The second procedural deadline of the Iowa Legislature’s 2024 session created more legislative casualties Thursday.
Longtime state legislator and Iowa Sen. Pam Jochum, D-Dubuque, called it one of the strangest funnel weeks she’s ever been a part of. Many significant pieces of legislation are being left behind after failing to gain a prescribed level of support from both the Iowa House and Senate.
Among those that did not advance — and thus are technically ineligible for consideration for the remainder of the session — include a controversial bills that could have made fertility treatments illegal and would have made state-level enforcement of immigration laws possible.
Also left behind: a bill that would have defined “man” and “woman” in state law, and one that would have made it possible to obtain birth control without a prescription.
While those bills are technically “dead,” leaders in the majority party — Republicans — have multiple legislative tools at their disposal if they choose to resurrect a bill.
The Legislature’s “funnel” deadlines do not apply to bills on tax policy or budget and spending bills.
In order to remain eligible moving forward, House-passed bills needed to be approved by Senate committees.
Among the casualties at the end of this funnel week were a pair of House Republican bills on public education.
One would have limited diversity, equity and inclusion programs at the state’s three public universities, and another would have required a K-12 social studies curriculum written by a conservative think tank that focuses on the “cultural heritage of Western civilization.”
House Republicans approved both of those bills, but Senate Republicans did not advance them this week. They are now ineligible for further consideration.
Rep. Skyler Wheeler, a Republican from Hull who chairs the House Education Committee, said House Republicans felt good about both bills and were disappointed they were not advanced by Senate Republicans.
“Those are two major reforms, two major pieces, that we wanted in the House that they have not taken up. So (I’m) disappointed in that, and I don't understand their logic or reasoning for that,” Wheeler said Thursday.
Later, Sen. Ken Rozenboom, a Republican from Pella who chairs the Senate Education Committee, said he had concerns that the bill impacting the public universities would be too expensive.
A fiscal analysis by the state’s nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency projected the proposal would require three new full-time positions at the Board of Regents, which governs the state’s public universities, at a cost to the board between $850,000 and $3.6 million.
Rozenboom also had issues with the timing.
The policy disagreements extended to the top ranks at the Capitol, where House and Senate Republican leaders charted different approaches and metrics of success Thursday.
Noting the many House bills that the Senate opted not to advance, Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver, R-Grimes, said he was satisfied that the Senate had a far narrower scope for its legislative agenda and said Iowa does not need hundreds of new pieces of legislation this year.
The Senate has passed 51 bills out of the chamber, while the House has passed 150 bills.
“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,” he said. “And so we don’t need to pass 200 bills, 300 bills to keep Iowa strong.”
Whitver said the week was a “successful funnel week,” noting that a number of Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds’ proposed bills remain eligible after the deadline. The remaining work for Senate Republicans includes a bill to overhaul the state’s area education agencies, lowering taxes and crafting a budget, he said.
Whitver said the work Senate Republicans have done over the last seven years has set Iowa up for success.
“The House, they have newer members and so they’re coming down with newer issues, and I respect that and I get that,” Whitver said. “ … But overall, big picture in Iowa, we’re in a great spot.”
House Speaker Pat Grassley, R-New Hartford, said Thursday he is hoping to be able to continue pushing for reconsideration of some of the bills that faltered this week.
Grassley said he was frustrated that some bills, like controls on the payments charged by temporary health care staffing agencies, did not advance in the Senate.
Lawmakers could introduce any range of policy bills in future budget proposals or tack policy ideas onto related bills later in the session to resurrect proposals that stalled this week.
“There’s been some issues that we've brought forward at the beginning of the session that we passed over early enough that didn't see the light of day, that we feel … need to be continued as part of the ongoing conversations between the House and the Senate,” Grassley said.
House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst, D-Windsor Heights, and Jochum, the Democratic leader in the Senate, accused Republicans of voting and passing bills to serve “special interests” at the expense of Iowans.
While passing bills that seek to expand affordable and workforce housing in the state — a priority of Democrats — they noted Republicans also pursued legislation that would jeopardize fertility treatments, limit Iowans’ ability to sue pesticide companies when their products are linked to serious health problems, and require schools to teach a list of social studies concepts developed by a conservative think tank.
None of those bills, however, advanced past the funnel this week.
Meanwhile, a bill that would expand medical coverage for firefighters with cancer did not advance in the Republican-controlled Iowa Senate. And legislation allowing access to birth control without a prescription continues to meet resistance from conservative House Republicans.
Proposals that would freeze tuition for Iowa college students and that would provide state employees who give birth up to four weeks of paid leave also stalled out.
“Honestly, we have traveled all over the state” over the summer and fall conducting “listening sessions to hear what Iowans to say,” Jochum said. “And the issues that we are dealing with this session are none of the issues that people have asked us to deal with.
“They have asked us to fully fund education,” Jochum continued. “They have asked us to stop stripping away local control from school boards and cities and counties. … They want us to invest in the environment and to have clean water and lakes and rivers.
“So those are the kinds of things Iowans have been asking us to deal with. And right now we have not been.”
The two criticized Republican lawmakers for passing a bill that would create a new grant program to help schools that choose to arm staff members, while lawmakers missed the deadline for setting state education funding, leaving Iowa's public schools “flying blind” as they set their budgets.
They also faulted their colleagues for failing to advance legislation to expand early childhood education.
“I would say as we look forward, let's look at a budget that's going to actually serve everyday Iowans,” Konfrst said. “ … 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.”
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Longtime state legislator and Iowa Sen. Pam Jochum, D-Dubuque, called it one of the strangest funnel weeks she’s ever been a part of. Many significant pieces of legislation are being left behind after failing to gain a prescribed level of support from both the Iowa House and Senate.
Among those that did not advance — and thus are technically ineligible for consideration for the remainder of the session — include a controversial bills that could have made fertility treatments illegal and would have made state-level enforcement of immigration laws possible.
Also left behind: a bill that would have defined “man” and “woman” in state law, and one that would have made it possible to obtain birth control without a prescription.
While those bills are technically “dead,” leaders in the majority party — Republicans — have multiple legislative tools at their disposal if they choose to resurrect a bill.
The Legislature’s “funnel” deadlines do not apply to bills on tax policy or budget and spending bills.
House education bills fail to advance
In order to remain eligible moving forward, House-passed bills needed to be approved by Senate committees.
Among the casualties at the end of this funnel week were a pair of House Republican bills on public education.
One would have limited diversity, equity and inclusion programs at the state’s three public universities, and another would have required a K-12 social studies curriculum written by a conservative think tank that focuses on the “cultural heritage of Western civilization.”
House Republicans approved both of those bills, but Senate Republicans did not advance them this week. They are now ineligible for further consideration.
Rep. Skyler Wheeler, a Republican from Hull who chairs the House Education Committee, said House Republicans felt good about both bills and were disappointed they were not advanced by Senate Republicans.
“Those are two major reforms, two major pieces, that we wanted in the House that they have not taken up. So (I’m) disappointed in that, and I don't understand their logic or reasoning for that,” Wheeler said Thursday.
Later, Sen. Ken Rozenboom, a Republican from Pella who chairs the Senate Education Committee, said he had concerns that the bill impacting the public universities would be too expensive.
A fiscal analysis by the state’s nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency projected the proposal would require three new full-time positions at the Board of Regents, which governs the state’s public universities, at a cost to the board between $850,000 and $3.6 million.
Rozenboom also had issues with the timing.
What Republican leaders say
The policy disagreements extended to the top ranks at the Capitol, where House and Senate Republican leaders charted different approaches and metrics of success Thursday.
Noting the many House bills that the Senate opted not to advance, Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver, R-Grimes, said he was satisfied that the Senate had a far narrower scope for its legislative agenda and said Iowa does not need hundreds of new pieces of legislation this year.
The Senate has passed 51 bills out of the chamber, while the House has passed 150 bills.
“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,” he said. “And so we don’t need to pass 200 bills, 300 bills to keep Iowa strong.”
Whitver said the week was a “successful funnel week,” noting that a number of Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds’ proposed bills remain eligible after the deadline. The remaining work for Senate Republicans includes a bill to overhaul the state’s area education agencies, lowering taxes and crafting a budget, he said.
Whitver said the work Senate Republicans have done over the last seven years has set Iowa up for success.
“The House, they have newer members and so they’re coming down with newer issues, and I respect that and I get that,” Whitver said. “ … But overall, big picture in Iowa, we’re in a great spot.”
House Speaker Pat Grassley, R-New Hartford, said Thursday he is hoping to be able to continue pushing for reconsideration of some of the bills that faltered this week.
Grassley said he was frustrated that some bills, like controls on the payments charged by temporary health care staffing agencies, did not advance in the Senate.
Lawmakers could introduce any range of policy bills in future budget proposals or tack policy ideas onto related bills later in the session to resurrect proposals that stalled this week.
“There’s been some issues that we've brought forward at the beginning of the session that we passed over early enough that didn't see the light of day, that we feel … need to be continued as part of the ongoing conversations between the House and the Senate,” Grassley said.
What the Democratic leaders say
House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst, D-Windsor Heights, and Jochum, the Democratic leader in the Senate, accused Republicans of voting and passing bills to serve “special interests” at the expense of Iowans.
While passing bills that seek to expand affordable and workforce housing in the state — a priority of Democrats — they noted Republicans also pursued legislation that would jeopardize fertility treatments, limit Iowans’ ability to sue pesticide companies when their products are linked to serious health problems, and require schools to teach a list of social studies concepts developed by a conservative think tank.
None of those bills, however, advanced past the funnel this week.
Meanwhile, a bill that would expand medical coverage for firefighters with cancer did not advance in the Republican-controlled Iowa Senate. And legislation allowing access to birth control without a prescription continues to meet resistance from conservative House Republicans.
Proposals that would freeze tuition for Iowa college students and that would provide state employees who give birth up to four weeks of paid leave also stalled out.
“Honestly, we have traveled all over the state” over the summer and fall conducting “listening sessions to hear what Iowans to say,” Jochum said. “And the issues that we are dealing with this session are none of the issues that people have asked us to deal with.
“They have asked us to fully fund education,” Jochum continued. “They have asked us to stop stripping away local control from school boards and cities and counties. … They want us to invest in the environment and to have clean water and lakes and rivers.
“So those are the kinds of things Iowans have been asking us to deal with. And right now we have not been.”
The two criticized Republican lawmakers for passing a bill that would create a new grant program to help schools that choose to arm staff members, while lawmakers missed the deadline for setting state education funding, leaving Iowa's public schools “flying blind” as they set their budgets.
They also faulted their colleagues for failing to advance legislation to expand early childhood education.
“I would say as we look forward, let's look at a budget that's going to actually serve everyday Iowans,” Konfrst said. “ … 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.”
As funnel week ends, Iowa lawmakers leave some significant bills behind
Deadline stops some bills, reveals Iowa Republicans' varied strategies
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