Governor Reynolds not seeking reelection
In a video published on Friday, April 11, Governor Kim Reynolds announced that she will not seek reelection in 2026. In the post, Governor Reynolds cited her desire to be with family more after a long run as Lieutenant Governor and then Governor. Governor Reynolds has served as Governor of Iowa since 2017 when she assumed the role after Terry Branstad became the U.S. Ambassador to China.
Bills Still “Alive”
Week 13 marked the first week of session after the second funnel deadline and was noticeably slower than previous weeks. This reflects the reduced number of bills still “alive.” As of now, the only bills still viable to pass this year include:
- Bills passed by both chambers
- Appropriations Bills
- Ways and Means Bills
- Government Oversight Bills
- Legalizing Acts
- Administrative Rules Review Committee Bills
- Committee Bills related to delayed or suspended Administrative Rules
- Bills co-sponsored by Majority and Minority Leaders of one House
- Conference Committee Reports
- Companion Bills sponsored by Senate and House Majority Leaders
- Concurrent or Simple Resolutions
- Joint Resolutions Nullifying Administrative Rules
- Bills on the Veto Calendar
- Unfinished Business
Both chambers wrapped up the majority of their work on Tuesday. The House had a lighter week than the Senate, introducing successor bills on Monday, debating on Tuesday, and convening only the Ways and Means and Appropriations Committees on Wednesday. The chamber passed eight bills, sending two to the Senate and six to the Governor.
Earlier in the session the House passed many more bills over to the Senate, reflecting the fact that the Senate chamber has spent more time in debate in recent weeks. Last week, the Senate passed 30 bills, with 12 going to the House and 18 to Governor Reynolds. Bills seeing action last week included:
| Number | Bill Description | Action |
| HF 782 | Governor’s bill to restrict the usage of cell phones in schools to outside of instructional time | Passed Senate 49-0, Passed House 92-4, Goes to Governor |
| SJR 11 | Amends the Iowa Constitution to require a 2/3 supermajority to approve a tax increase or to impose a new tax on Iowans | Passed Senate Ways and Means, Placed on Ways and Means Calendar |
| HF 392 | Authorizes public and private high schools to apply to offer year-round classes | Passed Senate 47-0, Goes to Governor |
| HF 784 | Governor’s bill to overhaul the instruction, assessment, and preparation of math instruction | Passed Senate 46-1, Goes to Governor |
New Property Tax Legislation
As a top legislative priority for both parties, property taxes have dominated the conversation in and around the legislature the entire session. At the end of Week 8, Representative Bobby Kaufmann and Senator Dan Dawson, the chairs of the Ways and Means Committees in their respective chambers, introduced HSB 313 and SSB 1208 to overhaul the property tax process. Following feedback shared in subcommittee and meetings with key stakeholders, the Chairs introduced new legislation: HSB 328 and SSB 1227.
The updated Property Tax Plan made significant changes, including phasing out the current rollback system over one year, providing a $50,000 homestead exemption, and providing enhanced Consolidated General Fund Levy (CGFL) budget guarantees for a Consumer Price Index (CPI) over 4%. The new bill maintains the 2% revenue restriction on cities, excluding new growth, which was a significant point of contention. However, the new bill creates an interim committee to examine the impacts of this legislation, allowing modifications to be made in January 2026. The expressed goal of this legislation is to prioritize small-growth communities and to drive tax relief to the homestead, which motivated both the initial bill and the updates.
Legislature Sets Supplemental State Aid (SSA) Rate
Each year, the legislature addresses supplemental state aid (SSA), which makes additional funding available to school districts to account for annual inflationary increases. SSA funding is typically addressed early on in session to provide school districts with advance notice of funding changes to ease the budget preparation and certification process.
Earlier this session, 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 in early February, but after getting renumbered and reintroduced, it was substituted for the Senate version SF 167, which passed 29-18 in early February. Shortly thereafter, the House amended the bill, sending it back over to the Senate where it sat until early last week.
The final version of SF 167 passed both the House and the Senate last week establishes a 2% SSA, including provisions to increase transportation equity, per-pupil funding, and shared supplemental aid. The bill passed 32-15 in the Senate and 60-36 in the House. The bill is in the Governor’s office awaiting her signature.
Governor Releases New Budget
Amidst an evolving federal landscape in terms of tariffs, taxation, and inflation, Governor Reynolds released five budget bills:
- HSB 327, which appropriates federal money made available from federal block grants and nonstate resources
- SSB 1222, which makes appropriations to the education system, including the funding and operation of the Department for the Blind, Department of Education, and State Board of Regents
- SSB 1223, appropriating funds for the economic development of the state, including the Economic Development Authority, Iowa Finance Authority, Department of Workforce Development, and certain State Board of Regents institutions
- SSB 1224, making appropriations to the justice system, including a corrections capital reinvestment fund, the funding of activities relating to consumer education and litigation, and a corrections federal receipts fund, and including effective date and retroactive applicability provisions
- SSB 1225, which makes appropriations for the judicial branch
There has been limited discussion about these bills as the chambers work to set their budget targets and assess the impact of federal tariffs and continue to discuss taxation at the federal level.
Date set for third special election of 2025
Governor Kim Reynolds set the special election date for Tuesday, April 19, to fill the vacant seat in Iowa House District 78. The special election proclamation follows the resignation of Sami Scheetz, who was selected to fill a vacant Linn County Supervisor position. The district encompasses southeast Cedar Rapids where Democrats hold a 2:1 registration advantage. Scheetz secured the seat in 2022 with 67% of the vote and retained the seat in an uncontested election in 2024. This is the third special election of the 2025 legislative session.
Soil Temperature Update
Iowa’s legislative calendar is historically based around the planting and growing season, allowing farmers to serve in the legislature and tend to their land. The legislature historically adjourns around when the soil temperature is high enough to begin fieldwork for the new growing season.
According to Iowa State University Soil Monitoring, the current soil temperatures around the state are solidly in the 40s and low 50s across the state, with temperatures rising about 2-5 degrees in most counties from last week. Corn and soybean planting can generally begin once the temperature reaches the low- to mid-50s.
What’s next?
Legislators will likely focus primarily on property tax reform and budgeting. With less than one month left until the 110th day of session, both chambers and the Governor’s office must agree on a final budget bill to be signed within 30 days of adjournment. The full 2025 Session Timetable can be found here.
