Iowa lawmakers complete their work for 2024. What did they do?

DES MOINES — After two marathon sessions, totaling 38 hours over two days and change, lawmakers in the Iowa Legislature concluded their work for 2024 early Saturday at the Iowa Capitol.

The Iowa House — the last chamber to finish its work — adjourned sine die at 4:23 a.m. Saturday, the 103rd legislative day of the session.

The 2024 session was marked in particular by one piece of legislation: Gov. Kim Reynolds’ proposal to overhaul how special education support is delivered in the state by its nine area education agencies, and how those agencies are funded.

The AEA bill dominated the first three months of the legislative session, making progress on anything else nearly impossible.

After hours of testimony from parents of students with disabilities who worried their children would lose critical care — along with testimony from some school superintendents who backed the proposal — Reynolds signed the final bill into law in March.

Once the bill is fully phased in, the area education agencies will receive 90 percent of school funding for special education support, while 10 percent will remain with the district.

State lawmakers worked late into the night Thursday and Friday — and into the early morning Saturday — as they crafted an $8.5 billion state budget, passed the last batch of policy bills and let a final few measures die — including a proposed five-year extension of a moratorium on new casinos in the state.

The House approved the new casino moratorium just before 1 a.m. Saturday. But in the session’s final three hours, the Senate declined to take it up. That means the current, two-year moratorium will expire in June. After that point, interested parties — like those in Cedar Rapids — would be able to start the application process through the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission.

What Iowa Republicans say

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Iowa Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver, a Republican from Grimes, claimed Republican victories on another round of state income tax cuts, immigration and inflation.

“Big and bold ideas have always been our focus, and our caucus has never shied away from difficult or complex issues. This year was no different,” said in a statement. “This session was another tremendous success for Senate Republicans as we kept our promises to Iowans and focused on big reforms, bold changes, and major tax relief. I know we all look forward to a break from this session and to return in 2025 ready to continue making Iowa the best place to live in the world.”

House Speaker Pat Grassley, a Republican from New Hartford, said House Republicans laid out an agenda at the start of the session and followed through on passing those bills.

“We’ve been doing that since I’ve been in leadership, trying to really lay out a bold agenda that we campaign on, try to follow through on them,” Grassley said. “The things that we’re taking from all across the state in all 99 counties, we’re trying to reflect those in legislation that we’re putting together.”

What Iowa Democrats say

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Iowa House Democratic leader Jennifer Konfrst of Windsor Heights said the session had been defined by Republicans making life harder for Iowans in areas that include voting, economic opportunity and special education.

Konfrst criticized Republicans for moving the AEA overhaul bill despite initial unease from many in the party about Reynolds’ first proposal. She said the bill mobilized thousands of people to make their opinions known.

“It was never about the AEAs, it’s always been about politics. It’s always been about special interest,” she said. “And kids will suffer.”

Konfrst said House Democrats, meanwhile, had been proposing policies that had broad support among Iowans. House Democrats introduced bills this year to increase the minimum wage, create a constitutionally protected right to collective bargaining and extend the state’s sales tax holiday.

But with a minority in both chambers, Democrats have little ability to influence policy.

“We introduced all of those things, and Republicans ignored each and every one of them,” Konfrst said. “The things we've introduced as legislative sessions were for everyday Iowans to help make their lives better, and Republicans chose politics and special interests.”

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Senate Democrats pursued many of those same policies. They introduced a proposal that would have protected abortion rights in the Iowa Constitution, and introduced policies to increase funding and staffing at nursing homes.

Senate Minority Leader Pam Jochum, D-Dubuque, said Friday that Democrats had worked to improve “freedom, opportunity and accountability” throughout the session. Jochum, who is not running for re-election, suggested the Republicans’ agenda will be a liability in the November election.

“Iowans will remember how Republicans chose to serve their governor rather than their constituents,” Jochum said. “They’ll remember how they slashed our area education agencies and put special interests over Iowa's children. And they will remember in November.”

What Reynolds says

Reynolds’ office highlighted the myriad bills she proposed or supported that were approved by the Republican-majority Legislature — some of which were altered significantly before coming back to her desk to sign, including the AEA bill.

“Iowa has set a course for transformation, and it was the driving force of the 2024 legislative session,” Reynolds said in a statement. “Iowa is a state that values education, rewards hard work, and encourages strong families. A place where government is driven by a sense of responsibility to the people it serves. I’m proud of what we accomplished this year and I look forward to continuing to build upon our strong foundation, ensuring prosperity and stability for every Iowan.”

Comments: (515) 355-1300, erin.murphy@thegazette.com