The 2022 legislative session has officially begun.

The mornings are not like they were a week ago. The alarm goes off an hour or two earlier in order to get to the Capitol. This year marks my final year to represent Senate District 36. Upon the completion of this 2022 session, I will be representing Senate District 26. The new district will include Marshall and parts of Story County. It has been an honor to serve for the constituents of Tama and Black Hawk County. I will miss many of the constituents I have come to know and work with over the last few years.

The theme continues. Jobs, workforce, and returning your hard-earned money back to your pocket! Again, this year we are pushing to extend new tax cuts for hardworking Iowans, because it is working. Iowa is growing! Senate Majority Leader Whitver highlighted many of the recent measurements of Iowa’s leadership in his speech to the Senate Chamber:

“Recently, Iowa was rated as one of the best states for opportunity. We were named the state in the strongest position to withstand the Covid pandemic and we were also named the fastest state to recover from it. After 5 years of a Republican trifecta, Iowa’s success is no longer subjective – it’s objective.”

On Tuesday of this week, Governor Reynolds hit the nail on the head with this statement from her Condition of the State address.

“But in the small towns, around kitchen tables, in the fields and back offices, Iowans understand that we in this building don’t fund anything. They do. And right now, they’re paying too much. Last year, the state ended with a $1.2 billion surplus, on top of nearly $1 billion cash reserves. That’s good. We kept spending down. But it also means that, despite the historic 2018 tax cuts, we’re still taking too much from Iowans’ paychecks. That needs to stop. Now.”

On Wednesday, we heard the Condition of the Judiciary from Chief Justice Christensen. She reported on how our courts have adapted during the recent pandemic to continue offering avenues to justice. Now the courts are working to determine which practices are working better than before, to continue leveraging for efficiency of operations.

On Thursday, we heard from Adj. General Corell and the report of the Condition of the National Guard. Thank you to the men and women who serve our state and our country! The National Guard has continued to play a flexible, yet effective role in a number of capacities. Iowa’s pilots and soldiers have deployed and delivered service from the Mideast to the Midwest, and down to the southern tip of Texas.

Next week will be a busy one. We will be spending much of our time in the Senate on subcommittee work. We must have the priority bills through committee ahead of funnel week to keep them alive for further consideration.

Please feel free to contact me with questions or concerns.

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Edler, a Republican, represents Marshall County in the Iowa Senate. Contact him at jeff.edler@legis.iowa.gov.