Week in Iowa, April 24, 2023: Recap of news from across the state

Legislature enters last week: The coming week is expected to be the final one of the Iowa Legislature's 2023 session, as lawmakers rush to pass a budget for next year and tie up any final legislation before leaving Des Moines. The total budget will be around $8.5 billion for fiscal 2024.

Lawmakers advanced several budget bills last week, funding programs in agriculture, health and human services, the governor's office, and more. The bills included a near-$500,000 increase to the governor's office budget, which the office said was necessary to recruit and retain staff.

Senate limits auditor powers: A bill to limit the powers of the state auditor is on the way to Gov. Kim Reynolds' desk. The bill would limit the auditor’s access to confidential records unless certain conditions are met. State Auditor Rob Sand is the only statewide elected Democrat.

Ethics complaints tabled, dismissed: An ethics complaint accusing Republican Sen. Mike Bousselot of Ankeny of exerting undue influence over a pipeline restriction bill was tabled unless further evidence is presented. Another complaint challenging the social media posts of Cedar Rapids Democratic Sen. Molly Donahue was dismissed.

Iowa delegation prevents ethanol cuts: Iowa's congressional delegation was instrumental in getting ethanol tax credit rollbacks removed from the debt limit bill House Republicans passed last week, displaying the tenuous balance of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's five-vote majority.

The bill originally would have removed tax credits for biofuels that were included in the Inflation Reduction Act, but Iowa's all-Republican delegation and a few other Midwestern Republicans vowed to vote against the measure, threatening to tank the deal unless the tax credits were left unchanged.

Gun bill in limbo amid protests: About 50 Iowa students and gun safety advocates protested a bill that would allow guns in school and other public parking lots. The bill passed in the House, but the Senate floor manager said it may not get through the chamber before the end of the session.

They said …

“The bill is the greatest pro-corruption bill and the worst perversion of checks and balances in Iowa’s history because it lets state government hide documents from auditors, and ends judicial review of such decisions." — Iowa Democratic State Auditor Rob Sand on a bill to limit the auditor's ability to obtain confidential documents.

“Having successfully amended the bill to protect funding for these tax credits, our delegation will vote for this legislation, which is a starting point to avoid a default and cut wasteful spending. As negotiations continue, we have made it crystal clear that we will not support any bill that eliminates any of these critical biofuels tax credits.” — Joint statement from Iowa's congressional delegation on keeping biofuels tax credits in debt ceiling bill.

Odds and ends

Summit credits: NextGen CDR Facility, a joint venture between Mitsubishi and climate consultancy South Pole, announced it will purchase up to $30 million worth of carbon-removal credits from Summit Carbon Solutions' carbon sequestration pipeline once the pipeline is operational. Each credit represents 1 ton of sequestered CO2 and can be used to offset the company's carbon emissions.

John Pappajohn dies: Iowa entrepreneur and philanthropist John Pappajohn, who grew up in Mason City, died at age 94. Pappajohn gave away millions to Iowa universities and charitable causes.

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Water cooler

Child care assistance: A bill in the Iowa Legislature would increase eligibility for child care assistance while increasing work requirements. Under the bill, Iowans making up to 160 percent of the federal poverty level would be eligible for child care assistance, but they would be required to work 32 hours a week instead of 28.

Mississippi River flooding: Fourteen gauges along Iowa’s stretch of the Mississippi River — including those at McGregor, Dubuque and Burlington — were experiencing major flooding as of Thursday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. As water levels continue to rise, areas along the river are bracing themselves — armed with flood infrastructure, sandbags and strong communities.