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1 day ago | 
desmoinesregister.com | Stephen Gruber-Miller |Marissa Payne |Sabine Martin
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds' 2025 legislative agenda included Medicaid work requirements, unemployment tax cuts for businesses and restricting cell phones in schools. The governor was able to push most of her priorities across the finish line while only a few of her proposed bills failed to become law. Reynolds, who is not seeking reelection, will have just one more legislative session to complete her agenda as governor, before voters choose her successor in the 2026 election.
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1 day ago | 
desmoinesregister.com | Stephen Gruber-Miller |Marissa Payne |Sabine Martin
Stephen Gruber-Miller Marissa Payne Sabine MartinDes Moines RegisterRepublicans adjourned the legislative session without a vote on a bill cutting property taxes — something they identified as their top priority before the session began. House and Senate lawmakers agreed on a $9.43 billion state budget — which spends about $900 million more than the revenue that the state will take in.
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6 days ago | 
desmoinesregister.com | Stephen Gruber-Miller |Sabine Martin |Marissa Payne
Stephen Gruber-Miller Sabine Martin Marissa PayneDes Moines RegisterThe Iowa Senate abruptly adjourned for the weekend late Friday afternoon without taking up legislation limiting eminent domain, despite Republican leaders placing the bill on their calendar. A dozen GOP senators refuse to vote for any budgets until leadership calls a vote on legislation limiting eminent domain for carbon pipelines, but Senate Republicans haven't reached an agreement.
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1 week ago | 
desmoinesregister.com | Stephen Gruber-Miller |Marissa Payne
The 2025 Iowa legislative session was slated to adjourn on May 2, when lawmakers' per-diem payments ran out. Lawmakers haven't agreed to a state budget. The House and Senate remain about $36 million apart, with a key sticking point being paraeducator pay bumps. Other key policy issues remain unresolved, including a push to pass legislation limiting the use of eminent domain for carbon capture pipelines. April showers have come and gone. But the Iowa Legislature is still here.
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2 weeks ago | 
desmoinesregister.com | Stephen Gruber-Miller |Samantha Hernandez
Iowa's public K-12 school districts must adopt policies by July 1 banning cell phones and other electronic devices during class time under a new law signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds. Reynolds proposed the policy in her Condition of the State address in January, saying it would reduce distractions in the classroom and improve learning.
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2 weeks ago | 
press-citizen.com | Stephen Gruber-Miller |Samantha Hernandez
Iowa's public K-12 school districts must adopt policies by July 1 banning cell phones and other electronic devices during class time under a new law signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds. Reynolds proposed the policy in her Condition of the State address in January, saying it would reduce distractions in the classroom and improve learning.
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1 month ago | 
desmoinesregister.com | Stephen Gruber-Miller |Michaela Ramm
Iowa has submitted a waiver request to the federal government asking for permission to implement work requirements for about 171,000 residents on the state's Medicaid expansion program. If the federal government grants the request, the state estimates about 100,000 Iowans who don't currently qualify as working would need to fulfill work requirements or risk losing their coverage.
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1 month ago | 
yahoo.com | Brianne Pfannenstiel |Stephen Gruber-Miller
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds announced on social media Friday she will not seek reelection to another term — an unexpected move that resets the state's political landscape ahead of a 2026 midterm election year. "Today, I want to share a personal decision with you. One that was not made lightly, but comes with a full heart and a deep sense of gratitude," she said in a simple, straight-to-camera video.
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1 month ago | 
desmoinesregister.com | Stephen Gruber-Miller |Marissa Payne |Sabine Martin
Stephen Gruber-Miller Marissa Payne Sabine MartinDes Moines RegisterA bill shielding pesticide manufacturers from lawsuits joined a long list of casualties of the Iowa Legislature’s second “funnel” deadline. But the bill cutoff has left lawmakers closer to implementing work requirements for Medicaid recipients and banning diversity, equity and inclusion programs. The funnel, which was Friday, helps lawmakers narrow their priorities as the legislative session nears, in theory, its final weeks.
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1 month ago | 
desmoinesregister.com | Brianne Pfannenstiel |Stephen Gruber-Miller
The Winneshiek County Sheriff's Office has removed a Facebook post that Attorney General Brenna Bird said violated Iowa law by stating the office would not cooperate with detainer requests from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Following an investigation, Bird on Wednesday threatened to sue Winneshiek County under Iowa's "sanctuary cities" law if Sheriff Dan Marx, a Republican, did not take down the post and share a clarification on Facebook by 5 p.m. Wednesday.
