February 24, 2025 Legislative Update

Both the House and the Senate held floor debate this week; advancing legislation out of its originating committee prior to the first funnel deadline on March 7th remains the priority for both chambers. The final deadline for legislators to request individually sponsored bills passed; however, committee chairs and leadership can still introduce legislation.

Governor Priorities

After receiving support during a subcommittee held on Monday, Governor Reynolds’ energy proposal advanced out of the House Commerce Committee on Tuesday. The Commerce Committee adopted an amendment to remove the first division of the bill that would have directed the Iowa Utilities Commission to approve service territory swaps to support economic development. Commerce Committee Chair Representative Lundgren indicated there would be additional amendments on the floor to address concerns with divisions of the bill related to anaerobic digestors and integrated resource plans brought up during the subcommittee. The Senate advanced a companion bill out of subcommittee late last week.

During the Governor’s Condition of the State, she unveiled her plan to improve Iowa’s math literacy scores in K-12 schools. This week, Senate Study Bill 1092 and House Study Bill 137 were introduced and advanced out of their respective subcommittees. The legislation provides educators with more teaching instruction to create personalized plans and additional professional development for math proficiency and resources. SSB 1092 included language requiring high school students to pass the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services test to graduate high school, however, the subcommittee approved bringing an amendment to committee to strike the language.

Governor Reynolds also introduced her rural healthcare access legislation this week with House Study Bill 191. During the Condition of the State, Governor Reynolds shared that the legislation's goal would be to address healthcare workforce shortages across the state and improve access for rural communities.

"We want to do everything we can to support and really help improve access to high-quality health care in the state of Iowa, and that's the goal of this bill," Reynolds said during a news conference.

Product Labeling

In 2024, the Senate passed legislation protecting pesticide companies from civil liability for failure to warn if the product label followed the approved labeling requirements set by the EPA. The legislation was re-introduced in this session after it failed to advance out of the Ways and Means Committee in the House last year. Senate Study Bill 1051 advanced out of subcommittee with a 2-1 vote on February 5th and was considered in the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. It advanced out of committee with a 11-7 vote, with all democrats on the committee opposing the bill.

Proponents of the bill argue the legislation protects companies that are following labeling requirements set by the EPA without providing pesticide manufacturers with blanket immunity. Opponents of the bill argued that Iowa has the second-highest cancer rates in the country and the legislation would limit Iowan’s ability to sue for potentially harmful chemical exposure. Similar language was included in the 2024 Farm Bill at the federal level but was not included in the final bill.

Other Bills of Interest

Senate Study Bill 1106 was introduced by the Iowa Economic Development Authority and makes changes to various councils and boards to align the department with changes made in 2024 following the government reorganization. The bill makes changes to the Historical Preservation Tax Credit by making owner-occupied, single-family residential projects ineligible. The bill advanced out of subcommittee on Wednesday.

Senate Study Bill 1086 was introduced by the Iowa Public Information Board. The bill provides that upon receipt of a public records request, the lawful custodian shall promptly provide receipt of the request, the approximate date for the request to be filled and inform the requestor of any delays in filling the request. The Senate State Government Committee advanced the legislation on Wednesday. A House companion bill advanced out of committee last week and is eligible for consideration on the floor.

House Study Bill 116 advanced out of the House Judiciary Committee with a unanimous vote on Wednesday. The legislation would allow the courts to dismiss meritless lawsuits that are intended to intimidate the defendant exercising free speech through expensive legal proceedings. Anti-SLAPP (strategic lawsuits against public participation) legislation has previously advanced in the Iowa House, a companion bill received support in the Senate and is eligible for floor debate.

Senate Joint Resolution 6 was introduced this week by 17 Senate Republicans. The Resolution would amend Iowa’s Constitution by repealing the natural resources and outdoor recreation trust fund. The fund was originally adopted in 2010 and was set to be funded with new sales tax revenues. However, it has never been funded due to Iowa not raising the sales tax from 6%. The amendment would create a property tax relief trust fund with a similar funding source. A subcommittee met on Wednesday and advanced the resolution. The resolution would need to pass the Legislature in consecutive sessions before being placed on the ballot for voters to approve the measure.

Next week: The Senate has yet to consider Senate File 167 again after the House amended the legislation last week. SF 167 sets Supplemental State Aid (SSA) at 2.25%, the Senate previously approved 2% on February 11th. The legislature is required to adopt SSA 30 days after the Governor’s Condition of the State address, a deadline that passed this week.

The first funnel deadline where bills must be passed out of committee in their originating chamber to remain eligible is March 7.