54th Memorial Service – Held in the Senate Chamber
Remembering Representative Martin Graber.
Hi Friends,
Every two years there is a ceremony in the House Chamber recognizing the “Pioneer Lawmakers”. These legislators and staff represent both Democrats and Republicans. They began their careers in 2006 and a few in the group are still serving.
The evening Memorial Service celebrated the life and contributions of legislators who passed away in the prior 2 years. Music was presented by the Memorial Choir, composed of elected officials, staff, and lobbyists. Families and friends of the deceased joined together to honor their loved ones. My friend, Representative Martin Graber passed away Jan 31, 2025.
Status of a Few Bills
HF2642 – Beneficial Use and Water Permits requires the DNR to evaluate the QUANTITY of water before issuing a permit for large industrial users. It was discussed at length in Under the Golden Dome #9. With the increased demand on our water resources from industry and data centers, this piece of legislation is important for Iowa’s future. It passed House 90-1 and was sent to the Senate.
The Senate subcommittee of Senators Annette Sweeney, Tom Shipley, and Art Staed
STATUS – Subcommittee recommended INDEFINITE postponement.
HF2514 – Child Care Worker CCA provides childcare employees eligibility to receive childcare assistance if working at least 32 hours per week and have children enrolled in childcare.
STATUS – on Senate debate calendar
HF 2719- Judicial Performance requires the state court administrator to collect and publish annual performance data on district court judges, including statistics on pretrial decisions, sentencing outcomes, appeal reversals, and courtroom efficiency. This would have increased transparency and allowed the public to make more informed decisions during judicial retention elections.
STATUS – Did not have a sub in the Senate (failed to pass the second funnel)
HF 2297 – Radon Mitigation in New Residential Builds
Directs the Iowa Building Code Commissioner to adopt as part of the state building code a requirement for passive mitigation for radon in newly constructed single and two-family residences. Defines “passive mitigation” as described in 2021 International Residential Code.
STATUS – on Senate unfinished business
HF2690 – Data Center Transparency Bill requires data centers to report water and electricity consumption to appropriate regulatory departments.
STATUS – passed House committee unanimously (now on hold)
Property Tax Legislation – There are on-going meetings among the leadership in the House, Senate, and Governor’s office.
I have continued to present HF2577 as an alternative approach to the three bills currently on the table for discussion. HF2577 simplifies the property tax system for both taxpayers and taxing authorities, without shifting the cost burdens from one group to other taxpayers. It addresses the concerns of unrealistic assessments and undetermined rollbacks. It creates true local control without state-mandated artificial caps.
If you would like to learn more about the proposals, please send me an email. (address below) I will send you a summary document and a comparison chart to review the various current proposals.