Governor's disaster aid bill would provide nearly $16M for building rehab, razing
Gov. Kim Reynolds' bill making changes to Iowa's disaster relief assistance programs is on its way to the Iowa Senate floor after approval Thursday by the chamber's Ways and Means Committee.
Senate File 619 has already received approval from the Senate Local Government and Appropriations committees. The bill follows up on some of the measures put in place for disaster recovery by Reynolds following the 2024 floods and tornadoes that impacted more than 5,000 homes across the state.
The measure includes an appropriation of $13.6 million from the Iowa Economic Emergency Fund retroactively for fiscal year 2025 with the majority of funding going toward home rehabilitation programs and $2 million to the Nuisance Property and Abandoned Building Fund, used to tear down buildings that cannot be repaired.
This funding was discussed with lawmakers during the summer of 2024 as Reynolds rolled out the state's disaster response and recovery plans. The bill's appropriation for housing rehabilitation will go toward to the State Disaster Recovery New Housing Grant and Disaster Recovery Housing Assistance programs, launched in July. The governor's bill also includes a proposal to extend tax exclusions for developers who build new housing in disaster-impacted areas.
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
The measure also establishes new programs and funds that the governor said will help the state more quickly respond to natural disasters in the future. It would establish a new loan program, the Natural Hazard Mitigation Financing program, led by the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and the Iowa Finance Authority, with funding available to eligible entities for 'ongoing risk mitigation' projects to better prepare Iowa communities for future severe weather.
Molly Severn, legislative liaison for the governor's office, said the measure will help 'make it easier for Iowans to get the help they need as soon as possible' during natural disasters.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle and some advocates have expressed support for the bill's steps to streamline the disaster assistance process and provide funding in previous meetings. However, there was some pushback at the Senate subcommittee meeting Thursday from lobbyists with insurance organizations and public insurance adjusters on one portion of the bill — a requirement for appraisers, independent adjusters and umpires to be licensed to assess property damages.
During the process of receiving insurance coverage following a natural disaster, multiple assessments are made. A public insurance adjuster, representing the policy holder, and a private insurance adjuster representing the insurance company, typically both review a damaged property's value and assessing the claim made. Umpires are the neutral party in this process, meant to serve as an unbiased source while assessing damages and value. But Reynolds said licensure and regulations were needed to 'better protect consumers and homeowners from unfair practices' during the process.
Dennis Tibben with the National Association of Public Insurance Adjusters said most other states regulate umpires and independent adjusters through contracts instead of through the licensing processes set up in the bill.
'If enacted, Iowa would have the most restrictive, expansive licensure type in the nation,' Tibben said. 'And we expect that that will have a chilling effect on the number of individuals who are independent, who will serve as the arbitrators when a public insurance adjuster, who serves as an advocate on behalf of the insured individual, and their insurance company can't come to an initial resolution on the insurance plan.'
Tibben said this provision could lead to fewer umpires and independent adjusters practicing in Iowa, which could leave Iowans with longer wait times for their insurance claims to be processed.
Sen. Bill Dotzler, D-Waterloo, said in the subcommittee meeting he wanted to learn more about the impacts of licensure on insurance costs and processing people's claims after disasters, but he supported the bill moving forward as he said it made improvements to Iowa's disaster relief and recovery programs.
He also supported the bill later Thursday as it was unanimously approved by the Ways and Means committee, praising the governor and her staff for their work on the bill.
'It's my understanding that this isn't something that just was thrown together,' Dotzler said. 'It's been worked on for considerable amount of time, and really is a proactive approach that would help people in real time.'
Sen. David Rowley, R-Spirit Lake, said the bill will improve Iowa's disaster response efforts.
'All of us have been affected by floods, tornadoes, derechos, all of these disasters — hail storms, anything that comes through — it creates a disastrous effect on these communities,' Rowley said. 'We need to address it. We need to be faster than we have been in the past. This allows those dollars to flow forward.'
The bill is now available for debate in the full Iowa Senate, and its companion, House File 982, is available for consideration in the House.
SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
a few seconds ago
- New York Times
Sherrod Brown Plans to Try for a Senate Comeback in Ohio
Former Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio plans to try to return to the Senate in 2026, giving the Democratic Party a strong recruit in its effort to take back control of the chamber next year, according to three people with knowledge of his decision. Mr. Brown, who served in the Senate for three terms until his defeat in 2024, immediately becomes the Democratic front-runner to face Senator Jon Husted, a freshman Republican whom Gov. Mike DeWine appointed to file the vacancy created by JD Vance's elevation to the vice presidency. The people spoke on decision of anonymity to discuss a decision that is not yet public. first reported on Mr. Brown's decision. Mr. Brown, 72, was a mainstay of Ohio politics for decades, dating to 1974, when he was the youngest person ever elected to the Ohio Statehouse. He later served as the Ohio secretary of state for eight years, as a congressman for more than a decade and as a senator for 18 years. He lost a re-election bid in 2024 as Ohio continued to turn increasingly Republican. Senator Bernie Moreno, a Republican, won 50 percent of the vote to Mr. Brown's 46.5 percent. That race was the most expensive Senate contest in the nation last year, with more than $451 million spent by candidates and outside groups, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. After leaving office, Mr. Brown formed a nonprofit organization, the Dignity of Work Institute, making it his mission to find a way for the Democratic Party to appeal more to working-class voters. In an essay this year, he called that goal an 'electoral and a moral imperative.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
NBC News
a few seconds ago
- NBC News
Sherrod Brown to launch a comeback attempt for Senate in Ohio
Former Sen. Sherrod Brown has decided to run for Senate next year in Ohio, according to three sources familiar with his plans, potentially putting the Republican-leaning state in play for Democrats. Brown lost his race for a fourth term last year by about 3.5 percentage points as President Donald Trump carried Ohio by 11 points. But a midterm year is typically tougher for the president's party, and Democrats have been aggressively recruiting Brown to run in the special election to serve the remainder of Vice President JD Vance's Senate term against Sen. Jon Husted, the former lieutenant governor whom Gov. Mike DeWine appointed to Vance's seat. was the first to report Brown's plans to run for Senate in 2026. Democrats face an uphill climb to take control of the chamber, looking to net four seats as Republicans defend a 53-47 majority. Democrats have two ripe targets in North Carolina and Maine, but would they would then have to flip two GOP-held seats in states Trump won by double digits last year to take control of the Senate. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has traveled to Ohio twice in recent months, with the latest visit coming in late June, a source familiar with the meeting, first reported by Axios, confirmed to NBC News. The former senator's ability to overperform the national environment in a state that's been broadly trending away from Democrats is one main reason why they've been so bullish trying to lure Brown into the race. Tyson Shepard, a spokesman for Husted's campaign, said in a statement to NBC news, "Should Brown enter the race as Schumer's handpicked candidate he will be starting in the biggest hole of his political career. He has never faced a candidate like Jon Husted. Brown's slogans will ring hollow as his coalition walks away, tired of the radical policies he's forced to support to appease his coastal bosses in California and New York.' Brown, who had also been weighing a run for Ohio governor, has been working to reorient his party, which, in view, has lost its way among working-class voters. 'I'm not going to whine about my loss,' Brown told NBC News late last year. 'But I lost in large part because the national reputation of the Democratic Party is that we are sort of a lighter version of a corporation — a corporate party. We're seen as a bicoastal, elite party. And it's hard to argue that.' 'We couldn't pass the minimum wage because Republicans almost uniformly were against it," Brown said at the time. "It's always Republicans who are on the wrong side, and there aren't enough Democrats on the right side to win. … It's a good example of how workers get screwed.' A Senate run from Brown would also provide some clarity for Ohio Democrats as they look to fill out the rest of their statewide slate. Dr. Amy Acton, a Brown ally who has been running for governor for months, could ramp up her campaign without the nagging speculation that the former senator might enter the race and push her to the sidelines. Young Democratic mayors like Justin Bibb in Cleveland and Aftab Pureval in Cincinnati could concentrate fully on their uncomplicated 2025 re-election bids free of pressure to step up to a Senate race next year, though they could be courted for down-ballot contests. Pureval, in an interview last week at a Democratic Mayors Association conference that Brown addressed in Cleveland, said he had no preference for what office Brown seeks. 'I think Sen. Brown is still our best advocate and still our best messenger for the Democratic agenda,' Pureval said. 'His deep and genuine roots in the labor movement and his exceptional record while in office speak for themselves. But now is the time for genuine leadership in Ohio, and I believe Sen. Brown is the person to demonstrate that.' The one remaining wild card is former Rep. Tim Ryan, who lost to Vance in 2022 and has shown interest in a run for governor or Senate in 2026.
Politico
14 minutes ago
- Politico
The 2026 midterms are officially underway
What up, Recast fam. On today's agenda: The next federal elections are still some 15 months off, but political shifts in recent days across four key battleground states are the clearest sign yet that the race to carve out lanes ahead of the 2026 midterms is already underway. Below we break down pivotal announcements from Wisconsin, Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina — all swing states Trump won last year by less than 384,000 votes combined. Some of the newly declared candidates are looking to clear the field, while others are hoping to define their nascent primary contests on their own terms in hopes of forcing possible challengers to react to their opening salvos. At least one candidate on this list appears to be angling for the only endorsement that matters on the GOP side: Donald Trump. North Carolina The widespread speculation was finally put to rest Monday with Roy Cooper, the state's popular two-term ex-governor, announcing via video on social media that he's running for the open U.S. Senate seat. His bid is viewed as a massive recruiting victory for Democrats, who see North Carolina as perhaps the best pick-up opportunity in what is expected to be a tough Senate map next year. Democrats have reason to be excited if the past is any indication: Cooper is undefeated in statewide contests during a career that includes eight years as governor and nearly 16 years prior to that as the state attorney general. Cooper's candidacy already appears to have a clearing effect with other Democrats. Rep. Don Davis and former Rep. Wiley Nickel are both standing down in the race according to POLITICO's Nicholas Wu. Had he run, Davis could have been the state's first Black senator. Instead, he is likely to run for reelection to his competitive House district. Nickel, who launched his bid in April, is reportedly now eyeing the state's attorney general post. Was The Recast forwarded to you by a friend? Don't forget to subscribe to the newsletter here. You'll get a weekly breakdown of how race and identity are the DNA of American politics and policy. On the GOP side, Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley will run, according to reporting from POLITICO's Dasha Burns last week. Whatley, who previously led the North Carolina Republican Party before Trump picked him to lead the RNC, has never been a candidate but has deep connections to donors. The Senate contest is expected to be one of the most competitive and expensive races in the next cycle after Republican Sen. Thom Tillis announced last month he would not seek reelection. Nevada Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford, a Democrat, announced Monday that he was launching a bid for governor, setting up a pivotal clash as he attempts to unseat GOP incumbent Gov. Joe Lombardo. As POLITICO's Natalie Fertig points out, Ford also has a compelling story to offer voters. He grew up as a recipient of food stamps and Medicaid benefits and now plans to run against Republicans' efforts to gut those same programs, which he claims will negatively impact Nevadans. But unlike Cooper in North Carolina, other Democrats won't be clearing the field for Ford, who is attempting to become his state's first Black governor. Washoe County Commission Chair Alexis Hill is also readying to launch a gubernatorial bid, setting up what could be a competitive primary. Keep an eye too on former Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak, who lost to Lombardo in 2022 by less than 2 percentage points and said as recently as April that he has not ruled out another run in 2026. Georgia There are two key elections in the Peach State next year with both governor and senator on the ballot. Heading into the primaries, the intriguing action is on the GOP side as contenders race to win Trump's endorsement, with culture war issues taking center stage. Rep. Mike Collins dropped an announcement video on Monday showing him driving a big rig truck and proclaiming he helped 'drive home Trump's 'big, beautiful bill'' before adding moments later, 'We killed woke DEI garbage and banned boys from playing girls' sports.' Collins is also the author of the Laken Riley Act, the first bill Trump signed into law during his second term, which requires the detainment of any undocumented immigrant charged — not convicted — of crimes including theft and burglary. It's named after a Georgia nursing student who was murdered in Collins' district. Fellow Georgia GOP Rep. Buddy Carter, who is also leaning into his ties to Trump, referred to himself as a 'MAGA warrior' in his own campaign video announcement in May, which was released the day after the state's term-limited Gov. Brian Kemp declined to jump into the Senate race himself. The GOP field is still not set as Georgia political watchers are waiting for political newcomer Derek Dooley, the one-time head coach for the University of Tennessee football team who reportedly will get Kemp's support should he launch a Senate bid. Wisconsin Democrat Tony Evers announcement last week that he would not seek a third term as Wisconsin's governor came as a surprise for some, but it immediately blew wide open a competitive gubernatorial contest that could be among the most expensive in the nation next year. Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez launched her candidacy the following day, railing against Trump as 'a maniac in the White House,' citing his tariffs' detrimental effect on Wisconsinites and painting herself as someone who will fight to expand Medicaid and champion the health care workforce. Rodriguez is a former emergency room nurse and is married to a first-generation immigrant from Mexico. She's been candid about how Trump's campaign rhetoric from the 2024 campaign, when he said immigrants are 'poisoning the blood of our country,' impacted her family. As with other states, Rodriguez's entry into the race will do little to clear the field. One grassroots organizer in the state, when asked to weigh in on the potentially large Democratic field, said: 'This is going to be a long and annoying primary.' A slew of Democrats are expected to jump into the race; that list potentially includes state Attorney General Josh Kaul, former state Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler, and state Sen. Kelda Roys. Both Roys and Rodriguez would be the state's first woman to serve as governor. Three other potential candidates would also make history should they choose to enter the race: Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson and former Lt. Gov Mandela Barnes, who narrowly lost a Senate bid 2022, are all considering a gubernatorial bid. All three men would make history as the first Black person to serve as Wisconsin governor should any of them win. On the GOP side, former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker declined to run again but offered advice on the social media platform X for Republicans to court younger voters. Republicans who are running include Josh Schoemann, the Washington County executive, and Bill Berrien, a Navy SEAL veteran and manufacturing CEO who likened himself to Trump and self-identifies as 'an outsider and a business man.' Rep. Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.) is also leaning toward launching a bid. All the best,The Recast Team PROJECT 2025 AUTHOR PRIMARIES LINDSEY GRAHAM Paul Dans, one of the leading architects of Project 2025, is mounting a primary challenge to Sen. Lindsey Graham, arguing that the four-term senator's loyalty to Trump is unsatisfactory. His entry in the race will undoubtedly test the MAGA base's loyalties, and Dans told The Associated Press he does not plan to shy away from Trump's push to gut the federal workforce and scale back federal safety net programs — efforts outlined in the policy blueprint he helped author. 'What we've done with Project 2025 is really change the game in terms of closing the door on the progressive era,' Dans told the AP. 'If you look at where the chokepoint is, it's the United States Senate. That's the headwaters of the swamp.' Over the course of his career Graham has proven a formidable candidate and has routinely beat back GOP challengers. But next year's primary field is growing bigger as many see him as vulnerable, despite the fact that he has already secured Trump's endorsements as well of those fellow GOP Sen. Tim Scott and Gov. Henry McMaster — who will both serve as co-chairs of his 2026 campaign. South Carolina Democrats, who are attempting to claw back into relevance in the state after Republicans gained super majorities in both chambers of the state Legislature following the 2024 election, may see an opportunity to meddle in the GOP Senate primary. 'If we don't have a contested primary, I see Dems voting in the Republican [primary],' longtime South Carolina Democratic strategist and DNC member Clay Middleton told The Recast. POLITICO's Nicole Markus noted that Chris LaCivita, who is serving as senior advisor to Graham's campaign, said Dans 'parachuted himself' into South Carolina after being 'unceremoniously dumped in 2024 while trying to torpedo Donald Trump's historic campaign.' LaCivita added: 'Like everything Paul Dans starts, this too will end prematurely.' WHAT WE'RE WATCHING THIS WEEK Trump floats pardon of Epstein co-conspirator — While overseas in Scotland, Trump was asked by reporters if he'd consider pardoning Ghislaine Maxwell. She is currently serving a 20-year federal prison sentence for child sex trafficking and other crimes in connection with a scheme that spanned years where she and Jefferey Epstein would groom and sexually abuse underage girls. POLITICO's Cheyanne M. Daniels reports Trump said: 'Well, I'm allowed to give her a pardon, but I — nobody's approached me with it.' And more… TODAY'S CULTURE NEWS Deion Sanders reveals he beat cancer — The NFL Hall of Famer and current head coach at the University of Colorado revealed he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of bladder cancer but is now considered cured following surgery. Sea World splashes with summer concert series — The San Diego theme park has drawn crowds and an elevated social media presence for hosting nostalgic acts like Ashanti and Ying Yang Twins at the venue's Bayside Amphitheater. Eddie Murphy weighs in on being 'the old guy' — The comedy legend waxes poetic about bonding with fellow comic Pete Davidson on their latest film, as well as being a 64-year-old star, still doing action scenes and having co-stars ad lib by needling him about his age.
