BW INSIGHTS

2023 Iowa Legislative Session - Week 12 Summary

By BrownWinick | 04.04.2023

Friday marked the end of the second legislative funnel week. Bills must have cleared the Chamber of origin and the other Chamber’s Committee by the close of business. Those bills that did not meet this deadline are now considered “dead” through the end of session. The main exceptions to this deadline are bills that deal with taxes, spending, and... Read More

2023 Iowa Legislative Session - Week 11 Summary

By BrownWinick | 03.24.2023

On Wednesday, the Senate approved a bill to limit the use of mobile devices while driving. Senate File 547 makes the use of mobile devices while driving a car illegal unless used in a hands-free or voice-activated mode. The bill passed the Senate by a 47-3 vote. The bill’s floor manager, Senator Mark Lofgren (R-Muscatine), said the bill will... Read More

2023 Iowa Legislative Session - Week 10 Summary

By BrownWinick | 03.17.2023

A bill proposed by Governor Kim Reynolds that seeks to streamline state government through reorganization was approved by the House on Wednesday and will head to the Governor’s desk for her signature. The bill, which is over 1,500 pages in total, seeks to cut the number of cabinet-level state agencies from 37 to 16 and would eliminate hundreds of... Read More

2023 Iowa Legislative Session - Week 9 Summary

By BrownWinick | 03.10.2023

The Revenue Estimating Conference (REC), comprised of a three-member panel (Kraig Paulsen, David Underwood, and Jennifer Acton), met Friday (3/10/23) as part of its standard schedule of meetings to estimate future state revenues. The REC projects higher revenues for fiscal years 2023 and 2024 as compared to the December 2022 estimates (1.4%... Read More

2023 Iowa Legislative Session - Week 8 Summary

By BrownWinick | 03.06.2023

This week saw a flurry of activity from lawmakers as they rushed to advance numerous bills in an effort to beat Friday’s first “funnel”. From Monday through Thursday, 237 bills were listed on Committee agendas, 132 subcommittees were held and the last Committee notice went out Friday morning at 12:34 a.m. for the House Judiciary to meet - with 16... Read More

2023 Iowa Legislative Session - Week 7 Summary

By BrownWinick | 02.27.2023

The week continued to ramp up as lawmakers prepare for next week’s funnel. This means that, with a few exceptions, by the end of next week, all bills must be voted out a subcommittee and their corresponding Senate or House committees. With an eye towards the quickly approaching funnel deadline, lawmakers packed this week with subcommittee and... Read More

2023 Iowa Legislative Session - Week 6 Summary

By BrownWinick | 02.20.2023

Only 100 days have passed since the November Midterm Elections, but Republicans are already starting to focus on the 2024 presidential election and making Iowa a priority. Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina Governor and United Nations Ambassador, announced her presidential campaign earlier this week. Haley is scheduled to be in Iowa next week... Read More

2023 Iowa Legislative Session - Week 5 Summary

By BrownWinick | 02.13.2023

State funding for Iowa’s K-12 public schools was increased by 3 percent on Tuesday when Governor Kim Reynolds signed Senate File 192 into law. The Senate passed the bill last week with a 34-15 vote, and the House passed the bill on Tuesday morning with a 59-40 vote. With the new law, the state will see an increase of $222 per student, resulting in... Read More

2023 Iowa Legislative Session - Week 4 Summary

By BrownWinick | 02.08.2023

The Legislature continues to move tort reform through the chambers. House Study Bill 114 proposes to limit non-economic damages to $1 million in lawsuits involving commercial vehicles; along provisions addressing employer liability for hiring practices. The bill passed through the subcommittee on Monday, and the Senate’s version, Senate Study Bill... Read More

2023 Iowa Legislative Session - Week 3 Summary

By BrownWinick | 01.27.2023

The pace at the Capitol definitely picked up this week with many bills swiftly passing out of subcommittee and Committee. The first funnel is on March 3 and we typically see this pace closer to this first important deadline. This is in part a reflection of Leadership telling Committee Chairs to keep bills moving and so many new members anxious to... Read More