This session is shorter than last year. The first year of a General Assembly is 110 days, the second is 100 days. Those fewer days have a great impact on the legislative calendar. Things move faster and the “funnel” deadlines loom earlier. If you are interested, click HERE to see the Legislative Calendar. Any bill requests by individual Senators or Representatives must be submitted by this Friday, January 23.
In addition to the timeline pressure, the Legislature is working through some significant changes in leadership. When Governor Reynolds and Senator Ernst announced they were not seeking re-election, things began to move. As the dust settled, new leadership emerged in both parties in the Iowa House. We had some rearranging of committee positions, as new chairs were assigned to cover the potential vacancies. Our new Majority Leader, Rep. Bobby Kaufmann promised that we would “hit the ground running” ….and that’s just what we did.
Private Property Rights vs Eminent Domain
When House Majority Leader Bobby Kaufmann promised a hard-hitting session, he wasn’t kidding. The first sub-committee meeting of the session was HSB507, a bill to protect the constitutional property rights of landowners threatened by Summit Carbon Solutions carbon capture pipeline. When Governor Reynolds vetoed a similar bill last summer, we promised our constituents that we would continue to fight for their rights. The bill passed the sub-committee on Tuesday and the full committee on Wednesday. It is now renumbered to HF2104. We will likely vote on it this coming week. That’s moving fast for a legislative body!
Property Tax Reform
I have consistently heard more on this issue than any other facing the Legislature this session. Iowa’s current property tax formula defies logic! It is a convoluted mess!
The complains fall into two categories: 1) the unrealistic assessment generated every two years by state mandate, 2) the unknown “rollback” and its impact on the actual tax paid. I’ve heard complaints from both taxpayers and the taxing bodies (cities & schools) about the lack of predictability.
For the third year in a row, I visited every city council and many of the school districts in House District 83. I shared my thoughts and the city councils provided their insights and recommendations for some reforms that could save tax dollars without jeopardizing our small towns and school districts. They were supportive of the bill I proposed last year. We discussed how the system works (and doesn’t work) and the importance of local control.
The House Republicans will have a proposal this week. As we put the taxpayers first, there will be some things that may need more scrutiny before we vote. We know that “one size fits all” doesn’t work. Something may be okay for cities such as Des Moines and Cedar Rapids but may be very harmful for Prairieburg or Mt. Vernon.
As we review all three versions, I encourage you to look at the legislation and let me know your view. My job is to seek what is best for my constituents, but I need to hear from you.
My Other Legislative Priorities
Throughout the summer I met with constituents, stake holders, and other legislators preparing legislation for this session. As I said earlier, bills must be submitted by Friday this week.
Some of the legislation I have sponsored or co-sponsored includes several bills to improve election security, address government waste, and secure constitutional rights.
Several of us are working together with Senators to move legislation protecting our electric grid and water supplies for rural Iowa.
I am working on increased school funding flexibility for our small districts, student and teacher safety, improving educational outcomes, and protecting local control. Issues around medical freedom, transactional gold, and criminal justice are working their way through the bill process.
As you have thoughts about these and other issues, please drop me a line – BUT be sure to include your address and other contact information.
We receive hundreds of mass emails from special interest groups from all over, even foreign “influencers”. I respond to my constituents first so PLEASE include that information.
Committees this session:
Before the session officially started, there were new committee assignments for some Representatives.
I will continue to serve as Vice-Chair of Natural Resources. My other committee assignments are Local Government, Transportation, and Justice System Appropriations Subcommittee.
As you can imagine, the wide variety of issues that come before the Legislature is incredible, from childcare to nuclear power. Every issue has the potential to have direct impact on some part of our district. If you are aware of an unintended consequence of a bill that is pending, please let me know. I read and evaluate all the information presented before I vote. Your insight on a particular issue might be the one piece that is missing.