The American Cancer Society supported five bills aimed at cancer prevention and treatment in 2025, but only one passed. Lawmakers and advocates say they expect to see many of them resurface this year. But midterm politics and federal funding cuts could add to the challenges of getting them through the legislative process on time.
This week, the On Iowa Politics podcast team talks about two big topics on the new year’s horizon: Iowa’s gubernatorial campaign and the upcoming legislative session.
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.
With the 2026 Iowa legislative session just days away, renewed debate is expected over water quality, nitrate runoff and pesticide policy. Lawmakers, along with environmental and agricultural leaders, are preparing for discussions that could shape the state’s approach in the years ahead.
Subacute mental health programs are for people who do not need emergency hospitalization but need more intensive support than is available through outpatient care — a type of care that Iowans and officials said is extremely limited and difficult to access in the state.
New Iowa Senate Majority Leader Mike Klimesh, R-Spillville, is introducing a new proposal in an attempt to break a 5-year legislative deadlock over eminent domain, carbon dioxide pipelines and landowner rights
It’s among the proposals from the Iowa Attorney General’s Office ahead of the Iowa legislative session that starts later this month.
Iowa House Republicans say they want to act proactively in 2026 with a “tough on crime” package aimed at repeat offenders, bail reform and sentencing — even as recent data show Iowa crime trending downward.
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.
Republicans insist the state’s finances are in good health and everything is proceeding as they planned when they lowered Iowans’ state income taxes. Democrats are sounding alarms over the state spending more money than it is taking in.
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.
The start of a new year also means the start of new laws in Iowa, including fines for handling a cellphone while driving, a statewide ban on ranked choice voting and an overhaul of state business tax incentives.
Democrat Renee Hardman was elected to the Iowa state Senate on Tuesday in a year-end special election, denying Republicans from reclaiming two-thirds control of the chamber.
Voters in a Democratic-leaning West Des Moines-area district will pick a new state senator Tuesday in a special election that could allow Iowa Republicans to regain a supermajority in the chamber and secure the party’s grip on state government.
The Iowa Supreme Court, in a split decision, has ordered a new trial for a West Des Moines doctor, convicted of sexually abusing a child under the age of 10, over the use of one-way video testimony.
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