It’s Legislative Monday: Your weekly-ish wrap of what’s going on at the Iowa Capitol during the 2025 legislative session. In the sixth week of the 2025 legislative session, Iowans gathered in the Capitol to protest, lawmakers advanced education policy proposals and Gov. Kim Reynolds teased her reelection campaign.
Let’s look back at what happened – and what to expect in the upcoming week.
Removing transgender protections from Iowa’s Civil Rights Act
A bill filed in the House late last week would remove anti-discrimination protections for transgender Iowans from the Iowa Civil Rights Act. It also defines words like “sex” and “gender” to clarify that the state would only identify people based on their biological sex assigned at birth.
A similar bill was introduced last year and failed to advance. This year, House Speaker Pat Grassley, R-New Hartford, says he wants to give the bill full consideration.
Gender identity was added to the Iowa Civil Rights Act in 2007, protecting transgender Iowans from discrimination in housing, education, employment, public accommodations and credit practices. Under the proposed legislation, those protections would be taken out of state law.
Grassley says making this change in Iowa law would also protect other GOP-led laws restricting transgender Iowans that might be at risk of litigation otherwise.
Three immigration bills to watch
A House subcommittee advanced a bill Thursday that would require all law enforcement agencies in the state to partner with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to identify and detain immigrants who don’t have legal status.
Under these agreements, local and state police would be more involved in identifying immigrants who don’t have legal status who are already in jail. Local law enforcement would also undergo ICE training to serve federal immigration warrants. The Trump administration has also been working to expand these agreements to involve immigration arrests on the streets.
Opponents include immigration rights advocates who warn these kinds of agreements are stoking fear amongst immigrant communities, and could lead to increased racial profiling by police. The Iowa Police Chiefs Association hasn’t registered in opposition to the bill, but has voiced concerns over taking on more responsibilities within their already stretched budgets.
Another bill moving forward would create a state crime for hiding or sheltering someone who isn’t a U.S. citizen to encourage them to stay in the country illegally. Smuggling could count as a felony if it’s done in exchange for payment.
Secretary of State Paul Pate has also proposed a bill to strengthen verification of registered voters’ citizenship. Pate says he now has access to a federal system with immigration information that he can cross-check with Iowa’s voter registration list.
Reynolds lays out plans for boosting health care workforce and preschool options
The governor’s bill to expand the state’s health care workforce got bipartisan support this week. She’s asking the Legislature to consolidate loan forgiveness programs, boost loan forgiveness funding and create new medical residency positions using federal funds.
She’s also seeking federal permission to use Medicaid funding more flexibly to expand her Centers of Excellence program that’s geared toward improving rural health care access. Reynolds called it a “hub and spoke” model that will facilitate specialty care hubs that can service wider regions within the state.
Reynolds’ bill to improve access to preschool advanced last week, but there are some concerns about how the legislation shifts funds from one preschool program to another.
Proposed constitutional amendment would get rid of voter-approved conservation fund
In 2010, Iowans voted to approve the Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund. Currently, the Constitution says that a certain portion of a sales tax increase would go to the fund to pay for projects to improve water quality, parks and trails. However, the GOP-led Legislature hasn’t increased sales taxes since its adoption, meaning no money has ever gone to the fund.
Now, Republican lawmakers are advancing a proposal that would redirect those funds – in the case of a future sales tax increase – to property tax relief instead.
Looking ahead
In the seventh week of the legislative session, Republicans will continue to debate the details of K-12 funding for the next school year. Next week is funnel week, meaning a bill must be approved by a committee by the end of the week to remain in play.
