Priorities
The Iowa legislative session that got underway last week is already shaping up to be interesting.
While Republicans have large majorities in each chamber and hold the governor’s chair, rather than working behind the scenes to all sign off on the same proposal ahead of time, typically deferring to the governor, we’re seeing multiple versions of bills on key issues—and that they’re being introduced early in the session is also of note.
GOP Senate leaders revealed their eminent domain limitation bill Tuesday…but the House actually passed its more stringent version against carbon capture pipelines yesterday, the first bill to pass either chamber this year. Those folks on the November ballot know this is a huge issue, and they want to get it out of the way quickly after last year…when some Senate Republicans held up passage of the budget until there was a vote on the issue, and then the governor vetoed it anyway. A key is that she’s not running for re-election and is in her last year in the chair, which could lead to a different outcome depending on which version of the bill gets passed.
All three have their own property tax reform bills in the hopper, the other issue that voters are demanding get done this session. It’s a thorny and nuanced issue, but tackling it early may mean actual resolution.
Keep in mind this is the shorter of the two sessions in the general assembly, because it is an election year. That also is a factor in what seems to be a speedy start. So far, the key priorities are front and center, with proposals full of specifics.
But we’ve all been down this road before, and January’s speed could lead to April or May’s stalemate. Can’t say they’re just sitting around, however.
