State agencies are pre-filing bills ahead of the 2026 Iowa legislative session, signaling debates over kratom regulation, prison safety, election ads and a renewed fight over the future of Iowa’s historical archives in Iowa City.
Iowa will need slightly less money from state coffers to cover a budget gap after revenue estimates saw a small uptick since October, primarily driven by higher collections from consumer spending.
Linn County Attorney Nick Maybanks said this year, in preparing for the next legislative session, his office has set priorities for changes they’d like to see. He hopes to work with legislators to address the state’s groping laws, invasion of privacy crimes, and rules about examination of public records.
National Democrats are adding the Iowa House and Senate to their 2026 target map, citing recent over-performance in special elections and new opportunities to cut into GOP control in Des Moines.
But legislators are ruling out any immediate changes to IPERS.
The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services says it is changing the way Medicaid can be billed for certain services to get the state in compliance with the Affordable Care Act.
With the start of the 2026 Iowa legislative session only about a month away, state lawmakers are gearing up to return to a debate on property tax relief, an issue they touched on but failed to advance a proposal for last year in the Republican-controlled Legislature.
The CEO of Iowa’s public pension system said he does not object to a review of the retirement program for public employees, but cautioned against potential consequences of a voluntary contribution option — one of the recommendations from a citizen task force appointed by Gov. Kim Reynolds.
New policy wins — including $150 million for residency expansion and new prior-authorization rules — are giving Iowa physicians hope, but health leaders warns real improvements will take years.
“I can assure you that the legislators that passed this, myself and the Board of Regents are extremely sensitive to what you have just indicated,” said Regent and advisory council chair Christine Hensley. “We also understand that this center is really being watched throughout the country. And We will not fail. We will not fail.”
Republican has decided to run again for a seat in the Iowa Legislature after spending the last few months visiting counties and speaking with Iowans.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds intends to put forward a proposal to change Iowa's property tax code, she said Tuesday after a roundtable discussion in Davenport.
As Iowa researchers continue the search for a new funding source for the state’s largest water sensor network — which provides real-time data about nitrate, phosphorus and flow levels in the state’s rivers and streams — the network’s director said Iowa’s nitrate issues are continuing to expand.
Among the questions a new University of Iowa Center for Intellectual Freedom will tackle at its inaugural event Dec. 5-6 are “What is wrong with universities?”, “How did we end up here?” and “Can universities be reformed?”
The first meeting of a new Legislature-imposed University of Iowa Center for Intellectual Freedom advisory council has been set for next week, on Tuesday, over Zoom — meaning the half who live outside Iowa won’t need to travel to the state.
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