What are the two leading indicators as to when the Iowa General Assembly will adjourn for the year? The appropriations process and soil temperature. Let’s discuss that below.

Appropriations Process

The House Appropriations Committee approved the Health and Human Services Appropriations (HHS) budget and the Rebuild Iowa Infrastructure (RIIF) budget this week, marking the last of the nine budget bills (aside from Standing Appropriations) that appropriate the state budget (see table below).  Both the HHS and RIIF budgets will be floor eligible next week and are on the House debate calendar for Monday, April 4.

All other budgets have passed the House and are being considered in the Senate Appropriations Committee. When the Senate begins amending the budget bills and sending them back to the House, that will signal a final budget deal has been reached and that session will be coming to a close.

Soil Temperature

Like most states, Iowa’s legislative calendar is based around the planting and growing season. The legislature convenes in January and typically adjourns in April or early May. During this time the soil is either frozen over or too cold to plant.  But, as spring arrives, the soil temperature begins to increase, as does the pressure on the legislators who are farmers (of which there are many) to get out in the field and plant.

According to Iowa State University Soil Monitoring, the current soil temperatures around the state are still in the low 30s (the further north you go) and into the low 40s (the further south you go). Again, according to Iowa State University, it is recommended to begin planting corn and soybeans when the soil temperature is at 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

Taking the above two leading indicators into account, the Appropriations process is moving along nicely but at this point, it doesn’t look like there will be any pressure from the farmer legislators to adjourn session unless a dramatic warmup occurs in the next two weeks. Your Dentons Davis Brown team will continue to track both factors closely.

State Objection Panel

This week the State Objection Panel heard challenges relative to whether seven candidates could be on the 2022 primary and ultimately general election ballot.

The panel is typically made up of Secretary of State Paul Pate, Attorney General Tom Miller, and State Auditor Rob Sand. Because Tom Miller’s ballot eligibility was being adjudicated, Lt. Governor Adam Gregg sat in for Attorney General Miller.

The panel made the following rulings:  

• Tom Miller, Democratic candidate for Attorney General: Nomination petitions accepted, challenge rejected.
• Abby Finkenauer, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate: Nomination petitions accepted, challenge rejected.
• Kyle Kuehl, Republican candidate for U.S. House, District 1: Nomination petitions rejected, challenge sustained by default ruling.
• Anthony LaBruna, Republican candidate for Iowa Senate District 3: Nomination petitions accepted, challenge rejected.
• Ken Rozenboom, Republican candidate for Iowa Senate, District 19: Nomination petitions accepted, challenge rejected.
• Jack Whitver, Republican candidate for Iowa Senate, District 23: Nomination petitions accepted, challenge rejected.
• Jeff Shipley, Republican candidate for U.S. House, District 87: Nomination petitions accepted, challenge rejected.

What’s next?

The same bill eligibility rules apply for floor debate this week as they did last week and will be that way for the rest of session. Only the following bills will be considered on the House or Senate floor (along with a few unique and rare exceptions):  

• Bills passed by both Houses
• Appropriations Bills
• Ways and Means Bills
• Unfinished Business

The only change to debate rules that will take effect next week and for the remainder of session will be that amendments no longer need to be filed on the day preceding floor debate.

Negotiations on the final budget will continue into next week as the final two budget bills are sent to the Senate from the House. With just 10 legislative days until the 100th day of the session, we enter the final push to move legislative priorities.

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