Category Archives: Uncategorized

Legislative Session Reaches Halfway Point This week marked the 50th day of the 100-day legislative session. The first funnel deadline has passed and the second funnel is coming up soon. Debate is picking up in both chambers as the House and Senate work to advance priority legislation. Sales Tax Exemption The past several years, IContinue reading “Capitol Update Week 8”

Iowa faces a shortage of health care providers in many areas of the state. This includes primary care, specialty care, and mental health care. Easing this shortage and attracting health care providers, specifically to rural communities, has been one of House Republican’s top priorities over the last several sessions. We can start to address aContinue reading “Capitol Update Week 7”

The Legislature’s first funnel was this week, which means our focus has been narrowed to bills that have a better chance of being debated on the floor and signed into law.   What is the funnel? It’s a deadline when House bills are required to pass at least one House committee to remain eligible forContinue reading “Capitol Update Week 6”

News From District 96 Floor Debate The House held its first floor debate of the session this week, passing three critical pieces of legislation to support Iowa’s K-12 schools and victims of significant flooding across the state. Last spring, much of the state was devastated by significant flooding, particularly in southwest Iowa and eastern IowaContinue reading “Capitol Update Week 5”

News from District 96 As Ways and Means Chair, I am responsible for reviewing all tax legislation. In the Governor’s Condition of the State address she proposed implementing an additional 1-cent sales tax will increase Iowa’s revenue by $540 million, enabling the following: Create additional tax relief, improving Iowa’s competitive position and allowing Iowa familiesContinue reading “Capitol Update Week 4”

News  from District 96 This week, the announced a K-12 funding package for the 2020-21 school year that will provide schools with additional resources that they can depend on. Additionally, the plan will take into account many of the challenges that school boards and administrators have brought to lawmakers and targets additional dollars to addressContinue reading “Capitol Update Week 3”

News from District 96 With the start of every legislative session, I receive a lot of questions about how the process works and what it is like being a legislator. For this week’s newsletter, I thought I would share some of the most commonly asked questions and answers.   What is your weekly schedule? I tryContinue reading “Capitol Update Week 2”

New House Leadership This year the Iowa House elected new leadership following the resignation of former Speaker Linda Upmeyer. The Republican majority selected Representative Pat Grassley from New Hartford to be the Speaker of the House for the 2020 Legislative Session, and with new leadership comes new legislative priorities. In his speech to the legislativeContinue reading “Capitol Update Week 1”

House Majority Completes Focused Tax Agenda The House tackled quite a Ways and Means agenda this year. From tax code updates to property tax transparency—it has been a busy session. One of the early bills was Senate File 220. That bill provided section 179 expensing with a maximum deduction of $70,000 for corporations, financial institutions,Continue reading “Capitol Update: Week 15”

Keeping Iowa Safe Public Safety is frequently one of the top things that Iowans identify as something the Legislature needs to address.  The House Majority has taken this topic seriously, passing many bills this session that will keep students, motorists, and senior citizens safe across our state. Whether it’s through policy or in the budget,Continue reading “Capitol Update: Week 14”