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.

• HF 2458 Future Ready Iowa, the Governor’s principal economic development and workforce training legislation passed the Senate unanimously and was sent to the Governor for her signature. 
• HJR 2009 Firearm Rights passed the Senate and House largely along party lines. This Resolution proposes adding an amendment to the Iowa constitution to further clarify Iowans’ gun ownership rights. Constitutional amendments in Iowa must be approved by two successive General Assemblies and ratified by a majority of voters in an election. With the passage in both chambers this week, this Resolution will need to be approved by both chambers again in the next General Assembly before it can be placed on the ballot for a public vote in 2020.
• SF 2117 De-Appropriations passed the House and Senate this week. This bill cuts the FY 2018 budget by about $25 million, a necessary step before deliberations could begin on the FY 2019 budget. The legislature waited to act on this until the most up-to-date numbers were available from the Revenue Estimating Conference.

Tax Policy

Key stakeholders in the House continued to work on their tax plan. Their plan is based on the Governor’s proposal but also includes elements of the Senate tax plan which passed earlier this session. This tax plan is not only important from a tax policy perspective but also impacts the FY 2019 budget.

Looking Ahead

It is anticipated that budget targets will be released next week but it is unclear what they will look like given the ongoing discussions regarding tax policy.

Many bills were placed on the Unfinished Business Calendar this week. These bills will continue to be worked on and debated as the session enters its final weeks.  Adjournment is scheduled for April 17th (100th day).