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29-05-2025
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Advocates seek governor's consideration on eminent domain, PBM, 911 service boards
The Iowa Capitol on May 8, 2025. (Photo by Cami Koons/Iowa Capitol Dispatch) As Gov. Kim Reynolds weighs which bills to sign into law from the 2025 legislative session, some organizations and local officials are asking the governor to reject certain measures approved by lawmakers. The governor has until June 14 to sign into law bills passed during the 2025 session. If she does not sign or veto a measure, it is considered a 'pocket veto' and is not enacted. Although there's still a little over two weeks until the deadline, advocates are asking Reynolds to consider 'pocket' or full vetos for several bills on her desk. The highest profile bill receiving this post-session attention is House File 639, the bill relating to the use of eminent domain in carbon capture pipeline projects. Though the measure passed the Senate following a contentious debate, Reynolds has not said whether she plans to sign the bill into law. When asked about the measure on Iowa Press last week, Reynolds said her team and legal counsel are currently in the process of evaluating the bill. She said she is hearing from people on both sides of the issue about how the legislation will impact Iowa. The bill will make multiple changes to regulations and requirements for the Iowa Utilities Commission, as well as allow more people to intervene in IUC proceedings. It also changes the definition of a 'common carrier' in Iowa law and increases insurance requirements for property damage coverage and reimbursements for landowners who face higher premiums because of a pipeline on their property. 'I want to make sure that I have given individual stakeholders the opportunity to weigh in, so that I can, again, make the best-informed decision that I can, based on information I've heard,' Reynolds said. While lawmakers in support of the measure and landowners who have called for more restrictions on the use of eminent domain for carbon capture pipelines — particularly related to the Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline project — opponents to the bill said the language in the bill is too broad and could create legal problems for people who have already signed easement contracts if a project like Summit cannot be completed. This is not the only bill for which organizations are seeking further consideration: The governor has the ability to line-item veto certain elements within budget bills — a step some public safety advocates are asking for with regard to Senate File 659, this year's standings appropriations bill. The legislation is largely a budget bill dealing with various state spending obligations, but it also includes several policy components that were not passed as standalone measures during the legislative session. One of the policies including in this year's standings bill relates to costs from local 911 service boards. The measure would allow the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEMD) to request reimbursement for 'reasonable costs' from local 911 service boards related to the delivery of 911 call traffic to public safety answering points, or PSAPs. Two organizations, the Iowa Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials and the state's National Emergency Number Association, have asked for Reynolds to veto this element of the bill, arguing it could add significant costs to local first responders that would impact their ability to perform public safety duties for Iowa communities. Chris Jasper, president of the Iowa National Emergency Number Association, said the bill's language is 'so broad' that it is difficult to tell the actual fiscal impact the measure would have on local 911 service boards. There is not a definition included in the legislation on what constitutes 'reasonable costs,' and there are not specifications on dollar amounts or how often local boards can be billed by the state under the provision. Jasper said his organization has requested clarification from the state on these questions but has not received answers. Though there are no financial estimates yet, funding coming from local first responders to the Iowa HSEMD would have to be compensated for through 'cut services, potentially cut staffing, or we would have to make up for that in raising taxes,' Jasper said. 'HSEMD sends a bill for $50,000 to a county to cover their expenses, that's $50,000 less that they have to use to purchase radio equipment for their public safety entities or to work on a project,' Jasper said. 'So they would either have to scrap that project, scrap purchasing new equipment, scrap updating their equipment, or they would have to take that $50,000 and get it from a tax increase.' Reynolds said on Iowa Press her staff is currently working on evaluating the legislation. Her office has received multiple letters and requests to veto the measure, she said, but she noted that many 911 service boards have money that is currently unspent. 'It's a critical system,' Reynolds said. 'We want to make sure that we sustain it. It's really important to keep Iowans safe. A component of this also is that they are sitting on a $66 million surplus. So, we have to take all of that into account and make sure we understand what their concerns are, what Homeland is looking at, and find a compromise that works for everyone, but most importantly that keeps that system sustainable and make sure that we are taking into account the safety of Iowans.' Jasper disputed Reynolds' characterization that the money was a 'surplus.' The figure of more than $60 million is divided between Iowa's 99 counties, and many of the projects these county boards are taking on cost millions of dollars, he said, that require savings to pursue. 'When we're talking about equipment, you know, a (computer-aided dispatch) system is a million dollars plus,' Jasper said. 'We just did a radio project here in Muscatine County that was $3.9 million — I know Scott County just did one that was $8 million. And so when you think of these counties having $600,000 in the bank, they're doing exactly what they should be doing in their planning and accounting for projects, and saving that money to cover those costs. And so it may give this perception that we're sitting on a surplus of money, but when you break it down, we're really not.' Pharmacists and health care advocates have called for Reynolds to sign Senate File 383, a bill setting new regulations and requirements on pharmacy benefit managers, the entities negotiating prescription drug prices between pharmacies, drug manufacturers and insurance providers. The legislation would make multiple changes aimed at restricting certain PBM business practices that supporters of the bill say hurt rural pharmacists, like providing financial incentives or penalties for the use of mail-order or certain pharmacies to fill prescriptions. The measure also requires PBMs reimburse prescription drug costs at the national or Iowa average acquisition cost — a higher rate than some pharmacists say they currently receive — and sets a dispensing fee of $10.68 from PBMs to pharmacists for each prescription filled at rural and small pharmacies. In a letter to Reynolds Wednesday, a group of health care organizations and advocates including the Iowa Pharmacy Association, Iowa Association of Rural Health Clinics and Bleeding Disorders of the Heartland, urged the governor to sign the bill, saying it will help pharmacies in rural Iowa stay in business. Kate Gainer, executive vice president and CEO of the Iowa Pharmacy Association, said in a statement the measure is needed to support Iowa health care providers across the state by addressing PBM practices 'that drive up costs and limit patient choice.' 'It is this imperative that has brought many of Iowa's top healthcare organizations and rural community advocates together to support the signing of SF 383 into law,' Gainer said in a statement. 'Iowa patients can't afford to wait any longer.' Pharmacists and advocates in support of the bill have said PBM practices have contributed to the closure more than 200 pharmacies across Iowa, including 31 pharmacies that closed in 2024. But some business and insurance entities have said the bill will increase health care costs for Iowans. In a statement on the bill as it went through the legislature, organizations including the Iowa Association of Business and Industry (ABI) and Iowa Business Council said the legislation would increase health care costs for both businesses and individuals. A release from ABI said the bill would add an estimated $340 million in costs to private-sector health plans statewide in addition to raising costs by roughly $169 per insured Iowan each year. Joe Murphy, president of the Iowa Business Council, said in a statement the measure 'will substantially increase costs for Iowa businesses and their employees' during a period of economic uncertainty. 'At a time when inflationary pressures from tariffs and other economic headwinds are bearing down on our state, we cannot afford to add further cost burdens through legislative action,' Murphy said. 'We remain committed to a thoughtful, targeted approach to PBM reform—one that supports small, independent pharmacies serving Iowa.'
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
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Gov. Kim Reynolds says property taxes, not income taxes, will be focus in 2026
Gov. Kim Reynolds appeared May 23, 2025 on "Iowa Press." (Screenshot from Iowa PBS video) Gov. Kim Reynolds said Friday that eliminating Iowa's income tax may not be on the table before she leaves office — but that she plans to focus on reducing property taxes in the 2026 legislative session. In her public statement following the adjournment of the 2025 legislative session, Reynolds did not bring up income taxes as a goal for 2026. Instead, she highlighted her plans to work on 'reducing Iowans' property tax burden' next year. During an interview on 'Iowa Press,' moderator Kay Henderson of Radio Iowa asked Reynolds if she had abandoned the goal to end Iowa's income tax or planned to move on cutting both income and property taxes in 2026. Reynolds said, 'that would be aggressive.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX 'I want to create a foundation that when I do leave, the next Republican governor that sits in that chair will be able to continue to reduce the individual income tax rate,' Reynolds said. 'But I do need to focus on property taxes. That is what we hear about all the time.' Reynolds announced in April she will not seek reelection in the 2026 general election. During her tenure as governor, Reynolds has put a major focus on cutting taxes, particularly focusing on Iowa's income taxes. Iowa's individual income tax rate fell to a flat 3.8% rate in January following a law the governor signed in 2024 that sped up 2022 cuts to individual and corporate income taxes. While Reynolds has celebrated these reductions, she has also said in previous years that she wanted to go further and completely eliminate the state's income tax. At a Cato Institute forum in 2023, Reynolds said her goal was to 'get to zero individual income tax rate by the end of this second term.' The governor said in 2025, legislators had 'asked to take the lead' on property taxes, but that she planned to be more involved in this work and finding a solution to reduce property tax costs through discussions with local governments and other stakeholders over the summer. Republican legislative leaders, Sen. Dan Dawson, R-Council Bluffs and Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, R-Wilton, the Ways and Means Committee chairs in the Senate and House, had introduced a bill in 2025 to eliminate Iowa's 'rollback' system for calculating property taxes and instead move to a 'revenue-restricted' system that would limit most property tax levy rates to 2% growth each year. The proposal, which went through multiple iterations but failed to come to a floor vote, also included other measures intended to lower property taxes like a shift of $426 million in K-12 funding from property taxes to the state. Reynolds said she did not believe that shifting funding to the state necessarily would be the correct solution, as 'it's still taxpayer dollars' that would come from state taxes instead of local property taxes to back this K-12 funding. She said her focus on putting together a package to cut property taxes would involve looking at 'how we deliver services to our citizens.' She said it's not feasible for Iowa communities to have 'level of government that we have and expect the property taxes to go lower.' She said her discussions will involve ways Iowa can streamline government to cut costs, but will also likely involve changes to how Iowa local governments have operated in the past 40 years. 'It's disruptive, but that means people are going to probably be a little uncomfortable, and we'll have the conversation,' Reynolds said. 'And I'm not going to wait until January to have it. We're going to have it all summer as we're working on it.' Most of the governor's priorities, which she laid out during her Condition of the State address in January, were met before the 2025 session ended earlier this month. Measures like restricting cellphone use in classrooms, increasing medical residency slots and making changes to Iowa's rural health care system and backfilling some natural disaster aid for Iowa areas impacted by 2024 extreme weather all passed this session. When asked by moderators about the proposed elimination of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the federal agency that played a large role in Iowa's recovery efforts after the 2024 natural disasters, Reynolds said there still needs to 'be a partnership' with the federal government but that she sees areas for improvement in FEMA's response system. 'I'm telling you, it takes way too long, it's way too bureaucratic,' Reynolds said. 'You know, we've got people on the ground that can act quickly. We were able to stand up some really unique programs because they gave us the flexibility to do that. That's what states do, that's what we could do. So I think it really is something we need to take a look at.' Some of Reynolds' proposals, like measures on child care infrastructure and energy programs, did not make it to her desk. The child care bill included a provision to shift funding from the existing Early Childhood Iowa (ECI) and federal Child Care and Development Fund Wrap Around Child Care funds to a new $16 million grant pilot program for preschool providers and child care centers. The focus would be on providing full-day care for children. Though the legislation did not pass this session, Reynolds moved forward Tuesday to establish a Continuum of Care grant with the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services releasing an initial Request for Proposal for the grant. The governor also extended the child care assistance pilot program, allowing child care workers to receive child care assistance for their own children. One bill that Reynolds has not weighed in on is House File 639, the legislation proposing multiple changes related to the use of eminent domain in carbon sequestration pipeline projects. The bill passed the Senate following heated debate during the last week of session. Republican leaders in the House, including House Speaker Pat Grassley, have said they believe Reynolds will sign the bill into law despite opposition from the ethanol industry and some high-profile Republicans. June 14 is the deadline for Reynolds to sign bills from the 2025 session into law; if she does not sign or veto a bill by this deadline, it is considered a 'pocket veto' and not enacted. The governor said on 'Iowa Press' she is meeting with stakeholders to discuss the legislation, but is still in the process of researching and considering the impacts of the bill with her policy team and with advocates both for and against the measure. 'Almost every meeting has led to some additional research on my team, I have legal counsel looking at it,' Reynolds said. 'So it's been a really good process, and we're going to continue that through at least the next week. So I want to make sure that I have given individual stakeholders the opportunity to weigh in, so that I can, again, make make the best, informed decision that I can based on information I've heard.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
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25-04-2025
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Naig talks ag economy, run for governor on ‘Iowa Press'
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig talked about the ag industry in Iowa and his potential bid for governor, April 25, 2025 (Image from Iowa PBS video) Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig is considering a run for governor in 2026, but said he is still talking over the possibility with his family and close supporters. Naig was a guest Friday on the Iowa PBS show 'Iowa Press,' where he also discussed the challenges facing Iowa's agricultural economy, bird flu and eminent domain. Naig, a Republican and native Iowan, has been ag secretary since 2018 and was reelected in 2022. Naig said the announcement from Gov. Kim Reynolds that she would not be seeking reelection came as 'a bit of a surprise' that has caused him to pause and consider the possibility of running for the position. 'I still, at this stage of my life, I want to be of service to the state of Iowa, and I want to think about the best ways that I can do that,' Naig said. Naig said at this time the discussion is on his 'side of the table' with family, friends and supporters to decide if a run for governor is the best path forward. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX When pressed for more details, like staff and campaign strategies in the event of gubernatorial bid, Naig said he's not to that point. 'This is around my kitchen table, this is about me getting into a planter tractor here in the next couple weeks and giving a lot of thought to it,' Naig said. 'That's not to say we're not talking to a lot of folks.' Naig said Republicans in Iowa have a deep bench of potential candidates. Attorney General Brenna Bird, Sen. Mike Bousselot, House Speaker Pat Grassley, and Rep. Bobby Kaufmann have said they are considering the gig. Naig said the agricultural economy in Iowa is 'tough' and while there were positive trade outcomes from the first Trump administration's foreign policy, Iowa farmers are in a worse position now to weather potential trade wars. 'We don't have the kind of buffer in our ag economy — profitability and margins are not where they were even then, today,' Naig said. 'There's not a lot of room to absorb that shock.' Naig said this was a message sent to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins during her recent visit to Iowa, and that the ag department should be ready to support farmers. Naig said he is 'encouraged' by the countries that are coming to the table to negotiate better trade deals, and hopes to see greater domestic consumption of ag commodities by expanding the ethanol industry and branching into sustainable aviation fuel. 'What you hope and certainly what we're advocating for is unleashing that domestic consumption, but needing to make sure that we've got an expanded trade portfolio as well,' Naig said. Naig said India could be a potential 'game changer' if the country were able to make a trade agreement with the country. The nation is in its fourth year of an outbreak of the highly pathogenic avian influenza, which has impacted more than 168 million birds nationally. Naig said he is considering options, like a vaccine for birds, now that he was not willing to consider three years ago. He also said there needs to be more people in the animal industries sector of the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to respond to outbreaks like HPAI. The Iowa secretary said he did not believe a 'herd immunity' approach, which has been suggested by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., was 'a workable solution' to the bird flu. Naig has been pushing for the Legislature to expand the Choose Iowa program, which helps to market and support Iowa grown products and producers. One of its programs is similar to the recently cut federal Local Food for School and Local Food Purchase Assistance programs, which were COVID-era funds to help schools and local institutions purchase from local farmers. Naig said he hopes the Choose Iowa versions, which this year were just pilot programs, could be a permanent program, funded through regular appropriations rather than short-term funding pools. 'We want something that can actually stand the test of time, be around, be something that you can plan for,' Naig said. Naig also addressed the issue of eminent domain, which has been a growing topic of debate across the state, particularly in relation to a carbon sequestration pipeline that has planned more than 1,000 miles of pipeline in the state. 'It should be rare,' Naig said. 'It should be the least desirable option to get something done, and there should be overwhelming voluntary agreements in place before something like a project — any project with eminent domain — would go forward.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
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04-04-2025
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D.C. Dispatch: Grassley, Hinson respond to Trump tariffs
Sen. Chuck Grassley appeared on "Iowa Press" on Sept. 15, 2023. (Screenshot via Iowa PBS) In light of Wednesday's tariff announcement by President Donald Trump, U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley introduced legislation this week requiring more congressional oversight of such decisions. The president announced he was setting a baseline 10% levy on all international imports Wednesday, effective April 5, with higher tariffs on some countries taking effect April 9. The 'Liberation Day' announcement triggered the largest one-day drop in the U.S. stock market since June 2020 and has been met with heavy criticism from American businesses. As part of the response Thursday, Grassley introduced the 'American Trade Review Act of 2025' alongside Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Washington. The legislation seeks to restore some Congressional authority over tariffs, including requirements that Congress must pass a joint resolution approving a new tariff within 60 days. The legislation would also allow Congress to vote to end tariffs at any time through a resolution of disapproval. The bill would require that within 48 hours of taking action on tariffs, the president must give Congress an explanation of the reason for implementing or raising a tariff along with an analysis of the potential impact on American businesses and consumers. Grassley said the measure would shift important powers over foreign economic policy from the president to Congress. 'For too long, Congress has delegated its clear authority to regulate interstate and foreign commerce to the executive branch,' Grassley said in a statement. 'Building on my previous efforts as Finance Committee chairman, I'm joining Sen. Cantwell to introduce the bipartisan Trade Review Act of 2025 to reassert Congress' constitutional role and ensure Congress has a voice in trade policy.' U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson of Iowa also weighed in on the tariffs Thursday, telling reporters she believes tariffs are needed to ensure fairer negotiations between the U.S. and other countries moving forward. 'The president's goal here is to not only get other countries to the negotiating table, but really focused on helping to create more opportunity,' Hinson said, according to the Des Moines Register. '… After four years of high inflation — and really no new trade opportunities, no new manufacturing opportunities — that's what they're going to see.' Iowa Democrats have criticized Iowa's U.S. House delegation — all Republicans — for not pushing back against Trump's tariff policies, which Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart said will hurt Iowa's economy. 'It's clear that Iowa's representatives in Washington are either inept or too afraid to fight back — even when our economy is struggling,' Hart said in a statement. 'I'm sure we'll hear expressions of 'concern,' but actions speak louder than words and they voted to give away the farm to a president more focused on tariffs than lower prices. Iowans need independent voices that will do what's best for Iowa and take us in a more sensible direction.' Hinson introduced legislation Thursday to codify an executive order made by Trump in March titled 'Protecting America's Bank Account Against Fraud, Waste, and Abuse.' The bill directs the U.S. Treasury Department to work with the Office of Management and Budget to establish recertification and pre-award verification procedures that agencies must use before payments are disbursed, and to 'minimize administrative barriers to accessing and using data to prevent fraud and improper payments.' Agencies are also directed to consolidate financial systems under the order and submit compliance plans to the Treasury Department detailing their efforts to update systems. The bill would also require agencies to share payment information verification and other relevant data for the purpose of identifying fraud or improper payments. Hinson said in a news release the Government Accountability Office's estimates the federal government loses between $233 billion and $521 billion each year due to fraud and said that was her motivation to introduce the bill. 'That's hundreds of billions of your tax dollars flushed down the drain without swamp bureaucrats blinking an eye,' Hinson said in statement. 'President Trump's executive order to prevent improper payments is a great step to end this abuse, and my bill will make this effort permanent to ensure your hard-earned tax dollars are not wasted.' U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn was a part of the bipartisan group introducing the 'Hot Foods Act' this week, a bill permitting the purchase of hot, prepared foods through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). SNAP, the food benefits program for low-income families, seniors and people with disabilities, currently has restrictions in place that stops recipients from purchasing hot or prepared meals, while allowing benefits to be spent on cold or frozen versions of the same food. The legislation, led by U.S. Rep. Grace Meng, a New York Democrat, would remove limits on hot and ready-to-eat meals, which she said would provide families on SNAP the ability to buy food that suits their needs. 'The Hot Foods Act removes this dated rule preventing people from purchasing hot foods with SNAP, giving flexibility to working parents, people with disabilities, and the many hard-working Americans who need to put food on the table every day,' Meng said. 'I am proud to work across the aisle to make this commonsense change.' In a news release Thursday, Nunn called the bill a 'commonsense fix' that will help Iowans on SNAP access convenient, nutritious meals. 'No family should have to choose between hunger and dignity,' said Rep. Nunn. 'Iowans deserve the flexibility to use their nutrition benefits on warm, ready-to-eat meals that make life a little easier — especially for working parents.'
Yahoo
21-02-2025
- Politics
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Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart: GOP taking Iowans 'backwards' on civil rights
Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart said Iowa Republicans are busy prioritizing "culture war" issues over things that could make Iowans' lives better as legislators make a renewed push to strip protections for transgender Iowans from the state's Civil Rights Act. "I think that it's clear that Democrats stand firmly on the position that rights should be recognized for everyone — everyone should have civil rights," she said Friday on a taping of Iowa Press. "And let's be clear. We're talking about the rights to housing, the rights to a credit card, the rights that help you to — just help you exist on this planet in any kind of effective way." Iowa Republicans unveiled House Study Bill 242 Thursday, which would remove gender identity as a protected class in the Iowa Civil Rights Act. The bill also would make numerous other changes to state law, including requiring birth certificates to reflect an Iowan's sex at birth and redefining "sex" to mean "the state of being either male or female as observed or clinically verified at birth." More: Wide-ranging GOP bill would remove gender identity protections from Iowa Civil Rights Act LGBTQ rights advocates have said the bill would "wreak havoc" on the lives of transgender Iowans. "This is the worst bill we have ever seen come out of the Iowa Legislature, and that is a high bar," said Max Mowitz, executive director of the LGBTQ rights group One Iowa. Rep. Steve Holt, R-Denison, has said the change is necessary to pave the way for other laws Republicans have passed related to transgender Iowans. "We do not believe that the transgender community will lose any protections," he said. "But what will happen is that we will protect those things that we have done to try to protect women's sports, their locker rooms, their changing facilities and stop Iowa taxpayer money going to pay for these gender reassignment procedures for Medicaid patients and for people that are in our correctional facilities." Hart said it would be "going backwards" on civil rights. "I think it's unfortunate that the Republicans again want to bring up things that are more of a culture war than they are about things that truly are important to making Iowa a better place to live," she said. "So it's disappointing." Brianne Pfannenstiel is the chief politics reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach her at bpfann@ or 515-284-8244. Follow her on X at @brianneDMR. This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa Democratic chair: GOP taking Iowans 'backwards' on civil rights
