With some exceptions, a bill had to be approved by a committee in the chamber it did not start in to remain eligible, meaning the Iowa House had to approve Senate bills and the Senate had to approve proposals from the House.
While some measures did not fully advance, more than 100 bills have been placed on the “unfinished business” calendar. If both chambers have designated the legislation for further consideration, it will be allowed to stay alive past the deadline.
Leaders say they passed nearly 300 bills
Legislative leaders say the Iowa House moved about 250 bills through their chamber, while the Senate passed about 40.
Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver says the Republican trifecta — in which the party controls the House, Senate and governor’s office — is in its eighth session and that they’ve already accomplished many GOP priorities.
“One thing that I would like to stress, in this funnel week or this session is, I think Iowa is in a really good spot. And we don’t need that many bills in my opinion to make Iowa strong, and to keep Iowa strong.”
He says the smaller number of bills that the Senate kept alive are the only things he wants to work on, plus tax cuts and a state budget.
House Speaker Pat Grassley says his chamber is prioritizing bills that respond to constituents’ concerns. He says there’s some disappointment that certain bills like those aiming to improve nursing homes and others to target undocumented immigrants didn’t get taken up by the Senate.
Bills still eligible for debate
Bills from each chamber that would change the state’s Area Education Agencies are still alive, but it’s unclear what the final version will look like – or what the extent of these changes will be. Other bills that got through include a measure that bans citizen review boards for police, a bill to create a special permit for school staff to carry guns, a bill that requires certain fetal development education in Iowa schools by seventh grade and a bill that would let state officials arrest and deport undocumented immigrants. Bills dealing with taxes and spending are also still alive, as they aren’t subject to the “funnel week” deadline.
Bills that did not advance
A bill that would raise penalties for “killing an unborn person” without the pregnant person’s consent died last week. Senate Republicans killed the bill over concerns about how it could affect IVF access in Iowa.
The governor’s bill to define a “man” and “woman” in state law based on a person’s sex assigned at birth also didn’t get through.
Other measures that did not advance include a proposal to expand birth control access, a Senate bill that would have prohibited the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ from buying land at auction, a bill that would have allowed state agencies to hire private CPA firms rather than going through the state auditor and some House education bills, including specific social studies requirements and limits on DEI programs at the state universities.
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