It’s Legislative Monday: Your weekly-ish wrap of what’s going on at the Iowa Capitol during the 2025 legislative session. Last week, lawmakers moved quickly to try to block the development of a proposed Cedar Rapids casino and advanced several bills addressing education policy both in K-12 schools and the state’s public universities.
Casino moratorium: A race against the clock
Lawmakers are moving swiftly to pass a five-year moratorium on new casinos, aiming to prevent the approval of a proposed Cedar Rapids casino. The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission is scheduled to vote on that development’s casino license application this Thursday. Even if the moratorium isn’t passed by Thursday, it’s possible the legislature could still reverse the commission’s decision later in the session.
The House passed the moratorium bill last week and it advanced in the Senate as well. If the full Senate approves the measure, it will head to Gov. Kim Reynolds for her signature —potentially making it the first law enacted this session.
Some opponents of the Cedar Rapids casino — many who have casinos in their districts already — say they’re concerned that adding more casinos will hurt existing businesses. Other legislators say they oppose expanding gambling options.
Lawmakers from the Cedar Rapids area have argued that local voters have already authorized gambling, and it should be up to the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission to decide on the casino. They have also pointed out that there are hundreds of jobs at stake in what could be a major economic development project for the area.
Changes in K-12
Several bills affecting both K-12 and higher education advanced last week.
One proposal would loosen regulations on homeschooling. The law would remove limits for the number of unrelated students who are allowed to be under a teacher, and would allow education providers to charge tuition. Homeschooled students also wouldn’t be required to learn science and social studies until sixth grade.
Another measure working through the Iowa House would authorize schools to have threat assessment teams and to share information about certain students to prevent violence.
And, a bill that advanced in the House and Senate last week would prohibit school districts from disciplining teachers for not using a student’s preferred name or pronouns. LGBTQ students spoke out against the proposal, telling lawmakers that this would enable more bullying.
Changes in higher ed
A bill advancing in the Legislature would create uniform general education requirements across Iowa’s three public universities. The proposal mandates courses in "western heritage" and "American heritage," while prohibiting teaching about systemic racism or sexism in U.S. institutions.
Lawmakers are also considering a proposal to limit in-state tuition increases to no more than 3% per year.
Additionally, there is a push to establish a “school of intellectual freedom” at the University of Iowa.
While these measures are making their way through the legislative process, it is unclear how many of them will ultimately become law.
Could the third time be the charm for paid parental leave?
Gov. Reynolds is again proposing legislation to provide paid parental leave for state employees. The plan includes four weeks of leave for employees who give birth or adopt a child, and one week for their partners. The bill advanced through subcommittees in the Iowa House and Senate, but there is opposition and it’s unclear if it will get support in the full chambers.
Looking Ahead
This week, eyes will be on the Senate to see if the chamber passes a casino moratorium before the Racing and Gaming Commission votes on Thursday. Lawmakers will continue to debate education legislation and may move forward with the governor’s plan to increase base per-student K-12 school funding by 2%, which Senate Republicans support. House Republicans have yet to announce their school funding proposal.
Subscribe to IPR's Political Sense newsletter for weekly updates sent to your inbox.
