This Week at the Statehouse – Week 1
The 90th Iowa General Assembly gaveled into session on Monday, January 9, at the State Capitol in Des Moines. Republicans have majorities in both the Iowa House (64-36 majority) and the Iowa Senate (34-16 majority). This is the first session after legislative redistricting and there are a lot of new faces; all House and Senate districts were changed based on the 2020 census. There are 45 new people and eight new to their respective chambers (were elected to the Senate or to the House and were in the other chamber the previous year).
The legislative leaders include Senate President Amy Sinclair (R-Allerton), Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver (R-Grimes), Senate Minority Leader Zach Wahls (D-Coralville), House Speaker Pat Grassley (R-New Hartford), House Majority Leader Matt Windschitl (R-Missouri Valley) and House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst (D-Windsor Heights).
The Legislature’s website (https://www.legis.iowa.gov) includes information about legislators, committees, bills, Iowa Code, daily debates, publications and Capitol tour information.
The first week of the legislative session was largely ceremonial. On Monday, the legislative leaders gave their opening session remarks; on Tuesday, Governor Reynolds gave her condition of the state address; on Wednesday, Iowa Supreme Court chief justice Susan Christensen gave her condition of the judiciary; and on Thursday, Iowa National Guard adjutant general Ben Corell gave his condition of the guard.
Also on Wednesday, the Board of Regents held their annual legislative breakfast on the first floor rotunda in the State Capitol. Below are photos of President Nook and lawmakers from the event.
Governor’s Budget Recommendation
Governor Reynolds FY 24 budget recommendations for UNI include:
- $101,894,146 for general operations (increase of $2,485,223; a 2.5% increase)
- Moves funding for STEM from UNI to the Dept. of Education as part of her state government reorganization plan (same amount of funding as FY 23, $6,354,848)
- $1,466,419 for economic development ($400,000 increase for Family Business Center and Institute for Decision Making)
- $900,000 from the Regents Innovation Fund, of the $3 million total (no change)
- $394,321 for UNI’s additive manufacturing (no change)
- $172,768 for the recycling and reuse center (no change)
- $123,523 for real estate education (no change)
Governor Reynolds did not recommend any funding for UNI@IACC (Iowa Community Colleges); our request is $2 million. She also did not recommend the Board of Regents’ request of $1 million for student mental health services, to be distributed to the three universities.
Her budget-in-brief book is at this link. Her complete budget report is at this link.
With the budget now moving to the legislature, UNI will continue to advocate for its requested funds, emphasizing its importance to providing affordable, high-quality education and training the next generation of Iowa workers who will continue to build a vibrant economy in the state.
Bills of Interest that have been filed
New bills for consideration continue to be filed daily. This link will provide a complete list of bills the Board of Regents are tracking (in the box marked as lobbyist, type in Mary Braun).
Here are a few bills of interest that have been filed to date:
HF 2, Public Fund Investment, House State Government Committee
HF 4, Alternative Pathways to Teaching Licenses, House Education Committee
HF 6, Iowa Workforce Grant Program for Regents’ Students, House Appropriations Committee
HF 7, Define Regents’ Course Terminology in Teaching and Establishment of Legislative Interim Committee on Regents Teacher Preparation Programs, House Education Committee
HF 11, Publish on Regents Website University Average Student Debt and Graduate Wage Information, House Education Committee
HF 12, Social Studies Instruction in Schools, House Education Committee
HSB 13, Ransomware Attacks, House Economic Growth and Technology Committee
HSB 14, Cyber Security Center at ISU, House Economic Growth and Technology Committee
SF 58, University Pregnancy Accommodations, Senate Education Committee
SSB 1012, Professional Counselors Licensure Compact, Senate Health and Human Services Committee
HF 24, Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact, House Health and Human Services Committee
Upcoming Dates
February 14 – UNI Day at the Capitol
March 3 – First Funnel – Bills not reported out of their originating committee by this date are no longer eligible for consideration (does not apply to budget, tax or oversight bills)
March 31 – Second Funnel – House bills not passed out of Senate committees and Senate bills not passed out of House committees are no longer eligible for consideration (does not apply to budget, tax or oversight bills)
April 28 – 110th Calendar Day (lawmaker per diem expenses end)
If you have any questions, please email me at mary.braun@uni.edu.
