Week in Iowa

Big bills left behind: Friday marked a key deadline in the Iowa Legislature, as bills that were not far enough along in the lawmaking process became ineligible for further consideration. Leaders have ways to bring bills back, but lawmakers now turn their attention to a smaller pool of legislation and begin to look at tax and budget policy.

Among the bills that did not make the cut: A bill defining "man" and "woman" in Iowa law; establishing crimes for "human smuggling" of immigrants; allowing birth control without a prescription; and requiring a conservative social studies be taught in Iowa schools.

Bill limits hemp THC products: Iowa House lawmakers passed a bill last week to significantly limit the potency of hemp-derived THC products sold at shops and bars around the state. The bill would require that those products contain no more than 4 milligrams of THC per serving and 10 milligrams per package, which disqualify out most THC products sold at retailers in Iowa.

Action on film tax incentives: Iowa lawmakers advanced a bill that would reinstate a long-defunct tax rebate for film productions in Iowa. The previous program was repealed more than a decade ago after it was reported that $26 million in funds had been improperly issued by the state. Lawmakers promise more oversight this time.

Iowa representatives vote for TikTok ban: The four Iowa Republicans in the U.S. House all voted in favor of a bill last week that would ban TikTok from U.S. app stores unless its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, sells its U.S. assets. Lawmakers say the bill is necessary to prevent China from collecting data on Americans or using the app to influence public opinion. TikTok has characterized the move as an all-out ban and an attempt to suppress the free speech of its millions of users.

The app directed its users to call members of Congress as a key committee was set to take a vote. Iowa's Ashley Hinson, who sits on the House select committee that originated the bill, was seen on a social media post personally answering the office phone and explaining to a caller why she supported the bill.

Massive fertilizer spill in Red Oak: An estimated 150 tons of liquid nitrogen fertilizer — about 265,000 gallons — leaked from a co-op in Red Oak this week and into the East Nishnabotna River. The Iowa DNR still is investigating the extent of the fish kill and other damage caused by the spill.

Iowa has hundreds of impaired waters: Iowa has 576 segments of waterways that are “impaired,” according to a report from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. The number represents more than half of the assessed streams, rivers and lake segments in Iowa, but the total is down 21 from 2022.

They said …

“I think Iowa’s in a really good spot, and we don't need that many bills, in my opinion, to make Iowa strong and to keep Iowa strong. And so we don’t need to pass 200 bills, 300 bills to keep Iowa strong.” — Iowa Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver on legislative session

“I would say as we look forward, let's look at a budget that's going to actually serve everyday Iowans. … So as we go through the process, we're going to be looking to see how do these budgets reflect the state's priorities, not the priorities of the Republican governor or the Republican majority, but the priorities of our state.” — Iowa House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst on legislative budget priorities

Odds & ends

Congressional challengers: Several challengers to Iowa’s four incumbent U.S. House members filed their nomination papers last week to qualify for the ballot in Iowa's upcoming primary and general elections. Democratic challengers include Christina Bohannan in the 1st District, Sarah Corkery in the 2nd District, and Lanon Baccam and Melissa Vine in the 3rd District.

School gun grants: Iowa House Republicans passed a bill last week that included an unfunded grant program for schools wishing to purchase guns and training for staff members to carry guns on campus. Should the program become law, it would be funded through a later state budget process.

Water cooler

Two immigration bills stopped: A bill that would have made it illegal to transport or harbor undocumented immigrants in certain situations will not move forward in the Legislature after falling short of support before the Friday funnel deadline. Another bill requiring employers to complete E-Verify forms, to check workers’ immigration status, also stalled.

Property taxes letter: Iowa property owners will receive a new letter in the mail this year showing them their current and proposed local property tax rates and the total dollars levied by the city, school and county. The letter was required by a 2023 law that lawmakers hoped would increase transparency about property taxes.