What we're watching in the 2024 Iowa legislature
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Iowa's Republican trifecta is eyeing another year of controversial tax and education reforms this legislative session, which started Monday.
Why it matters: Republicans hold a majority in both chambers for the eighth consecutive year. That allows them to easily pass their priorities, which have increasingly centered on major tax reforms and classroom curriculum regulations.
Flashback: Those priorities already brought historic changes to the state last year, including a new private school voucher system.
Of note: Gov. Kim Reynolds is expected to address some of these issues during her Condition of the State address Tuesday.
Here are three things we're watching this legislative session:
Income tax
Republican leaders want to expedite personal income tax cuts after passing reforms in 2022 that will gradually reduce them to a flat 3.9% in 2026, according to Iowa Public Radio.
The intrigue: It's unclear yet if House and Senate Republicans will also agree on dropping the rate below 3.9%.
- Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver told IPR that lawmakers first need to agree on speeding up the tax cut process.
- But Whitver and the governor also have said they want to eliminate personal income tax altogether.
Meanwhile, Democrats warn the state may end up having to raise sales tax to make up for lost revenue, which would disproportionately hurt low-income Iowans.
Education policy
Reynolds and Republican lawmakers also want to reform Iowa Area Education Agencies, saying there are greater proficiency gaps for students with special needs here than other states, Iowa Capital Dispatch reports.
State of play: There are nine AEAs across the state, which are meant to help support schools and staff to accommodate students with special needs.
- An AEA, for example, can hire one speech pathologist that is shared among a region's districts, rather than each district hiring its own staff.
What they're saying: In a statement to the N'West Iowa REVIEW, Reynolds said the agencies were created 50 years ago to help students with disabilities, "but over the years, they've significantly expanded their scope of services beyond the core mission."
Between the lines: Reynolds has been working on consolidating and downsizing government agencies since last year.
- In 2023, she cut cabinet-level agencies in half and has indicated she wants to consolidate more state committees.
The other side: Senate Minority Leader Pam Jochum warned any cuts to AEAs could severely hurt rural school districts, ICD reports.
More book reforms
Republican House Speaker Pat Grassley said he is willing to pass "additional legislation" this session that ensures books containing sex acts are removed from schools, the Des Moines Register reports.
Flashback: Iowa Republicans passed a large reform bill last year that banned books containing sex acts from schools, as well as instruction related to gender identity and sexuality.
What's new: A committee Monday approved new language clarifying rules to the law, which school officials argued was too vague and inadvertently prompted the removal of books like "The Color Purple."
- Instead, the newly-approved rules explicitly state that books that "describe or visually depict" a sex act must be removed.
- Under the proposal, neutral statements by educators about gender identity and sexual orientation would also be allowed without breaking the law, the Register reports.
But, but, but: A temporary injunction currently bars the state from enforcing any of the new rules.