Iowa House and Senate members reconvened at the Capitol for the second year of the 91st General Assembly. The Iowa Legislature gaveled in Monday, January 12, for the first day of session.
The first day featured leadership speeches and procedural business. Speeches from Iowa governmental leaders will continue, and major highlights and takeaways will be published in our legislative update at the end of the week.
The following address can be livestreamed on Iowa PBS, and links to transcriptions will be added as they become available.
- Governor Kim Reynolds will deliver the Condition of the State on Tuesday, January 13 at 6 p.m.
- Chief Justice Susan Christensen will deliver the Condition of the Judiciary on Wednesday, January 14 at 10 a.m.
- Major General Stephen E. Osborn, Adjutant General of the Iowa Guard, will deliver the Condition of the Guard on Thursday, January 15 at 10 a.m.
Major Topics for 2026 Iowa Legislative Session
Caucuses set priorities for the year in their leadership addresses. Because this is the second year of a general assembly, unfinished business from the 2025 session will carry over, and many of the legislature’s priorities will mirror last year’s headline issues.
Leadership Addresses: Iowa House
Speaker Pat Grassley
In the House, Speaker Pat Grassley delivered the first leadership address of 2026 in the chamber. The address outlined a House Republican agenda centered on property tax reform, public safety, and protecting taxpayers. He emphasized that Iowa’s current property tax system lacks predictability, making it difficult for seniors to remain in their homes and for young Iowans to pursue homeownership. Grassley stressed that taxpayers must be prioritized first, over taxing entities, when reforms are considered.
On eminent domain, the Speaker underscored the need to protect landowners and ensure fairness in government takings, noting that the House anticipates considering a narrowly tailored eminent domain bill during the session.
Addressing public safety, Grassley warned that crime trends in neighboring states pose a growing risk to Iowa, referencing high-profile incidents in Charlotte and Chicago, as well as the 2023 murder of a 10-year-old girl in Davenport. He reiterated House Republicans’ commitment to a “tough on crime” agenda, including support for a three-strikes policy.
On the state budget, Grassley pushed back on minority-party claims of fiscal distress, asserting that the state has been over-collecting revenue and that Iowa’s coffers remain full.
Minority Leader Brian Meyer
Leader Meyer opened his remarks by thanking House members for electing him as Minority Leader. He outlined a Democratic vision focused on making Iowa number one in education, lowering costs, and improving overall quality of life. Meyer warned of an affordability crisis for Iowans, describing a looming budgetary “death spiral” unless long-term investments are not addressed responsibly.
Key priorities included childcare and preschool affordability, expanding access to homeownership, reducing property taxes, and improving water quality and affordability. Meyer emphasized support for public schools funded by public dollars, opposing the expansion of ESAs. He also cautioned against using one-time funding for ongoing expenses, calling this practice unsustainable, and stated he would continue to fight policies that “punch down” on vulnerable Iowans.
Majority Leader Bobby Kaufmann
Majority Leader Kaufmann highlighted eminent domain and property tax reform as early priorities for the House. He thanked Representative Dawson for his work and addressed the status of emergency medical services funding, noting that the EMS levy proposal must advance this session, or it will fail.
Kaufmann also raised concerns about legislative pay, arguing that current compensation levels limit service to those who are independently wealthy or retired, restricting who can realistically run for office and serve in the legislature.
Leadership Addresses: Iowa Senate
President Amy Sinclair
Senate President Amy Sinclair kicked off the Senate leadership addresses by highlighting accomplishments from the past several years. President Sinclair emphasized the importance of bipartisanship, noting that the chamber agrees far more than it disagrees, and condemning personal attacks. In an effort to get to work for Iowans, the Senate President listed priorities to address property taxes, executive accountability, and smaller government.
Minority Leader Janice Weiner
Minority Leader Weiner echoed President Sinclair’s call for bipartisanship and to carry out Iowan’s business with civility. The Minority Leader established priorities for the Democratic Party, including addressing the high price and accessibility of health care, high housing costs, childcare affordability and availability, the budget deficit, and an overall investment in Iowan’s health.
Majority Leader Mike Klimesh
Majority Leader Mike Klimesh shared his vision for Iowa by encouraging small business growth, investment, and innovation. The new Majority Leader previewed several major legislative topics, including property tax reform, energy costs, a series of eminent domain bills, and the goal to make Iowa a no-income tax state.
All Senate legislative leaders recognized the leadership of former Majority Leader Jack Whitver and the loss of Senator Rocky DeWitt and Senator Claire Celsi. Additionally, the leaders condemned recent acts of politically motivated violence, including the death of two Iowan soldiers in Syria— Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar and William Nathanial Howard— the shooting of Melissa Hortman and John Hoffman and their spouses, the death of Charlie Kirk, and the shooting of Renee Good in Minnesota.
Ahead of session, caucus leadership determined committee assignments for their respective memberships. See the Iowa Legislative website for the full list of committee assignments.
Iowa Property Tax Legislation
As one of the first official acts of the 2026 Legislative Session, Senator Dan Dawson, Chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, released his property tax bill, SSB 3001. This legislation was highly anticipated ahead of session and will be a major focus as legislators seek to address the rising costs of owning property in the state. Every legislative leader mentioned property taxes in their opening addresses, and SSB 3001 represents the first action to tackle the issue in 2026. As of publishing, this bill was introduced and referred to the Senate Ways and Means Committee, and additional bill action is expected later.
Iowa Legislative Timetable
The 2026 Iowa Legislative is slated for 100 days. The full 2026 Session Timetable is here.
