Capitol Notebook: Bill aiming to woo Chicago Bears to Iowa continues advancing in Senate

DES MOINES — The “Monday Night Football” theme song played from Senate Local Government Committee chair Scott Webster’s phone as he strolled in the committee room.

Nearby, Sen. Dawn Driscoll, R-Williamsburg, sported a shirt honoring Chicago Bears great William “The Fridge” Perry — theatrics that underscored an audacious Republican push to lure the NFL franchise across state lines.

Webster, R-Bettendorf, opened up debate Tuesday on Senate File 2252 by urging colleagues to “bear down” on the final bill of the day.

The bill would expand Iowa’s flagship Major Economic Growth Attraction, or MEGA, program to allow tax incentives for an NFL franchise building a stadium in the state. The proposal comes as the Chicago Bears negotiate with Illinois officials over replacing Chicago’s century-old Soldier Field and explore options beyond their longtime home.

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Under current law, MEGA incentives are limited to companies investing at least $1 billion in Iowa and primarily engaged in advanced manufacturing, biosciences or research and development. The bill would broaden eligibility to include businesses — and affiliated entities — constructing a “sports stadium,” defined as a facility where NFL games are held.

If approved by the Iowa Economic Development Authority, qualifying projects could receive a package of existing MEGA incentives.

Webster called Iowa “a place that can handle a professional sports team, especially and including the Chicago Bears.”

Webster pitched Bettendorf as an ideal landing spot, citing its location roughly two and a half hours from Chicago and Des Moines and three hours from St. Louis.

“Bettendorf is a prime place for the ‘Bettendorf Bears,’” he said, adding that Iowa’s lower income and property taxes, business-friendly climate and quality of life could attract players and investment.

“If we build it, they will come,” he said, referencing a famous line from the iconic 1980s sports fantasy drama “Field of Dreams,” which was filmed in Dyersville.

Supporters frame the bill as a signal that Iowa is ready to compete should negotiations in Illinois falter, arguing that landing an NFL team could generate tourism, jobs and national exposure for the state.

Democratic leaders, however, have dismissed the effort as a distraction. They argue Iowa faces more pressing concerns, including school funding, affordability, water quality and a projected $1.26 billion budget deficit.

Still, Webster said the bill is about positioning Iowa to compete.

The Senate Local Government Committee approved the measure Tuesday, clearing a legislative “funnel” deadline and keeping the proposal alive for the remainder of the session. The bill now heads to the full Senate for possible debate and a vote.

Bill requiring waived legal protections for vaccine manufacturers advances

A vaccine could be administered, distributed or sold in Iowa only if its manufacturer waives legal protections guaranteed by a decades-old federal law under a bill that advanced Tuesday in the Iowa House.

House File 2287 would require vaccine manufacturers to waive protections created by the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act if their vaccines are to be used in Iowa.

Created in 1986, the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act protects vaccine manufacturers from most lawsuits and instead compensates people who are injured by vaccines. The program was established to address concerns that a growing number of lawsuits would threaten manufacturers’ willingness to produce lifesaving vaccines.

The National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program allows individuals to petition for compensation when they believe they have been injured by a vaccine. Since 1988, more than 29,000 petitions have been filed with the federal program and fewer than half — just more than 12,500 — were adjudicated and determined to be compensable, according to statistics from the federal Health Resources and Services Administration. The program has paid out roughly $5.5 billion, according to the federal agency.

Supporters of the proposed state legislation criticized the federal program, while opponents of the bill warned that it would have a detrimental impact on vaccine research and safety.

The bill was amended Tuesday and advanced to the House Judiciary Committee, which must pass it this week for it to remain eligible for consideration the remainder of the session.

Rep. Charley Thomson, R-Charles City, proposed the bill and also proposed similar legislation last year. Last year’s bill also was approved by a House subcommittee but was not passed by the Judiciary Committee.

Bill advances shifting library oversight away from library boards

Iowa House lawmakers advanced legislation that would transfer the oversight that city library boards of trustees have over public libraries to city councils.

Currently, city library boards oversee public libraries, but House Study Bill 720 would redesignate their power to an advisory group for city councils.

Librarians at a subcommittee hearing for the bill argued that it would further politicize libraries and their contents.

The legislation was advanced, with Reps. Skyler Wheeler, R-Hull, and Brooke Boden, R-Indianola, signing off to advance it. Rep. Larry McBurney, D-Urbandale, declined to do so.

Bill would require English proficiency for CDL licenses

Commercial truck drivers would be required to pass an English language proficiency test to receive or renew a commercial driver’s license or permit under legislation advanced Tuesday by a panel of Iowa House lawmakers.

House Study Bill 699, sponsored by the Iowa Motor Truck Association, cleared a three-member subcommittee and now heads to the full House Transportation Committee. Reps. Ann Meyer, R-Fort Dodge, and Josh Meggers, R-Grundy Center, signed off on the bill. Rep. Elizabeth Wilson, D-Marion, declined to advance it.

The bill would prohibit the Iowa Department of Transportation from issuing or renewing a commercial driver’s license or commercial learner’s permit unless an applicant demonstrates sufficient ability to read and speak English. The required, computer-based examination would test whether a driver can converse with the public, understand highway traffic signs and signals, respond to official inquiries and complete reports, consistent with federal regulations.

In addition to the testing requirement, the measure would bar commercial motor carriers from employing drivers who are not proficient in English. Carriers that violate the provision could face civil penalties ranging from $3,000 to $10,000 per violation. Drivers found operating a commercial motor vehicle without sufficient English proficiency would be required to stop driving, face a $1,000 civil penalty and be charged with a serious misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in jail and a fine.

Blake Grolmus, representing the Iowa Motor Truck Association, told lawmakers the proposal is aimed at improving roadway safety and addressing what he described as a decline in professionalism within the trucking industry. He cited recent high-profile crashes nationwide involving drivers who could not speak or understand English, noting that federal English proficiency requirements have been in place for decades.

Grolmus said a 2016 federal memo had limited enforcement of those standards, but that enforcement resumed in June 2025 after the memo was rescinded. Since then, more than 12,000 drivers nationwide — including nearly 500 in Iowa — have been placed out of service for violating English proficiency requirements, he said.

Supporters argued that placing drivers out of service is not enough and that the state should prevent unqualified drivers from obtaining CDLs in the first place, while also penalizing carriers that knowingly employ them.

Wilson questioned the need for a separate English proficiency test, noting that Iowa’s current CDL knowledge and skills tests are administered in English. Grolmus responded that there is no formal, standardized English proficiency exam before licensure and said the bill would codify English-only testing and close potential loopholes, including the use of translation services.

Meggers, an Iowa State Patrol trooper, said he has encountered drivers during inspections who struggled to understand instructions, slowing enforcement efforts. He voiced support for the measure, saying it would help ensure drivers operating large commercial vehicles can communicate effectively and understand roadway signage.

The bill now advances to the House Transportation Committee for further consideration.

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