Articles Tagged: Iowa Legislature

Lawmakers use surplus to cover expected $917M shortfall

Governor is weighing whether to sign into law legislation that would regulate hazardous liquid pipelines and restrict the use of eminent domain

This week on the podcast: the 2025 legislative session ends, plus candidates emerge for 2026 races.

But the state must allow nonmandatory programs like LGBTQ student groups.

After three years of failures, Iowa lawmakers late Wednesday reached an agreement on how to spend tens of millions of dollars that have been sitting idle in a state account, waiting to be used for the prevention and treatment of opioid addiction.

Unemployment taxes and benefits, opioid addiction treatment funds and a new, state family paid leave program marked a long final legislative day as Iowa lawmakers concluded their work for 2025 early Thursday morning.

Iowa legislators on Wednesday evening were on their way to finishing their work and adjourning the 2025 session of the Iowa Legislature

Iowa Medicaid would no longer cover surgical procedures and hormone therapy related to treating Iowans with gender dysphoria under a Republican-back bill on its way to Gov. Kim Reynolds for her expected signature.

An Iowa lawmaker says state investigators monitored mobile devices at the Iowa Capitol as they tested geofencing software before it was used to pinpoint online sports wagering by student-athletes on Iowa campuses.

The city of North Liberty is looking to move forward from a mistake that missed the deadline to publish notice of a public hearing and ultimately prevented the city from certifying its Fiscal Year 2026 budget and approving next year’s tax levy.

A slate of Iowa tax credits would be repealed, created or adjusted under legislation making its way through the state legislature as the end of the session nears.

Also in the Capitol Notebook: Iowa Senate Republicans approve work requirements for Medicaid recipients

Local governments across the state would be limited in restricting firework usage under legislation advanced by Iowa House lawmakers Monday. The bill would prohibit cities and counties from banning the use of fireworks on July 3 and 4 and Dec. 31.

Wearing a hand-embroidered blazer from Mexico, designed by a friend, with the message “Tu lucha es mi lucha” — your fight is my fight — Democrat Angel Ramirez raised her right hand and swore to faithfully discharge the duties of office. Ramirez was elected by southeast Cedar Rapids voters in a special election last month.

Debate and lawmakers’ votes in the Iowa Senate once again revealed a divide among statehouse Republicans over landowner rights, eminent domain and infrastructure projects