IIt has been an extremely busy few weeks in the Iowa Senate. Lots of individuals and groups to visit and bills to work on. Today marks the second legislative funnel–a critical deadline. Policy bills must clear their originating chamber and a committee in the other chamber to stay alive–unless they have a “companion” bill that has passed committees in both chambers.

Exemptions: Budget, tax and rules-related bills (appropriations, ways & means, administrative rules) are not subject to funnel deadlines.

What’s Next: With fewer bills in play, the focus shifts to the budget and the governor’s priorities. The 2025 legislative session is set to adjourn on or before May 2 (Day 110).

A week focused on committee work meant several of the governor’s priorities moved forward this week. One of these was House File 889, the governor’s proposal on paid parental leave for state employees, which passed the Workforce Committee. This bill provides four weeks of maternity leave and one week of paternity leave for state employees. It also provides four weeks of paid leave for a state employee that adopts.

Senate File 575, the governor’s rural health care bill, aims to coordinate and expand programs addressing health care workforce needs in our state. It designates $10 million to the Health Care Professional Incentive Program to help identify high demand, health sector jobs in communities and counties across the state. It also utilizes partnerships with Iowa hospitals to add an estimated 115 new residency slots at Iowa’s 14 teaching hospitals. When fully implemented over four years, there is 460 projected new physicians being trained through the residency program. The bill continues alignment goals by streamlining the state’s certificate of need process and improving oversight of the state’s health information exchange entity.

The Senate Commerce Committee also passed HF 639, advancing expanded protections for landowners and strengthening private property rights in Iowa. The bill includes additional requirements for Iowa Utilities Commission members, such as requiring at least one member attend public informational meetings and pausing those meetings if that member leaves for any reason. It also requires a majority of IUC members be present for any hearing, including hearings on requests for eminent domain, provides for landowners to recover any damages caused by a project, implements additional protections for crop loss and soil restoration and includes indemnification requirements to protect landowners and hold them harmless from damage throughout the life of a project. Additionally, the bill requires quicker decisions by the IUC and expands the use of voluntary easements, allowing companies to go off a planned path for a project and find landowners who are willing to work with them. 

Thank you for allowing me to serve you in the Iowa Legislature.

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Contact Annette Sweeney at

nnette.sweeney@legis.iowa.gov.