Republicans opened the 2026 Iowa legislative session with unusual urgency, pushing early on property taxes, carbon pipelines and higher education. But as lawmakers raced to show momentum, Week 1 also revealed internal GOP divisions — especially over how to deliver property tax relief.
Gov. Kim Reynolds on Tuesday unveiled a legislative agenda focused on overhauling Iowa’s property tax system, tightening immigration and election enforcement, expanding health care access and continuing education reforms.
Many Iowa lawmakers have listed rising local property taxes as a priority of their work in the 2026 legislative session.
Renewed action on property tax relief, a tougher approach to repeat violent crime, state spending, affordability and bipartisan calls for cooperation and civility were among the pledges and requests made by leaders during the first day of the 2026 session on Monday.
Iowa Republican gubernatorial candidate Adam Steen told Linn County Republicans on Thursday that he would push changes on education, property taxes and eminent domain if elected governor, framing his campaign as a fight to “preserve and protect the culture of the state” and “a battle of good versus evil.”
As property tax relief is expected to be a top priority for lawmakers in both parties during the 2026 Iowa legislative session, state Democratic leaders are split on how to address the issue.
Ahead of the 2026 legislative session, Iowa House Democrats rolled out a property tax relief plan Monday that includes a 4 percent property tax cap, rebates for homeowners and renters, and a property tax freeze for seniors.
This year, Iowa lawmakers will return to the drawing board on providing property tax relief to Iowans, which is expected to be a main focal point of the 2026 legislative session after last year’s efforts to address the issue failed to take off.
GOP Congressman Randy Feenstra tied his campaign for Iowa governor to President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” defended tariffs and promised to cut property taxes while expanding health care access during a campaign stop in Cedar Rapids.
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.
This week on the podcast we discuss Gov. Reynolds talking property taxes, THC drink limits in the government funding bill, a potential Democratic candidate for state ag secretary, and the Iowa delegation’s votes on the Epstein files.
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.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds talked with local leaders about ways to reduce property taxes and streamline government operations during a visit to Peosta in Dubuque County on Thursday.
From a study of public employee salaries and benefits, to teacher bonuses for student achievement and incentives for shared government services, the Iowa DOGE Task Force report includes a number of recommendations for making Iowa government more efficient.
Iowa Rep. Carter Nordman, new chairman of House committee on tax policy, joined Gov. Kim Reynolds and local government leaders for a roundtable discussion about residential property taxes Thursday.
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