It’s been a slow couple of weeks as we work on the details of the state budgets. We did debate several bills this week. One highlight of that work was passing House File 933, known as “Mason’s Law” that I’ve talked about in past newsletters. This bill was initiated by Shanna Sieck, founder of Mason’s Lighthouse, a non-profit in Grinnell that seeks to create a hospice and palliative care facility here in Iowa. The bill was necessary in order to create the proper licensing for these types of facilities. The House passed bill back in March, the Senate amended it and the House accepted that amendment this week, sending it to the governor.

This week, we made positive movement forward on the negotiations for the State Budget for Fiscal Year 2026. After negotiations with the Senate and Governor, the total spending for Fiscal Year 2026 is agreed to be $9.425 billion, an increase of $478.1 million over the current year’s spending level of $8.947 billion. This budget agreement also includes a number of priorities funded through the Sports Wagering Fund which collects taxes on casino sports betting profits. The fund has built up over the past few years since sports betting was made legal in Iowa. This agreement includes $14 million for Para-educator Pay, $5 million for Special Education Division in the Iowa Department of Education, $8 million for the Public Safety Equipment Fund, and $1.5 million for Length of Service Award Program for volunteer first responders. Iowa Republicans all agree on the importance of being fiscally responsible as we approach the budget. While we’re all the same party, it’s not uncommon for us to have some disagreements as we craft the state’s budget. Through the negotiations, House Republicans fought hard to secure a number of wins in this budget. That includes the $14 million to raise paraprofessionals’ salaries. We first passed this last year to boost the pay for this critical role. Budget subcommittee chairs are now working hard with their Senate counterpart to hammer out the final details of each department budget. Hopefully we will be back in Des Moines soon to pass the final budgets through the Iowa House and close the book on the 2025 Legislative Session.

Legislation restricting the use of eminent domain being used for carbon capture pipelines continues to be tensely debated. The House passed House File 639, a bill that protects the landowners from eminent domain being used for these pipelines, on March 26th, sending it over to the Senate. The bill was scheduled to be run on the Senate floor on Friday, May 9, but leadership adjourned before the bill was introduced. Twelve Senate members have pledged to refuse to vote for any of the budget bills unless HF 639 is brought to the floor for a vote. I stand with these Senators in their fight to protect private property rights for all Iowans. Eminent domain should never be used unless it is for a Public Good, and carbon capture pipelines don’t meet the test for Public Good.

As always, I look forward to seeing you at the capitol, or in the district.