Iowa’s economy had its strongest months in three years, according to a Creighton University survey.  The duration of the move into positive territory is unknown with impact of new tariffs acting as a wildcard. more

Four House Public Safety Bills have made it to the Governor’s desk. It is my honor to serve as chair of the House Public Safety Committee. more

There have been numerous culture war bills brought up during the 91st legislative session, and on Thursday, April 3, the companion bill HF 856 DEI, “prohibition for state/local government and all higher education” to SF 507, “Restricting County and city, diversity, equity, and inclusion programs” came before the Senate Education Committee. These two similar bills specifically prohibit any state, county, school district, post-secondary or any other local government agency from promoting any trainings, programming, policies, procedures, or a whole host of other diversity, equity, or inclusion initiatives. more

Last week was the final funnel deadline for bills to be considered.  We did not have floor debate so I wanted to give you some insight into a day on the Ways and Means Committee I Chair. We met Wednesday and passed 15 bills out of committee.  All 15 bills received bipartisan support and were about a variety of topics. Committee work rarely garners headlines but as you see below – that work does impact many of you in many ways.  more

Last week the House took significant and historic action on eminent domain abuse reform.  From Day One, I have been one of the leaders in the state in ensuring that wealthy individuals cannot bulldoze their way through your Fourth amendment private property rights.  It started with a lake in Clarke County where wealthy developers wanted to condemn hundreds of acres of prime farm ground for a recreational lake. I knew that if it could happen in Clarke County it would not be long before someone tried that in Scott, Cedar, or Muscatine Counties.  We were successful in those endeavors and a law is on the books.  more

Iowa’s 99 counties are spending your money to mislead you about property taxes. But don’t blame the people at your county courthouse. The Iowa Legislature is forcing them do it. more

On March 13, the three-member Revenue Estimating Conference met for its spring meeting to go over Iowa’s economic activity and to forecast state revenue.  The panel is required to adjust its forecasts for Fiscal Year 2025 (the current budget year) and Fiscal Year 2026 (the next budget, which will be developed in the upcoming weeks).  The panel is also required to put forward an initial forecast for Fiscal Year 2027.  The panel also revises the gaming tax and interest forecasts for FY 2025 & FY 2026. more

Last week in the Legislature we spent a marathon day debating education bills.  We passed four pieces of Legislation from the Higher Education Committee that I serve on and four pieces of legislation for our K-12 public schools. All four higher education bills had the support of the Board of Regents and all four of the K-12 education bills had wide bipartisan support. more

Chapter 26 of the Iowa Code pertains to Public Construction Bidding for projects that exceed $100,000. A public entity is required to accept the lowest bid unless it’s determined to be “not responsive” (the bid was submitted late) or if the bidder is deemed “not responsible” based upon factors such as financial capacity, experience, or ability to secure bonds and insurance. The lowest responsive bidder has the right to “sue” the governmental agency if they believe the rejection was arbitrary or capricious. more

The House had 13 bills related to advancing access to mental health care prior to the first funnel deadline. These bills are described below and now are to be considered by the House Floor and the Senate Committee. more

The Iowa Revenue Estimating Committee released the March forecast and Iowa’s grand economic theory is bringing clarity to our direction. Regardless of the Governor’s rosy picture she and the Republican legislators are unable to cut spending/services fast enough to cover the loss of revenue. I often use the phrase, “it’s not real until it becomes personal” and if it hasn’t already, it’s about to become personal for many Iowans through the loss of services. more

Among the bills the Iowa Senate passed, Senate File 277 made several adjustments and clarifications to the chronic absenteeism policy that we passed last year. We have heard from many parents and schools about the policy, and we took what we heard into consideration when making some changes to the law. more

This week in the Legislature is the first week post-funnel. Initially, all 150 legislators can propose any bill at any time – leading to thousands of bills being filed.  There has to be a system in place to narrow down those bills to the roughly 200 ideas that we will actually consider.  more

We have had almost 15 Listening Posts in towns across the District with more to come. The idea behind these meetings is for your legislators to come to your community and meet with residents. The local constituents have enjoyed us in their “backyards.” more

Friends, I want to thank all of you for emailing your concerns regarding specific bills. I’ve been making every attempt to answer them as quickly as possible, but with the onset of funnel week, there have been many bills requiring reading, research, and expert constituent phone calls. Funnel week is when any bill that has not been submitted and received both a subcommittee and committee hearing is no longer viable (they die). more

Last week marked the end of first funnel – a legislative deadline where bills need to be out of committee to move forward. This year the House Commerce Committee advanced 23 bills with the vast majority receiving bipartisan support. Below are some of the bills that advanced on energy, PBMs, insurance, and financial institutions. more

Last week the Iowa Legislature returned Iowa to common sense by removing gender identity as a protected class in the Iowa Civil Rights Code.  The bill also returns the Iowa Code to biological truth by using scientific definitions for male and female by requiring birth certificates to designate gender at birth.  more

I have been seeing information about a bill before our Iowa legislators that suggests that the Bible, a collection of literature unique to one religious practice, could be taught in our public schools. The implication is not written but seems obvious: the Bible should be taught in public schools. more

This week I am excited to share with you progress on three important topics many of you have been asking me about: access to healthcare, help for veterans, and addressing mental health needs.  These three important topics are a high priority for me. more

The Iowa Senate passed a few bills on the floor last week. One of them was Senate File 278. This bill supports students on robotics teams by providing more resources and technical assistance to school districts starting student organizations related to robotics. This allows them to access federal funding for their teams. Senate File 278 is another great step in ensuring Iowa students are given every opportunity to pursue their passion in the classroom. Programs, such as robotics teams, give students real-world knowledge and skills that are needed in the workplace. Senate Republicans are proud to support our students interested in robotics and we look forward to the success they will have in the future. more