The 2020 session of the 88th General Assembly (GA) began Monday, January 13th.
Legislative Branch Developments -
Makeup of the 88th General Assembly -
Republicans maintain their majority in both chambers, though...more
After a number of long days and late nights, the First Session of the 88th General Assembly of Iowa adjourned sine die on Saturday, April 27, 2019—the 105th day of session, five days ahead of the scheduled adjournment date...more
5/1/2019
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At the close of Week 14, with 2 weeks left until the scheduled adjournment date of May 3rd, both House and Senate Majority Leadership teams are signaling that the session is nearly complete. There is a sense that the leaders...more
At the close of the thirteenth week, there are only three scheduled weeks left in the legislative session. Functionally—because Easter weekend is next weekend - that amounts to fourteen work days until the 110th day, the...more
This week, the focus remained on passing bills out of subcommittees and committees. Next week is “funnel week.” Friday, March 8 is the deadline for House bills to pass out of House Committees and Senate bills to pass out of...more
With two weeks left to go before the first legislative funnel (information on the funnel process in last week’s blog post), progress was made on both the policy and appropriations fronts. Floor work is heating up in both...more
Unlike most of the rest of the state, weather did not have much of an impact on the business of the legislature with the exception of the cancellation of a few events. This week, many bills moved through subcommittees and a...more
The second week of the legislative session started out relatively slow due to the observance of Martin Luther King Day on Monday and cancellations of committee work for weather-related reasons on Tuesday.
Floor action was...more
The 2nd session of the 87th Iowa General Assembly ended in the early afternoon of Saturday, May 5, 18 days past the scheduled adjournment date.
In her Condition of the State Address, the Governor outlined her priorities...more
This week was the scheduled end of the 2018 General Assembly. However, the Governor and leaders in both chambers have much work to do to agree upon and finalize a tax reform package and the 2019 budget before they can adjourn...more
This week, work continued behind the scenes on budget and tax plans as the Senate and House continue crafting the 2019 budget and try to adjourn by April 17, the 100th day of session. One of the factors now being considered...more
Tax Policy -
This week, much of the activity at the Capitol was happening behind the scenes as leaders from both chambers and the Governor’s office continued budget and tax discussions. The House is currently working...more
This week, a series of key pieces of legislation made their way through the legislative process and in some cases, to the Governor for her signature. These are viewed as critical to finishing the legislative session....more
This week, legislators again focused on floor work with action on many bills and the Senate started to work through its confirmation calendar.
Department of Human Services -
The Senate delayed the confirmation vote on...more
It was a shortened legislative week with legislators staying in their districts to participate and attend their local caucuses on Monday. As a result, while bills were introduced on Monday, there were no subcommittee meetings...more
This week, Governor Reynolds signed her first bill into law, SF 512, the water quality bill. The Governor also signed her first Executive Order establishing the Iowa Clearinghouse for Work-based Learning. ...more
This week saw a significant increase in the number of bills moving through the subcommittee and committee process. Some key developments from the week...more
After a three-day holiday, the General Assembly reconvened and began moving the first of the bills out of committee.
Friday, January 19, marked the first legislative deadline as it is the last day individual legislators...more
This week the second session of the 87th Iowa General Assembly convened and is scheduled to last 100 days. However, the Republicans, which are the majority party in both chambers, made it clear that they are aiming to adjourn...more