Week 5 of the 2025 Iowa Legislative Session closed with the first major deadline of the year. Individual legislators had until Friday, February 14, to request bills and joint resolution drafts to the Legislative Services Agency (LSA). The fifth week of session featured debates on supplemental state aid and energy, as well as an executive order signed by the Governor.
Last week, there were 190 new bill introductions between both chambers. Currently, 143 bills have passed out of committee and are eligible for floor debate. Two bills passed the House last week, and the Senate passed five bills.
Iowa House District 100 Special Election
Following the passing of Representative Martin Graber in Week 3, Governor Kim Reynolds announced a special election on March 11 to fill the vacant seat in Iowa House District 100 in Lee County. Representative Graber was serving a third term in the legislature before suffering a sudden heart attack at the end of last month. Republicans nominated Blaine Watkins of Donnellson who currently serves as a legislative clerk for Senator Reichman. The Democrats nominated Nannette Griffin who was the Democratic nominee for Senate District 50 last fall where she was defeated by Senator Reichman by 17%.
Iowa DOGE Task Force
Last Monday, Governor Reynolds signed an executive order to establish an Iowa DOGE Task Force. This order came just days after the Governor testified on government efficiency to the U.S. House Oversight Committee in Washington, D.C. This state task force mimics the federal Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) established by President Donald Trump to promote government efficiency and to reduce regulations. In her Condition of the State at the start of session, Governor Reynolds announced her intention to establish a similar model Iowa to be led by Emily Schmitt, Sukup Manufacturing Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel. In a press release accompanying the order, Governor Reynolds stated,
“This group will make recommendations on maximizing return on taxpayer investment, further refining our workforce and job training programs, and leveraging technology, such as artificial intelligence.”
The Iowa DOGE Task Force will meet within the next 60 days and is required to submit a report and recommendations within 180 days after the meeting.
Governor’s Energy Bill Progresses
At the start of last week, the Senate introduced SSB 1112, the Governor’s energy bill and companion to HSB 123, which was introduced the previous week. The bill contains provisions to attract investment in Iowa’s energy sector while balancing economic and environmental interests. The Senate bill was assigned a five-member subcommittee rather than the usual three due to the broad and consequential provisions of the bill. In a packed room, SSB 1112 passed subcommittee and will move to committee. The House companion has a subcommittee scheduled for Monday of Week 6.
Supplemental State Aid (SSA) Rate Increase
Each year, the legislature addresses supplemental state aid (SSA) is typically one of the early enactments in the legislative session. The legislature makes additional funding available to school districts to account for annual inflationary increases. SSA funding is addressed early on in session to provide school districts with advance notice of funding changes to ease the budget preparation and certification process.
Last week, the Iowa House introduced HSB 138, which would have set the SSA at 2.25%. This rate was higher than the proposed rate of 2% proposed in the Senate and by the Governor. HSB 138 passed committee 15-9, but after getting renumbered and reintroduced, it was substituted for the Senate version SF 167. This bill sets the SSA at 2%. The bill passed the Senate 29-18 and was sent over to the House on Tuesday. On Thursday the House amended the bill to their 2.25% proposal and then passed the bill with a vote of 58-35. The Senate and House will need to agree on a number and head to the Governor’s desk to be signed into law.
What’s next?
The next major milestone of the 2025 legislative session is on Friday, March 7, when bills must pass out of committee in their originating chamber. This ‘funnel’ deadline does not apply to select bills, namely appropriations, ways and means, and bills related to administrative rules.
The full 2025 Session Timetable can be found here.
