This week in the Iowa Legislature
The sixth week of the 2025 Legislative Session began with more than a hundred Iowans gathering in the Capitol rotunda to protest President Trump and Elon Musk’s proposed Federal government cuts. The Senate held floor debate on Tuesday passing a few bills, and the House closed the week by moving several noncontroversial bills to the Senate Thursday afternoon. Notably, K-12 education funding was not finalized this week with the legislature’s self-imposed funding deadline now well in the rearview.
Several other bills made their way through the committee process this week, including the Governor’s K-12 math standards, rural healthcare, and medical residencies bills. However, the bill garnering the most press attention this week was the push to restrict minors’ access to LGBTQ+ events, inviting yet another protest Tuesday afternoon.
And the saga continues…with the defeat of the proposed casino moratorium bills, it seemed like smooth sailing for the Cedar Rapids casino. However, both the House and Senate Local Government Committees introduced bills to prevent cities from including newly licensed casinos in their urban renewal or TIF district funding plans. This limitation would remove a major funding stream for the casino project. The bill advanced out of a Senate subcommittee on Thursday and has yet to have a hearing in the House. It is safe to say the debate over the Cedar Rapids Casino is not yet over this session.
Public Outcry Over Proposal to Overturn IWILL
Nearly 15 years after Iowa voters approved the Natural Resource and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund (Commonly known as IWILL)—intended to support soil, water, and air quality projects, as well as outdoor recreation—the fund remains empty. Now, Iowa Senate Republicans are pushing to eliminate it. SJR 6, a proposed constitutional amendment, would overturn IWILL and instead redirect local option sales tax revenue toward property tax relief. Seventeen Senate Republicans cosponsored the proposed amendment arguing Iowans’ priorities have shifted since IWILL’s 2010 passage. The proposal drew widespread opposition at a packed subcommittee hearing with dozens of conservationists, hunters, tourism advocates, environmental groups, and members of the public speaking against it. Farm Bureau members were the proposal’s lone supporters. Despite the backlash, Senators Bousselot and Green advanced the measure, while Senator Staed voted no.
It remains uncertain whether the bill will gain enough support to clear the Senate State Government Committee before the funnel deadline amid strong public resistance. We have heard many Senators have received hundreds of phone calls, texts, and emails opposing SJR 6 over the last few days.
Looking Ahead
Time is ticking on K-12 education funding. With school districts required to submit budgets in early March, we expect movement as soon as House and Senate leaders strike a deal. We are just two weeks out from the First Funnel deadline, and hundreds of bills were just introduced this week. For those policy proposals to be considered after the March 7th deadline, they must pass a subcommittee and full committee in the next two weeks. Lawmakers will be juggling a packed subcommittee and committee schedule to try and get their priorities past the deadline. To monitor the back-to-back hearing schedule, click here to view the daily hearing schedule and virtual access information.