This Week in the Iowa Legislature
Another relatively calm week at the Capitol leading into an “Egg-citing” Easter holiday weekend, as lawmakers continued advancing legislation through a mix of committee work and floor debate. Some tensions surfaced during House debate Tuesday afternoon, where Majority and Minority leadership clashed over scheduling in anticipation of unresolved, high-profile policy issues. Overall, the week maintained a consistent pace as lawmakers continue negotiations to reach adjournment before heading home for a long holiday weekend.
Iowa Senate Republicans released their budget targets this week, proposing a roughly $9.6 billion state budget for fiscal year 2027. The proposal represents about a 1.2% increase over the current year and comes in approximately $40 million below the Governor’s proposal. It also includes roughly $114 million in new spending, with nearly $100 million allocated to K-12 education. Senators moved five budget bills through subcommittee or full committee this week, however these were the Governor’s proposals and are just vehicles to move paper in the process. The actual budgets will come in the form of floor amendments. The House’s budget targets are expected early next week, setting the stage for final budget negotiations.
The Iowa Senate rejected a House amendment this week that would have expanded an educator citizenship verification bill to require the use of SAVE or E-Verify for certain private employers and professional licensure. During floor discussion, Sen. Evans noted that several of the amendment’s provisions were either already addressed in federal legislation or did not align closely with the scope of the education bill, and therefore were not included. The bill will now return to the House without amendment for consideration. This exemplifies the current relationship between the two chambers as well: not on the same page on many policy proposals still to be considered.
Looking Ahead
As the Legislature continues into the final weeks of session, we can expect the pace to slow considerably. While some policy bills will continue to be considered on the floor, movement will be measured as leadership focuses on resolving major outstanding issues ahead of adjournment. Negotiations are ongoing behind closed doors on key topics including property tax reform, the state budget, and eminent domain. In the meantime, we will continue to provide updates as lawmakers work toward final agreements. We have officially reached the “hurry up and wait” part of the legislative session.