Iowa lawmakers promise tax cuts, express grief over deadly school shooting

DES MOINES — Iowa’s Republican lawmakers — expressing grief over last week’s fatal school shooting less than an hour away from where they assembled Monday — promised faster tax cuts and a continuation of the conservative agenda their majority party has enacted as the 2024 legislative session got underway.

Republican and Democratic leaders made opening speeches laying out their priorities for the 2024 session, some calling for legislative action after the shooting in Perry that killed 11-year-old Ahmir Jolliff and injured seven students and school staff. The 17-year-old shooter, also a student, killed himself.

Republican leaders in the House and Senate promised to accelerate income tax cuts they passed in 2022 and expand business opportunities in the state.

Iowa Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver from Grimes compared Iowa’s policies and fiscal standing with those in neighboring, Democrat-run states Minnesota and Illinois. He highlighted Iowa’s fiscal health, noting the $2.1 billion state general fund budget surplus — which is projected to grow to $3.1 billion in the next fiscal year — plus another $3.7 billion in the state’s Taxpayer Relief Fund.

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Besides reiterating a call to speed up the tax cuts, Whitver pledged to reduce the number of state boards and commissions — a process already underway after it was included last year in Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds’ state government reorganization plan and studied by a legislative committee.

“The goal is to make government more efficient and help Iowans get to work faster,” Whitver said. “In one sentence, here's the plan: cut taxes, control spending, reform government, and let Iowans be great. Let's get to work.”

Iowa Senate Minority Leader Pam Jochum from Dubuque described the principles that will guide Senate Democrats’ work during the session.

“For every item that comes across our desk this session, we’re going to ask three questions: Does it create more opportunity for Iowans? Does it ensure freedom for Iowans? Does it provide more accountability for Iowans?” Jochum said. “If the answer is yes, Senate Democrats are ready to work with Republican colleagues to get it done. If the answer is no, we’re going to fight like heck against it and let the people of Iowa know why.”

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Beyond tax cuts, Iowa House Speaker Pat Grassley of New Hartford said lawmakers would look at improving public safety, making government more transparent and efficient and reviewing standards for education.

House Democratic leader Jennifer Konfrst of Windsor Heights appealed to Republicans to work with Democrats on policy to address the needs of Iowans, rather than pass bills approved and drafted solely by Republicans.

The lawmaking process is generally dominated by Republicans, who hold a large majority in both chambers. Democrats generally are not involved in drafting and making changes to bills even when the bills receive bipartisan support.

“How about this year, the fact that Democrats introduce a bill doesn’t mean it’s a bad idea automatically, out of the gate,” Konfrst said. “...What matters most is that we build policies that Iowans will recognize and have better lives because of. We’re here to serve Iowans.”

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Lawmakers urge action after Perry shooting

Lawmakers took a moment of silence and expressed grief over Thursday’s shooting at Perry High School. Grassley highlighted it as part of Republicans’ commitment to improving public safety, while Democrats said the shooting shows the need for stronger gun control measures.

Students in the Des Moines metro area walked out of classes Monday and held a protest at the Capitol to demand stronger gun laws.

“People choose Iowa because our state is viewed as safe, so when we see these senseless acts of violence in our own home state, in our own schools, it shakes us to the core,” Grassley said. “In Iowa, every parent should be able to send their kids to school and trust that they should return home safely.”

Grassley said Republicans would invest in school security, prioritize school resource officers, bolster children’s mental health and teach “resilience over victimhood.”

Democrats also called for action, but said that means stricter gun control.

“There is no pain like the pain of losing a child,” Jochum said. “In our grief, though, you must also ask tough questions and acknowledge hard truths. How do we tame violence in our country, violence that touched East High School here in Des Moines less than two years ago? And now Perry?

“The truth is we must address gun safety. We must find a solution to gun violence,” Jochum said. “No child should go to school fearing for their lives, but today millions do. Gun safety should not be a partisan issue. Protecting kids should not be a partisan issue. It's time for us senators to come together and to find real solutions.”

Whitver praised law enforcement officials and emergency responders who acted during the shooting. He appeared to indicate Senate Republicans will not be considering gun safety legislation.

“While we can’t legislate away evil and get rid of all the bad things in this world, we will keep our thoughts and prayers with those in Perry as we move forward and put in place policies to make our state better and stronger,” Whitver said.

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Speaking at a Republican breakfast reception before the session began, Reynolds said lawmakers would work with the community as it continues to cope.

“We continue every day to keep the families of the victims in the Perry community in our prayers,” Reynolds said. “We'll continue to work with the community to make sure that they have the whole government behind them as we work through this heartbreaking time in our state's history.”

House Republicans consider more library book restrictions

Grassley doubled down on House Republicans’ efforts to remove books with sexual content from public school libraries and said Republicans may pass additional legislation to clarify or expand on the existing law.

In December, a federal judge temporarily blocked much of a law passed last year, Senate File 496, that banned books that depicted or described any of a list of sex acts from public schools and prohibited teaching about gender identity and sexual orientation before seventh grade, among a host of other regulations.

Grassley said he was “shocked that we actually have people willing to fight this hard to keep pornographic material in our schools.”

The language of the law has led school districts to remove works of classic literature like Kurt Vonnegut's "Slaughterhouse-Five" and George Orwell's "1984." Opponents say the law is too broad, impedes on First Amendment rights and discriminates against LGBTQ students.

“It should have been an easy policy for schools to implement, but instead some chose to politicize this issue, and if we need to pass additional legislation this session, we will,” Grassley said.

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Reynolds praises conservative leadership

At the Republican breakfast reception, speaker after speaker touted delivering a conservative agenda that includes lowering taxes, providing taxpayer funding for families to pay for private school expenses and strengthening parental involvement and steering away from progressive social issues in curriculum.

“I could not be more proud of the accomplishments that we've achieved since we were able to achieve the trifecta,” Reynolds said, referring to Republican control of both legislative chambers and the governor’s office. “You know, collectively, you truly are making a difference for Iowans and the policies and, most importantly, the results have captured America's attention — from tax cuts to cutting government and red tape to growing the economy. We saw nearly $4 billion of capital investment in our state last year in 2023. From educational freedom to universal school choice to protecting life, this Republican team has delivered time and time again on the promises that we made to Iowans.”

Reynolds urged lawmakers to “continue to challenge the status quo and continue to empower Iowans and really continue to maintain, I think, the bold and decisive leadership that Iowans have truly come to expect from our Republican leaders.”