First Funnel
Today is the first of two “funnel deadlines” in the Iowa General Assembly. The legislature establishes a calendar every year with self-imposed deadlines that supposed to streamline the overall legislative process.
At the first of the two funnels, only bills that pass at least one full committee in their originating chamber—either House or Senate—are eligible for consideration yet this session…in other words, they made it through the funnel, with a spout much narrower than the top.
Not only does this weed out bills that are not likely to pass, because they’ve shown no movement, but it also ensures that there is a smoother flow throughout the session—which still winds up with a flurry the last few days, leading to passing of the budget.
Speaking of the budget…tax-related bills and spending or budget bills are not subject to the funnel. And in addition, a bill that missed making it through the funnel can still see life, if added as an amendment to one of those funnel-exempt bills, or added as an amendment to a bill that made it through the funnel.
The process allows lawmakers to introduce all manner of bills to curry favor with voters back home, and if they don’t pass through the funnel, the lawmaker can still tell voters they tried.
The second funnel deadline requires bills to have passed one full chamber and a committee in the opposite chamber. That deadline is April 3rd this year, giving lawmakers six weeks. That’s symmetrical…because the first funnel came after the first six weeks of the session.
Lawmakers run out of daily expense reimbursement money on April 21st, barely two weeks after the second funnel deadline. Given that this is an election year, they’ll have plenty of incentive to stick to that adjournment date.
What made it through the funnel? Folks are still figuring that all out. We’ll talk with Gazette Des Moines bureau chief about it on “KXEL Live & Local” on Tuesday…after the dust has settled.
