The 2024 session was a big win for Iowans, and we passed some major legislation to address the concerns of Iowans and the issues important to them. With all these accomplishments, we are looking forward to getting back home to our districts, spending time with our families, and talking with constituents about our successes this year. more

On April 10, the Iowa House passed House File 2641 by a near unanimous 96-aye to 1-nay vote. HF 2641 is the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) departmental bill. The measure proposes a number of changes to the Code that make technical corrections to update Code verbiage, remove dormant or obsolete program and Code provisions, and restructures Code language concerning the Choose Iowa Promotional Program. more

House File 2634 removes the $7.0 million cap on the real estate transfer tax (RETT) that is deposited in the housing trust fund (HTF)—resulting in an increase to that fund and affordable housing across the state. The bill passed out of the House Economic Growth and Technology and Ways and Means Committees as well as off the House Floor unanimously. more

The 14th week included a lot of floor debate as we work through bills going through both the House and the Senate. more

The 14th week of the 2024 legislative session brought more bills to the House floor. As Chairman of the House Appropriation Committee, I have scheduled budget bills to start being voted on within our committee. We will soon be reaching the end of our session. more

If you were having a conversation with your best friend and he said your outfit looked horrible that day, would that make you feel good? more

City officials in Davenport have managed to accomplish the impossible this year: They have brought Republicans and Democrats in the Legislature together to agree on something. more

Things are starting to wrap up at the capitol as we end the session, and the House of Representatives is busy working on the budget for the 2025 Fiscal Year. more

The third week of the session was full of subcommittee meetings to discuss several introduced bills. Within the past week, the committees have created almost 100 subcommittees for legislation, roughly half of the subcommittees for the session so far. We are finding rhythm, so meetings and floor discussions should pick up quickly. That said, I want to highlight a bill that I oversaw as a subcommittee chair. more

The 13th week of the 2024 Legislative Session brought more bills to the House floor. As chairman of the House Appropriation Committee, I received our budget targets for this session. We will soon begin building the budget for the State of Iowa. more

The 13th week of the legislative session involved a lot of debate, finding an agreement on the state budget, and confirming governor appointees. Bills of note include: more

As a kid have you ever wanted to get something expensive but your parents say, “No,” or “pay for it yourself.” more

This session, the House passed House File 2554 which is based on some of the recommendations provided to update Iowa’s energy laws. Over the summer, the legislature required a full review of Iowa’s utilities and ratemaking processes. This was the first comprehensive review done in 20 years, and a lot has changed in that time in the energy sector. more

On March 28, Senate Republicans released the total general fund spending goal for next year. The general fund target of $8.872 billion is a 3.74 percent increase over FY 2024. It includes the increase of $172 million in funding for public K-12 schools and minimum starting teacher pay approved earlier this week in HF 2612 and $51.25 million in new money for ESAs for a total $223.2 million in new money for K-12 education. more

Last week we took action on two major pieces of legislation – combating illegal immigration and fighting against eminent domain abuse. more

Changes to Iowa’s Area Education Agencies (AEAs) have been a central focus of many Iowans this year. The reality is this - the status quo of Iowa’s special education system is not good enough, and something has to change. It is not just the legislature that thinks so. The federal government has designated our state as “needs improvement” and is starting in-state monitoring this fall. more

I wanted to begin the column by thanking all of the citizens who attended my Listening Posts and forums this year. We held over 12 events in three different counties. Of course, you always have the occasional person there who wants to score political points through disruption or a litany of loaded questions but the overwhelming majority of people were thoughtful concerned citizens with great ideas! Thank you. I learn from these experiences. more

Reps. Randy Feenstra, and Mariannette Miller Meeks joined Sen. Joni Ernst for the annual congressional baseball game, June 14 at Nationals Park. more

The river means something different to everyone. For many, it is a spiritual place for meditation and retreat. Others think of recreation and family outings (for me, it’s one of my favorite places to walk my new puppy, Bailey). At times, the river is a source of anxiety as flooding becomes a more regular concern. more

On Aug. 17,  2023, more than one hundred people gathered at the Beit Shalom Jewish Community building in Davenport, Iowa, to view in person, a physical artifact of the Holocaust: an authentic World War II rail car bound for permanent display at the Danville Station Museum in Danville, Iowa. more