Five bills poised to directly affect Iowa’s public universities survived the second “funnel” deadline of the 2025 Legislative session this week — including one to establish a “Center for Intellectual Freedom” at the University of Iowa and another requiring each campus to create at least one three-year bachelor’s degree program.
And how many bills did Republican leaders tuck in their pocket to potentially resurrect in the session’s closing weeks?
Republican leaders in the Iowa House and Senate said they are carefully monitoring the impact of sweeping tariffs on U.S. imports announced this week by President Donald Trump as they draft the state's budget.
This week on the podcast: legislative forums in Eastern Iowa and the second funnel week at the Iowa Capitol.
Also, in the Capitol Notebook, lawmakers advance a bill allowing psilocybin prescriptions in Iowa if FDA approves the substance.
The issues illustrate the legislative divide between Republican leaders in the Iowa House and Senate, which was apparent Thursday as legislation neared the second “funnel” deadline of the 2025 session.
A bill dealing with property rights, eminent domain and pipelines advanced through an Iowa Senate committee for the first time in four years, but an amendment dramatically altered the proposal
Also, the Iowa House halted a bill that would have changed the makeup of boards that nominate Iowa judges.
The bill, named “Mason’s Law,” would create a pediatric palliative care license to establish residential care facilities for those under 21 with chronic and life-threatening illnesses who are expected to have shortened life expectancies.
Iowa will join 30 other states that passed laws making it illegal to handle a cellphone while driving, starting July 1. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed the new law Wednesday, surrounded by people who have lost loved ones to distracted driving.
Republican Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird is leading a legal brief in support of President Donald Trump’s executive order to redefine birthright citizenship. Also in the Notebook, Iowans rally in opposition to a bill shielding pesticide companies from lawsuits over cancer risks.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds’ proposed energy legislation includes a right of first refusal to incumbent energy companies to build new transmission projects
Also in the Capitol Notebook: An Iowa House-passed ban on requiring DEI courses at public universities for graduation is moving in the Senate.
Iowa House Democrats highlighted their plans to end state taxes on tips and overtime pay as the session’s second legislative deadline approaches at the State Capitol this week.
Disability benefits for Iowa firefighters and police officers would be expanded to cover all cancers — beyond the 14 currently covered — under legislation that advanced Monday in the Iowa Senate, the place where previous attempts to move the proposal have faltered.
Daily Newsletters