Week 12 of the 2025 Iowa Legislative Session featured the final major deadline before legislators’ per diem runs out on the 110th day of session: the second funnel. To survive this deadline, bills must have passed through a committee in the opposite chamber from which they originated, meaning they must also have passed either the full House or Senate. As such, legislators dedicated their time to subcommittee and full committee meetings. Key exceptions are Ways and Means, Appropriations, and leadership bills.
The House finished business early in the week, and most representatives went back to their home districts on Wednesday evening. Meanwhile, the Senate convened as scheduled on Thursday for the final subcommittee and committee meetings before the second funnel.
Throughout the week, some committee agendas were relatively modest, discussing only a handful of bills, while others had lengthy agendas with several gubernatorial appointments and many bill discussions to ensure funnel passage. Because the House passed nearly double the amount of bills as the Senate, Senate committees were generally busier as the chambers worked on bills sent over by the opposite chamber. Several bills saw action last week:
Some bills that were introduced in each chamber, called companion bills, can still be considered if they passed through a committee in each chamber and are placed on the “unfinished business calendar.” Each chamber is now restricted to only debating bills from the opposite chamber or bills on the unfinished business calendar. Next week the restrictions will increase to exclude bills subject to the funnels that have not passed each chamber at least once if those bills are not placed on the unfinished business calendar.
These increasing restrictions reflect the fact that we are quickly approaching the scheduled end of session on May 2. The legislature can go beyond that date, but the goal of restricting consideration of bills is to narrow the focus to the most viable bills remaining. This was a record-breaking year for bill introductions but now legislators are reduced to the significantly smaller group of bills that survived both funnel deadlines.
Hands-Free Driving
On Wednesday, Governor Kim Reynolds signed SF 22 into law, prohibiting drivers from touching or holding a phone while operating a vehicle. The battle over making Iowa a “hands-free” state has been a long, multi-year fight, especially in the Iowa House. The law will go into effect on July 1 with a six-month period where law enforcement will hand out warning tickets. Violations of Iowa’s new hands-free law will be $100 starting on January 1, 2026.
Passing legislation restricting the usage of cell phones in vehicles was an expressed priority of Governor Reynolds during her Condition of the State address. In a release following the signing, Governor Reynolds wrote:
“Thirty States across the country have passed lifesaving, hands-free legislation, and today Iowa became number 31. It’s especially meaningful that we did so on April 2, exactly two years to the day Roland Taylor was tragically killed by a distracted driver. It was an honor to sign this bill in his memory and in memory of every Iowan lost to distracted driving.”
New Tariffs Announced
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump announced new tariffs on what he dubbed “Liberation Day.” Going forward, the United States will impose a 10% baseline tariff for all trading partners, and on April 9, additional reciprocal tariffs will be imposed against the “worst offenders.” In a news release praising the rollout of taxes on imports, Governor Reynolds stated:
“President Trump is using tariffs as leverage – to force our trading partners to the table and put America’s farmers first. My job is to protect Iowans, and I’m working directly with the administration to ease the short-term impact, keep our ag economy strong, and open the door to new export opportunities.”
A new wave of global trade restrictions could pose big risks to Iowa’s agricultural economy, which partially relies on strong export markets. As of midday April 4, soybeans contracts on the Chicago Board of Trade are down by around 50 cents. The Wall Street Journal reports that “traders are betting that Trump’s escalating trade war with the world risks retaliation from big overseas crops buyers, like China, which sank the U.S. soybean market in 2018 in response to an earlier round of tariffs.”
Representative Sami Scheetz Resigns
On Tuesday, April 1, Representative Sami Scheetz submitted his resignation to House Speaker Pat Grassley, announcing he was selected to fill a vacant Linn County supervisor position. In a Facebook post following the announcement, Scheetz wrote:
“I’m honored to share that I’ve been appointed to serve on the Linn County Board of Supervisors. It’s been the privilege of a lifetime to represent Cedar Rapids in the Iowa House, and while I’ll miss working alongside my incredible colleagues at the Capitol, I’m excited to be home—closer to my family, and ready to get to work for the people of Linn County.”
Former Representative Scheetz resides in Iowa House District 78 in 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.
Governor Reynolds has five days from receiving the resignation notice to set a special election date – the third special election of the 2025 legislative session.
Soil Temperature
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 convenes in January and typically adjourns in April or early May around when the soil temperature is high enough to begin field work 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 in the majority of the state. It is recommended to begin planting corn and soybeans when the soil temperature is 50 degrees. Even with the increased diversity of professions in the Iowa Legislature, there are still many farmer-lawmakers in the Capitol keeping a close eye on soil temperatures.
What’s next?
Legislators will begin to wrap up floor debate on non-budget bills as the focus narrows to tax reform and budgeting. With approximately one month left until the 110th day of session, major issues are still being considered by the legislature.
Property Taxes
HSB 313 and SSB 1208 passed out of subcommittee in Week 11. These companion bills seek to overhaul the property tax process. These funnel-proof bills must make their way through committee and pass the floor of both chambers. Both parties have expressed property tax reform as a number one priority this session, so we expect some property tax reform to pass before adjournment.
Tax Credits
Earlier in session, the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) proposed HSB 305 and SSB 1205 to overhaul Iowa’s tax credit system. As Iowa’s tax environment has evolved to be more favorable to business, the IEDA is seeking to re-evaluate available tax incentives, including credits relating to venture investments, job creation, and research and development. Read more here.
Budgets
With the second funnel behind us and the release of the March REC estimates, we expect both chambers to produce budget targets soon, prompting Appropriations Chairs to begin working on their budget pieces. Then the House, the Senate, and the Governor’s office will work to agree on final budget bills to be approved by each chamber before being sent down to the Governor’s Office.
The full 2025 Session Timetable can be found here.
