here to view the daily schedule and virtual access information.