The 91st General Assembly gaveled in last week to begin the 2025 Iowa legislative session. The Republican Party returned to the Capitol with an even stronger hold on the legislature after the 2024 election, increasing their membership in both chambers and securing a supermajority in the Iowa House and Senate.
The Iowa House stands at 67 Republicans and 33 Democrats, and as of week one, the balance of the Iowa Senate is 34 Republicans and 15 Democrats. The chamber has one vacancy in Iowa Senate District 35 after Governor Kim Reynolds appointed Chris Cournoyer as the new Lieutenant Governor. In 2022, Lieutenant Governor Cournoyer won the seat with 61% of the vote. A special election to fill the vacant seat in Iowa Senate District 35 will be held on Tuesday, January 28, between political activist Katie Whittington (R) and Central DeWitt School Board President Mike Zimmer (D).
On Monday, party leadership addressed their respective chambers, outlining their priorities for the year. The remainder of the week included procedural matters; the first flurry of bill introductions; and the Condition of the State, Judiciary, and National Guard speeches. Based on these addresses, we anticipate major topics for this session to include property tax reform, education reform, government efficiency, childcare, affordable housing, and energy.
The full text of each leadership address can be found below:
- Speaker Pat Grassley
- Speaker Pro Tempore John Wills
- Majority Leader Matt Windschitl
- Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst
- Majority Leader Jack Whitver
- Senate President Amy Sinclair
- Democratic Leader Janice Weiner
The legislature will pause on Monday, January 20, to observe the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, and many members of the Republican caucus will be in Washington, D.C. for the inauguration of President-Elect Donald Trump.
Condition of the State
On Tuesday, Governor Reynolds delivered the 2025 Condition of the State – find the full text of her remarks here. Governor Reynolds began by celebrating the successes of the state, notably its top national rankings, recent tax cuts with reserve fund surpluses, and efficiencies related to government realignment.
In the address, Governor Reynolds shared her plans to:
- Launch a state-level Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Emily Schmidt, General Counsel of Sukup Manufacturing.
- Expand existing literacy program to math education, ensuring children who are struggling in math are identified and receive personalized help
- Strengthen math instruction and provide evidence-based professional development and teacher training.
- Require schools to keep instructional time free from digital distractions, at a minimum, with common sense exceptions for emergencies.
- Adopt hands-free driving policies that require drivers to keep their eyes on the road and away from their phones.
- Launch a Statewide Solutions Fund to which individuals, businesses, and organizations can donate to increase childcare workforce wages.
- Establish a Continuum of Care program, which will provide three-year grants for preschool programs and childcare providers that integrate their services and/or provide transportation between establishments.
- Consolidate medical loan repayment programs and double its investment.
- Open up this repayment program to professionals who commit to practicing in rural Iowa for five years, even if they were trained elsewhere.
- Direct the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to launch a program in partnership with Broadlawns and the University of Iowa to secure $150 million in federal funding to create approximately 115 new residency slots at Iowa teaching hospitals.
- Provide $3 million in grants for nursing programs.
- Direct HHS to seek federal approval to improve Medicaid rate flexibility by unbundling rates for maternal care in Iowa and increase reimbursement for complex cases and expand the definition of professionals eligible for this reimbursement.
- Establish a partnership between HHS and the University of Iowa to create a team of epidemiologists to research factors that might play a role in increased cancer rates and request a $1 million appropriation for these efforts.
- Apply for a federal waiver to institute work requirements for able-bodied adults on Medicaid.
- Reduce unemployment insurance payments by half.
- Establish a nuclear energy task force to explore the future of the field in Iowa.
- Promote an ‘all of the above’ energy portfolio.
- Modernize the state Energy Infrastructure Revolving Loan Program.
- Head on ‘trade mission’ to Illinois to convince business leaders to move their operations across state lines.
Simultaneously, the Governor published her Vision for Iowa, noting her top priorities are as follows:
- Rebuilding Our Communities
- Student-Focused Education from PreK-12
- Child Care
- Building a Strong, Competitive Iowa
- Building on an Affordable, Reliable, and Sustainable Energy System
- Ensuring Excellent Healthcare for All Iowans
- Saving Iowans Money
- A Solid Foundation for Iowa Families
The entire Condition of the State and the proposed budget may be accessed here. A complete guide to the Iowa Budget Report for FY 2026 can be found here.
Using the projections from the December meeting of the Revenue Estimating Conference, the Governor released her General Fund Appropriations proposal for FY 2026, which are as follows:
The Iowa PBS broadcast included a Democrat response immediately following the Condition of the State, hosting Senate Minority Leader Janice Weiner to provide comments on the speech. Minority Leader Weiner expressed that there are several areas with the potential to garner bipartisan support, including cancer research funding, banning cell phones during school instruction, and passing hands-free driving legislation. Affordable and accessible childcare and expanding access to health care in rural areas are also areas of agreement between the parties. That being the case, Senator Weiner shared concerns the Governor failed to substantively address the housing shortage, workforce shortage, and opioid settlement funds.
In a separate statement, Senator Weiner wrote:
“After eight years of Republican leadership, housing isn’t more affordable, childcare isn’t more accessible, and costs for everyday Iowans continue to rise… There is much work to be done. After years of nonstop culture wars, Senate Democrats welcome the opportunity to address the issues affecting Iowa families, pocketbooks, and communities.”
Condition of the Judiciary and Condition of the National Guard
On Wednesday, Chief Justice Susan Christensen delivered her Condition of the Judiciary. Each year she chooses a theme, and this year’s theme is commitment. In this address, the Chief Justice proposed plans to reduce the number of magistrates to increase efficiency, raise the salaries of judges, address the shortage of court-appointed attorneys, and support children and families in the courts. To begin this work, Chief Justice Christensen will hold office hours in the Supreme Court chamber at the Iowa State Capitol every Monday from January 27 to March 31 at 10 a.m.
Major General Stephen E. Osborn, Adjutant General of the Iowa National Guard, delivered the 2025 Condition of the Guard on Thursday morning, sharing the recruitment and retention successes of the Iowa Guard. Osborn pointed to examples of the Iowa National Guard’s continued efforts to expand and modernize the military – such as the creation of 137 positions in 2024, the nearly completed West Des Moines Readiness Center, and an announcement of a new federally funded Army Guard maintenance facility in Sioux City, and to prepare for a future of complex threats. To further the successes of the Guard, Maj. Gen. Osborn specifically requested an expansion of the Iowa National Guard service scholarship (INGSS) and a military exception to the state’s recent chronic absenteeism law.
Legislative Workflow
Scheduled for 110 days, the first year of the General Assembly (odd years) is longer than the second year, allowing for a longer legislative timeline and more time between the deadlines established in the Iowa Code and by chamber rules. Even with a relatively longer legislative session, lawmakers got straight to work, introducing 124 bills in the House and 88 bills in the Senate.
This week, the legislature observed the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Monday, January 20, and will gavel back in for week two on Tuesday, January 21. The full 2025 Session Timetable is here.
