Latest news with #HouseFile639
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
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A legacy-defining moment for Gov. Kim Reynolds
Gov. Kim Reynolds talks to reporters May 17, 2022, after signing legislation dealing with biofuels at a farm near Prairie City. (Photo by Kathie Obradovich/Iowa Capital Dispatch) As she considers whether to sign legislation limiting the use of eminent domain for carbon pipelines, Gov. Kim Reynolds faces a decision that will forever define her legacy in the Iowa Republican Party: whether to uphold the constitutional rights and the property rights of Iowa landowners, or whether to put ethanol industry profits ahead of those rights. The party platform unequivocally supports landowner rights. The Iowa House and Senate, both controlled by Republicans, have passed bipartisan legislation that would protect those rights. This should not be a difficult choice. However, there are many special interest groups urging the governor to veto House File 639, claiming it would harm the ethanol industry and derail future economic development opportunities in the state. But if those claims were true, why do nearly 30% of Iowa's ethanol plants choose not to participate in this risky CO₂ pipeline venture? Why is Summit Carbon Solutions suing multiple Iowa counties over zoning ordinances, the very tools those counties use to guide and protect local economic growth? The self-serving arguments of the ethanol industry do not stand up to scrutiny. Privately owned carbon dioxide pipelines do not align with the constitutional definition of 'public use' necessary for eminent domain, and they do not justify using the government's 'takings' power to force private landowners to participate in a speculative business enterprise. Essentially, these special interests are asking the governor to pick economic winners and losers at the expense of constitutional rights. Importantly, HF 639 does not stop the pipeline project, nor does it prevent voluntary easements. In fact, Summit has already secured all necessary voluntary agreements in Minnesota and must now do the same in South Dakota to meet Iowa Utilities Commission conditions for construction here. Iowa landowners deserve the same rights as landowners in our neighboring states. If this project truly serves a vital economic need and garners legitimate support, it can move forward through the free market—without coercion, and without undermining the rights of landowners. I commend Gov. Reynolds for engaging a broad range of stakeholders in this conversation. Listening to the public and not just to special interests is essential for crafting sound public policy, but it does not change the dilemma facing the governor: constitutional rights vs. special interest profits. By signing HF 639, Gov. Reynolds would uphold constitutional rights, curb the misuse of eminent domain for private profit, demonstrate her commitment to the Republican Party's property rights platform, protect landowners from inadequate insurance coverage, and strengthen the public accountability of the Iowa Utilities Commission. It would ensure she is forever remembered as a champion of the Republican Party's commitment to constitutional rights and private property rights.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Iowa Legislature adjourns 2025 session with many GOP priorities checked off
A portion of Iowa Capitol rotunda as seen May 14, 2025. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch) The Iowa Legislature adjourned Thursday at 6:01 a.m. in the Senate and 6:31 a.m. in the House, finishing the 2025 legislative session with many priorities from the majority party met — but with several major goals, including property taxes, not making the cut. While leaders reflected on successfully moving forward on many of their top objectives, the final few days of the 2025 legislative session were tense between some members of the majority party. Twelve Republican senators had announced they would not vote in support of any budget bills until the Senate voted on House File 639, a bill containing multiple measures related to the use of eminent domain in carbon sequestration pipeline projects. On Monday, the bill passed the Senate 27-22 following hours of heated debate and days of closed-door meetings discussing the measure, which included many barbed comments traded between Republicans. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX Rep. Steven Holt, R-Denison, told reporters he believed the eminent domain legislation was the most pivotal bill to move during the 2025 session. 'The fact that it was finally taken up in the Senate certainly sticks out to me,' Holt said. 'But unfortunately, it also sticks out to me … as a Republican, the unfortunate debate that occurred in the Senate, in terms of Republicans sort of going after one another. It's something that we don't normally see, and I hope we never see again.' Holt said he was 'confident' that Gov. Kim Reynolds will sign the bill into law, though other lawmakers have expressed doubts that she will grant the measure final approval. While the pipeline bill was brought up for debate, another high-profile measure from the session was not — the Republicans' property tax proposal. The Senate Ways and Means Committee approved Senate File 651, the most recent version of the proposal eliminating Iowa's 'rollback' system of calculating local property taxes, in a meeting earlier in May, but the measure was not brought for floor debate in either chamber. Here's what Iowa lawmakers did on marathon final day of session House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst said her biggest takeaway from the 2025 legislative session was that lawmakers did nothing to lower costs for Iowa families. 'If anything, all they did was raise costs, especially when it comes to property taxes, that now could go up and count the districts across the state because they didn't fund public education enough,' Konfrst said, referring to the K-12 funding package that Democrats said will trigger property tax increases in many Iowa public schools. 'They did nothing, nothing for housing … They did nothing to fix health care costs, except put 182,000 people, their health insurance at risk. They did absolutely nothing to help the economy.' Reynolds said in a statement early Thursday property taxes would be a top issue in the 2026 session, alongside further government efficiency efforts. 'I look forward to continuing this work next session — especially when it comes to reducing Iowans' property tax burden,' Reynolds said in the statement. 'And to make sure tax cuts remain sustainable, even as we continue to make smart investments, we'll keep streamlining government. Our alignment efforts, so far, have already saved taxpayers more than $250 million, and we're just getting started.' Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver said the Legislature did take action to lower costs for Iowans as the the state's economy 'is under a lot of pressure from outside issues,' pointing to the bill passed Thursday to reduce unemployment insurance taxes, a priority of Reynolds. 'At the start of this legislative session, we told Iowans, 'We hear you,'' Whitver said in a statement on his closing remarks for the session. 'We hear your concerns about the high costs in our everyday lives, the concerns about costs and access to health care, and concerns about safe communities.' In the final days of session, the Legislature approved some of the top proposals laid out by Reynolds for the 2025 legislative session, including the unemployment insurance taxes, as well as the bill on paid parental leave for government employees and another aiding rural health care and expanding medical residency slots. Several of the goals she laid out in her January Condition of the State address — like the two bills restricting cellphone use during class time and behind the wheel of a car, and her bill providing natural disaster aid for communities impacted by 2024 floods and tornadoes, were all signed into law earlier this session. But there were some bills that did not make it to her desk. The House did not take up Senate File 445, the governor's child care infrastructure bill to shift funding from Early Childhood Iowa (ECI) and some federal funds to establish a new grant program for preschool and child care centers providing full-day care for children, though it was passed by the Senate. Her energy proposal that would have given existing utility companies the right of first refusal to new transmission projects — which received pushback from the U.S. Department of Justice — also did not advance. The first measure signed into law in 2025 was the repeal of gender identity protections under the Iowa Civil Rights Act. The law came up in budget discussions in the days before session ended, as the health and human services spending bill included a restriction on Medicaid coverage for sex reassignment surgery and hormone replacement therapy for transgender individuals. Some GOP lawmakers said this limit is now legal because of 'gender identity' was removed as a protected class under state civil rights law, but Democrats argued the measure remains unconstitutional — as ruled previously in courts — under the Equal Protections Clause. Republican legislative leaders did not mention the gender identity law in their closing comments, but did praise the passage of a bill setting Medicaid work requirements on Iowa's expanded Medicaid program. The bill sent to Reynolds Wednesday would set an 80-hour work requirement per month for people on the Iowa Health and Wellness Plan, or IHAWP, to retain eligibility for health coverage. IHAWP provides Medicaid coverage for low-income, able-bodied adults between ages 19 to 64. The bill passed includes certain exceptions to the work requirements. It also includes 'trigger' language that would end the program if the federal government first allows Iowa to enact work requirements and then later revokes approval. The governor and Iowa Department of Health and Human Services have independently pursued IHAWP work requirements, submitting a federal waiver for similar requirements at 100 hours per month to keep health coverage with exceptions. Senate President Amy Sinclair said in her closing comments for the session work requirements are 'common sense.' 'There is dignity in work, and the vast majority of Iowans know this,' Sinclair said in the written comments. 'Having a sense of purpose and accomplishment is not only good for one's well-being, but it is good for our state. Enacting policies that help put people back to work, like work requirements for able-bodied Iowans on assistance programs, provides opportunities for Iowans to earn a living, find a sense of purpose, and contribute to the growth of our economy.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
‘Four years and another day': Senators punt long-awaited eminent domain debate
Landowners opposed to carbon sequestration pipelines shout at senators for declining to debate an eminent domain bill Friday. (Photo by Cami Koons/Iowa Capital Dispatch) 'Shame, shame, shame,' a red-shirted group chanted from a Senate gallery after a full day waiting for senators to debate a bill impacting carbon sequestration pipelines. A group of landowners has been pushing lawmakers to take up the issue around property rights for four years. They, along with farmers and union workers in favor of the Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline, showed up to the Capitol in droves Friday, expecting to hear debate on House File 639. After breaking for a closed-door caucus after almost every action on the floor, senators decided to adjourn until Monday, without having debated the eminent domain bill or budgets. 'You're disrespecting our time,' a landowner yelled from the gallery following the pound of the gavel. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX HF 639 would set requirements for pipeline insurance and permit limits and change the definitions of common carrier in the state to require hazardous liquid pipeline operators prove they will transport commodities owned by shippers not affiliated with the carrier. The Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline, which was granted eminent domain by the Iowa Utilities Commission in June, would connect to nearly 60 ethanol facilities and stretch around 2,500 across Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska. The pipeline would transport sequestered carbon dioxide from the facilities to underground storage in North Dakota. Sen. Mike Bousselot, R-Ankeny, proposed a major amendment to the bill in committee, and an additional amendment Friday that removes many parts of the version passed from the House. Under Bousselot's amendment, which must be approved on the floor, projects could seek voluntary easements from outside of the project corridor, which he said would allow them to avoid using eminent domain. His amendment also requires the project operators to repair damaged land for the lifetime of the project. The Iowa Utilities Commission would have to make a decision on permit applications within one year and members would have to be present at hearings under the amendment, which would apply to all projects seeking eminent domain. Sen. Kevin Alons, R-Salix, proposed a strikethrough amendment Friday that instead added language similar to House File 943, to ban the use of eminent domain for pipelines carrying liquified carbon dioxide. 'I guess four years and another day is what we will be doing again next Monday,' Sherri Webb, a landowner opposed to the pipeline said following the adjournment. 'We're just gonna have to wait another day, and it's not right.' Farmers and biofuel advocates who gathered in the Capitol rotunda earlier in the day said the carbon sequestration capabilities offered by the pipeline would open the door to expanded biofuel markets, like sustainable aviation fuel. A number of farmers were among the more than 1,300 landowners who have already signed easement agreements with Summit. Kelly Nieuwenhuis, a signed landowner and corn farmer in O'Brien County, said he signed easement agreements with Summit for nearly three miles of pipeline through his property. 'We need to get this project done for a positive future for not only farmers, but the biofuels industry and good-paying jobs for rural America,' Nieuwenhuis said. Farmers pointed to low corn prices from lack of market demand as a strong reason for the pipeline, as it would make it easier for ethanol producers in Iowa to enter the ultra-low carbon ethanol market. The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association earlier this week published a study highlighting the same issue. While the ethanol industry had another good year in 2024, the study said the associated economic effects of biofuels were diminished by the 'stagnant' corn market. 'This project, hooking these plants onto it, is going to change and open up markets,' Mark Wigans, a signed landowner and an ethanol plant president, said at the rally. 'Agriculture's in terrible shape right now, and we need change and this is going to give it to us.' Also in attendance were members from several union locals, in favor of the pipeline for the construction jobs it would supply. The 110-day legislative session was scheduled to end May 2, marking the end to some per diem payments to lawmakers. The failure to bring an eminent domain bill to the Senate floor likely sets back efforts to end the session early next week. Though the Senate did not vote on the eminent domain bill Friday, lawmakers did approve one measure, House File 856, a ban on diversity, equity and inclusion activities and offices in state agencies and community colleges. The Senate amended the bill to remove private colleges from the measure and returned it to the House. The chamber also voted along party lines to confirm three of the governor's appointees – Cheryl Elsloo to the Iowa State Civil Rights Commission, Christine Hensley to the Iowa Board of Regents and Whitney Smith McIntosh to the state's Human Rights Board. However, there were several other measures on the calendar – including budget bills – that were not brought up for debate. Senate File 645, the economic development budget, Senate File 646, the agriculture and natural resources budget and Senate File 647, the education budget were not brought up before the chamber adjourned Friday. There were amendments filed on these three bills to reflect the budget compromise reached with House Republicans Thursday. While these amendments are spending figures that represent an agreement between House and Senate Republicans, the majority caucuses in both chambers, the Senate would not be able to pass these or other budget bills before getting the support of the 12 GOP senators who pledged to vote against appropriations bills until the eminent domain legislation is brought to the floor. Most of the spending bills for fiscal year 2026 have not yet been approved in either chamber. The House Appropriations Committee is scheduled to meet Monday, May 12 to discuss four budget bills. The Senate Appropriations Committee also still must hold a meeting to approve standings appropriations bill that includes the State Supplemental Aid (SSA) per-pupil funding for Iowa's K-12 system, the House priority of $14 million for paraeducator pay, and other various state spending obligations. Robin Opsahl contributed to this report. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Iowa legislative session heads to overtime
The golden dome of the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines. (Photo by Cami Koons/Iowa Capital Dispatch) Two major roadblocks remain before Iowa lawmakers can pass the state's budget and end the 2025 legislative session — pipelines and paraeducator pay, among a few other spending priorities. Iowa lawmakers will not receive most session per-diem payments after Friday — a milestone meant to spur legislators to approve budget bills and end the session. While Republicans hold a trifecta of control at the Statehouse, there are still disagreements between the two chambers on funding and policy proposals. One of the major pieces of policy that remains up for discussion is the use of eminent domain in carbon sequestration pipeline projects. On Wednesday, a group of 12 GOP senators sent a letter to Senate leadership demanding debate on House File 639, legislation passed by the House and approved through the Senate committee process. 'We believe addressing eminent domain is more important than the budget or any other priority for the 2025 session and pledge to vote against any remaining budget bill until a floor vote occurs on the clean HF639 bill,' the letter states. Bills need a constitutional majority, at least 26 votes, in order to pass the Senate. If the 12 Republican senators who signed the letter and all 16 Democrats vote against a bill, the measure will fail. The lawmakers who signed onto the letter were Sens. Kevin Alons, Doug Campbell, Rocky De Witt, Lynn Evans, Dennis Guth, Mark Lofgren, Mike Pike, Dave Rowley, Sandy Salmon, Dave Sires, Jeff Taylor and Cherielynn Westrich. These senators and others have spoken on the Senate floor about the need to pass a bill on eminent domain and pipelines during 'points of personal privilege' following debate in the past two weeks. Sen. David Rowley, R-Spirit Lake, said Senate discussion on the use of eminent domain in pipeline projects has 'been a long time coming' as Senate discussions on similar measures have failed to advance for the past three years. 'We had a lot of pushback over the years and and we felt this year, it was getting strung out as well, so we took this measure to do everything we can to bring it to the floor,' Rowley said. The measures brought up in 2025 and during previous legislative sessions largely focus on the proposed Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline, which would span more than 1,000 miles in Iowa transporting liquid carbon dioxide from ethanol plants to underground storage facilities in North Dakota. Rowley said he has had many discussions with landowners who would be affected by the Summit project, many of whom are concerned about the potential health risks posed by a CO2 pipeline on their property. 'It's horrible to think that the government could come in and force them to have that pipeline on their property,' Rowley said. 'And even though Summit's done a great job I think, working with people or trying to, it's still — it's not enough. It can't be enough.' The bill brought up in the letter is a measure the House advanced in March to prohibit carbon sequestration pipelines from using eminent domain in Iowa. Floor debate at the time included concerns over the Senate's avoidance of eminent domain bills over the past several years. The proposal combines a number of bills previously proposed in the House aimed at hindering the Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline. The bill would increase insurance requirements for pipeline operators, limit permits to one 25-year term and adjust the definition of a common carrier that would eligible for eminent domain. The bill also requires a member of the Iowa Utilities Commission be present at all hearings, limits the commission's ability to impose sanctions on Iowans who intervene in the proceedings and allows affected Iowans, including lawmakers, to intervene. Sen. Mike Bousselot, R-Ankeny, proposed a major amendment to the bill that would remove the eminent domain ban and broaden the scope of the bill to include all eminent domain projects in the state — such as roads or utility lines — not just liquid hazardous pipelines. The amendment, which can only be officially adopted on the floor, would allow projects to find voluntary easements outside of the original project corridor, which Bousselot said during committee hearings would allow projects to 'avoid' eminent domain. His amendment would also require an IUC decision on a permit within one year and strikes almost all of the House language, keeping only the IUC attendance requirements and portions of the insurance requirements. Sen. Kevin Alons, R-Salix, proposed a strikethrough amendment to Bousselot's proposition. Another amendment, proposed by a group of largely the same GOP lawmakers who signed onto the letter, would limit the definition of public use projects in Iowa Code related to eminent domain for the construction of 'hazardous liquid pipelines for the transportation or transmission of liquefied carbon dioxide.' Salmon, R-Janesville, said in an interview with the Iowa Capital Dispatch the letter was sent as public pressure has been building for Iowa lawmakers to take action on this issue. 'By and large, the public has become quite aware of it now, and and really don't see the need for eminent domain to be used for this project,' Salmon said. 'It's a private project. It's for private use. It's not a public use project, and our Constitution requires it be a public use in order to have eminent domain used.' The fact that South Dakota now has a law banning the use of eminent domain for carbon dioxide pipeline has also helped 'build the momentum to put the same type of prohibitions on CO2 pipelines here in Iowa,' Salmon said. Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver said in a statement that 'a number of Republican Senators are working on policy surrounding eminent domain and pipeline issues and I am optimistic we will find a legislative solution.' The senators' plan to block legislation from moving unless eminent domain legislation comes to the floor is not the only item keeping lawmakers from advancing budget bills. On Monday, the governor and Senate Republicans said in a news release they had reached a 'budget compromise.' The same day, House Republicans released their own targets for the state's fiscal year 2026 budget. In the following days, appropriations subcommittees and committees passed budget bills. But as of Thursday, the chambers have not reached resolutions on the line items that remain a conflict between the two chambers. House Appropriations Committee Chair Rep. Gary Mohr, R-Bettendorf, asked lawmakers on the Appropriations Committee Thursday to 'stand ready' for future meetings, but did not lay out a timeline for when the committee will advance the remaining budget bills. The difference between the two budget targets comes down to $36 million, a relatively small amount when comparing the$9.453 billion in the House proposal and $9.417 billion in the agreement reached between Gov. Kim Reynolds and Senate Republicans. However, Reynolds said in an interview on the WHO AM Simon Conway show this amount was still important during a time when the state needs to be 'fiscally responsible,' as it faces lower revenue from income tax cuts and federal financial uncertainty. 'Somebody said, 'Well, it's not that much money, it's only $36 million difference between the two,' — well, it is a lot of money,' Reynolds said in the interview. 'Ask Iowans how much money that is. And every time, it's that kind of mentality, it's that kind of thought process that grows government and gets you in trouble in the first place.' But House Speaker Pat Grassley told reporters Thursday the differences between the two budgets largely entail spending for which House Republicans will have trouble compromising. One of the largest pieces, $14 million, provides continued funding to raise the pay for paraeducators and other school staff. The measure was first approved in a 2024 law that also made changes to Iowa's Area Education Agencies. Grassley said this spending was included in Reynolds' original budget proposal for fiscal year 2026 and then removed in negotiations with the Senate. 'At no point did we think that that wasn't going to be something that we were going to be able to fund,' Grassley said. 'And I will be honest with you, that's one of the pieces right now that I would say is one of the biggest sticking points. Our caucus feels extremely strongly that if we're going to provide that level of support that we did with that bill last year, that we're not going to go back and just cut that, and leave our schools in a situation to find the difference.' Reynolds said Thursday in an interview with Radio Iowa that 'nothing was mentioned about the $14 million' in earlier negotiations on education spending related to the State Supplemental Aid package passed in early April. Other spending components in House Republicans' package that differ between the two chambers are an $8 million bump for community colleges compared to the Senate proposal, and a $9 million difference in funding for certain nursing facility reimbursement rates. Grassley said it is not out of the ordinary for the governor and Senate Republicans to be in closer alignment on budget goals than House Republicans. 'With 67 members representing every county across the state, we try to have a very open situation when it comes to our budget, take as much feedback and fund those priorities. And again, our goal is when we leave here (that) we fund the commitments that we've made to Iowans, as well as make strategic investments.' — Cami Koons contributed to this report.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
12 Iowa State Senators refuse to vote for budget bills until eminent domain measure receives floor vote
DES MOINES, Iowa (KCAU) — Iowa State Sen. Kevin Alons, a Republican who represents District 7, issued a statement in the late night hours of April 30, saying he refuses to vote in favor of any further budget bills until House File 639 receives a vote on the Senate floor. 11 other Republican Iowa State Senators joined Alons in signing the statement. Norfolk Public Schools board selects interim superintendent House File 639 would place additional restrictions on the ability of private companies to use eminent domain for the construction of carbon capture pipelines. It has already passed in the Iowa House during the current legislative session. Sen. Alons is joined by fellow Republican State Senators Doug Campbell (District 30), Rocky De Witt (District 1), Lynn Evans (District 3), Dennis Guth (District 28), Mark Lofgren (District 48), Mike Pike (District 20), Dave Rowley (District 5), Sandy Salmon (District 29), Dave Sires (District 38), Jeff Taylor (District 2) and Cherielynn Westrich (District 13). You can read the full statement below. Iowa DNR says to stay away from goose nests Iowa Senator's Declaration addressing Property Rights and the CO2 Pipeline The threat of eminent domain has loomed over many land owners of Iowa for the past 3+ years, from a conditional permit granted for a carbon sequestration pipeline crossing Iowa, South Dakota and North Dakota, to a private company, seeking private (entirely subsidized) profits. The people of South Dakota emphatically stated that eminent domain will never be granted for this pipeline to cross South Dakota, and it is past time for Iowa to do the same. The following Iowa Senators are committed to holding a vote for HF639, as passed this session by the Iowa House. We believe addressing eminent domain is more important than the budget or any other priority for the 2025 session and pledge to vote against any remaining budget bill until a floor vote occurs on the clean HF639 bill. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
