Highlights in this edition:

• Iowa’s Taxpayer Relief Fund
  • For funds to be deposited in the Taxpayer Relief Fund, actual state revenue must exceed what had been projected for state tax collections
• Improving Math Proficiency Bill Follows Last Session’s Literacy Enhancement Plan
  • The Governor’s proposal is a step in the right direction to ensure Iowa students receive a strong mathematics foundation
• House HHS Committee Advances Governor’s Health Care and Child Care Continuum
  • Legislation draws down over $150 million in federal dollars for more residency slots in Iowa’s 14 teaching hospitals
• Are Any of Iowa's Border States Lowering Taxes?
  • Minnesota, sometimes referred to as Minnefornia, isn’t lowering income tax rates

Highlights in this edition:

• Revenue Estimating Conference to Meet March 13
  • This meeting will revise the fiscal estimates for the current budget (FY 2025) and for the next year, Fiscal Year 2026
• School of Intellectual Freedom Eligible for Debate
  • Data was presented showing the massively skewed leftwing outlook of university faculty
• House HHS Committee Advances Health Care Workforce Bills
  • These bills aim to focus taxpayer funded institutions on intentional efforts to grow the health care workforce of all of Iowa
• A Step Toward Stopping Illegal Immigration and Human Trafficking
  • House Study Bill 15 combats the illegal transportation of people for profit, particularly when it involves evading law enforcement or facilitating unlawful entry into the United States

Highlights in this edition:

• Gambling Tax Collections Rise as the New Year Begins
  • January was the first to show monthly gaming tax revenue growth exceeding $1 million in over a year
• Department Seeks Social Studies Educators and Stakeholders for Standards Review
  • Starting in April, the committee will meet regularly over three months to review and recommend proposed changes to the existing social studies standards
• Higher Education Committee Approves Civics Graduation Requirement
  • No requirement currently exists at Iowa’s three regents institutions or community colleges which requires students to be competent in American history, civics or government.  Yet Iowa, ISU, UNI each require students to take a course on diversity or DEI. 
• House HHS Advances Bills on Mental Health, Child Care, Parental Consent
  • House File 312 allows for individuals to be committed based on psychiatric deterioration

Highlights in this edition:

• Iowa’s Bond Debt Situation
  • Due to former Gov. Culver’s I-Jobs program, the state still owes $421 million in principal and interest on these bonds paying $45 million this year from state gaming tax collections to the holders of these bonds.  The payments on all the I-Jobs bonds do not end until Fiscal Year 2034.
• House Introduces Legislation to Curb Pharmacy Benefit Managers Harmful Practices
  • In 2022, the legislature brought PBM oversight under the Iowa Insurance Division which will release an investigation into PBM’s this spring
• “Nation’s Report Card” Shows Encouraging Progress in Literacy, Underscores Iowa’s Need for Evidence-Based Mathematics Support
  • The 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress results released by the U.S. Department of Education show Iowa in the top 10 of all states for eighth grade reading scores
• Iowa Leads the Way on Enforcing Immigration Laws
  • In Iowa, any local entity which does not enforce federal immigration law risks the loss of state funding
• State Government Committee Advances Parental Leave Bills
  • House File 26 directs employers to treat adoptive parents of children up to age six the same as birth parents according to their employee leave policies

Highlights in this edition:

• Higher Costs Continue to Impact DOT Budget in FY 2026
  • Vehicle replacements costs are way up - the cost of replacing a truck purchased in 2013 for $132,000 had risen to $226,000 last year which is a 71 percent increase over 12 years
• House Ag Panel Approves Measure to Facilitate Farm to Table Meat Sales
  • The bill creates a new type of licensed and inspected food processing entity that can store processed packaged meat or poultry raised by the licensee and offered for sale at a premise or farm on a wholesale or retail basis
• The Cost of Higher Education
  • Jay P. Greene, a senior research fellow at The Heritage Foundation’s center for Educational Policy said: “A university is not an all-service commune with full-service, soup-to-nuts care for every need, as if students were children. The core mission of a school is teaching and research, so those should be the priorities, as well as limiting the cost to families and taxpayers. But that’s not their priority. Their priority is to expand empires.”
• Local Government Moves Bill to Provide Flexibility for County Attorneys
  • Many rural counties in Iowa have struggled to find higher qualified county attorneys with the current salary cap
• Casino Moratorium Making its Way Through Process
  • The bill prohibits the commission from issuing new licenses between January 1, 2025, and June 30, 2030

Highlights in this edition:

• Federal and Other Funds Budget Subcommittee Begins Work
  • The state has several non-general fund programs that had nearly $1 billion at the end of Fiscal Year 2024
• Commerce Committee Receives Presentation from Iowa Insurance Division
  • Insurance plays a vital role in Iowa with Iowa having the highest share of its private workforce employed in the insurance industry in the nation
• School Aid Refresher
  • From FY 2012 to FY 2025, spending per pupil has grown from $5883 to $7826
• Stopping Illegal Immigration with Help from the Federal Government
  • The failed policies of the Biden-Harris administration forced states to defend themselves from the influx of illegal immigrants
• Gov. Reynolds Announces New Grant to Advance Healthcare Careers in Iowa
  • The Iowa Healthcare Credentialing Grant will provide $3 million in total funding to create new pipelines of workers to help fill high-demand occupations in the healthcare sector