Government : Week Fourteen of the 2026 Legislative Session

We are now in the fourteenth week of the legislative session, meaning we’ve entered the final stretch. Throughout the week, we continued floor debate and worked with the House as bills moved back and forth between our chambers. With the 100-day session deadline approaching, we are focused on finishing remaining work.

One bill passed this week was House File 2591. It provides that students who transfer to a new school are ineligible to participate in interscholastic athletics for the first 140 calendar days after enrolling. Current law sets a similar restriction at 90 school days. This change ensures consistency for students attending schools with modified calendars compared to those on traditional schedules. The rule applies only to varsity-level athletics.

We also approved House File 2670, which updates K-12 summative assessments by adding social studies as a core academic indicator alongside English language arts, mathematics, and science for grades 8–10. The goal is to better prepare Iowa students for future education and careers by emphasizing key subject areas.

Another widely discussed measure is Senate File 2219, addressing excused school absences. This bill ensures that students who miss school to participate in agricultural-related clubs or events receive excused absences. While we continue to prioritize attendance and reducing truancy, we also recognize that valuable learning happens outside the classroom. Under this bill, schools must excuse absences for school-sponsored activities like FFA and allow students to make up missed work. This supports students gaining hands-on experience, leadership development, and public speaking skills without being penalized.

We also passed Senate File 2490, which updates Iowa’s laws on oil and gas production. The bill strengthens protections for landowners during exploration and modernizes outdated sections of Iowa Code. It also prepares the state for potential hydrogen discoveries. Looking ahead, this legislation aims to support economic growth, reduce costs for farmers, and contribute to ongoing efforts to eliminate Iowa’s income tax.

Tax Day fell on Wednesday this week, marking one year since the Senate passed Senate Joint Resolution 11. This proposed constitutional amendment would require a two-thirds majority to increase income taxes in Iowa. Since 2017, Senate Republicans have enacted multiple tax relief measures, including eliminating the inheritance tax, ending taxes on retirement income, supporting small businesses, and reducing and simplifying the income tax to a flat rate of 3.8 percent.

SJR 11 is intended to safeguard those tax cuts by ensuring any future increases require broad legislative agreement. The measure has been awaiting action in the Iowa House for the past year. If approved, it would go before voters this November. I hope the House takes it up soon so Iowans can weigh in.

As the session moves closer to adjournment, we also begin recognizing legislators who are retiring. While we look forward to what lies ahead, we reflect on the contributions of those leaving and the impact they’ve had on both colleagues and the state. These moments serve as a reminder of how close we are to concluding the 91st General Assembly and offer a chance to reflect on what has been accomplished.

Property Tax Discussions Continue at the Capitol

Last week, the Iowa Senate made significant progress on property tax reform by passing Senate File 2472 with strong bipartisan support. This proposal seeks to modernize and simplify the property tax system while providing relief to taxpayers.

For homeowners, the bill offers a straightforward benefit: a permanent 50 percent reduction in the taxable value of a home. That discount increases with age—60 percent at age 60, 70 percent at age 70, and so on. Additionally, if property values rise by more than 2 percent, tax levies would automatically adjust downward, helping to limit increases in tax bills.

Beyond these changes, the bill includes broader reforms aimed at improving the system. It eliminates the variable rollback mechanism, which fluctuated annually, introduces levy rate controls, and places limits on the growth of local government taxing authority. The intent is to create a more stable, predictable system that leaves more money with taxpayers.

The Senate passed this legislation 41–4 and now awaits action from the House. As discussions continue, we look forward to finding common ground and advancing a comprehensive approach to property tax reform in the final weeks of session.

Thank You District 42!

Feel free to contact me with any comments, questions, or concerns regarding how I can best serve you as your Senator. I look forward to another great week of representing the people of District 42!