2025 Legislative Session

IPR's journalists rehash their most consequential moments of the last year — from raucous town halls to the arrest of Des Moines schools' superintendent. Assistant news director Grant Gerlock and reporters Katarina Sostaric, Natalie Krebs, James Kelley and Rachel Cramer bring us back through the biggest stories of 2025 and share what they'll be watching in the year to come.

A ban on holding cell phones while driving, removal of gender identity protections in the Iowa Civil Rights Act and a ban on diversity, equity, and inclusion programs are among the new state laws taking effect July 1.

As Pride Month celebrations and protests come to an end, so too do the state civil rights protections for transgender and nonbinary Iowans. That’s because earlier this year, Iowa became the first state to remove gender identity as a protected status in its civil rights code.

Iowa's hands-free driving law aimed at combating distracted driving goes into effect July 1. Under the new law, drivers can't hold their phone in any way.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds vetoed a bill Wednesday that would have made it more difficult for companies to use eminent domain to build carbon capture pipelines and other energy infrastructure.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act is proposing to cut billions from Medicaid, which could affect coverage for thousands of Iowans. Here's a breakdown of what's happening with the bill and what it means for Iowans.

Iowa businesses will get an estimated $1.2 billion tax cut over the next five years under a new law signed Thursday by Gov. Kim Reynolds.

More Iowa candidates have come forward with campaign runs for state and Congressional races in 2026.

The 2025 legislative session is now over, and Gov. Kim Reynolds has requested a waiver from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to limit eligible foods for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in Iowa.

Iowa’s 2025 legislative session ended at 6:31 a.m. on Thursday after lawmakers worked through the night to negotiate the final details of the state budget.