On Monday, the Senate Appropriations Committee advanced four budget bills that will eventually establish the state general fund spending for the fiscal year beginning on July 1. The bills that were passed do not yet include specific budget numbers, but those figures will later be amended into the bill. The Senate’s work continued on Tuesday when there were an additional three budget bills passed through the Appropriations Committee. Senate Republicans announced their overall budget target is $8.5 billion, which aligns with Governor Kim Reynolds’ budget proposal.
Meanwhile, House Republicans proposed a budget target of nearly $8.6 billion for FY2024. Each budget subcommittee receives a target number for the amount to be spent on that particular area of the budget. The House announced budget subcommittee target numbers which include: $70 million to Administration & Regulation, $43.5 million to Agriculture and Natural Resources, $42 billion to Economic Development, $984 million to Education, $2.1 billion to Health and Human Service, $885 million to the Judicial Branches and Justice Systems, and $4.4 billion to Schools and Standing Appropriations.
This week, the Senate began the process of confirming the Governor’s appointees to state boards and commissions. Senate Appropriation, Veterans Affairs, Natural Resources and Environment, and Local Government Committees all unanimously advanced a number of the Governor’s appointments. These include individual appointees to boards such as Enhance Iowa, the Iowa Great Places Board, the Renewable Fuel Infrastructure Board, the Flood Mitigation Board, the City Development Board, the County Finance Committee, the Economic Development Authority, and the Lottery Authority Board of Directors. Once approved by the committees, appointees must still be confirmed by the full Senate chamber by a 2/3 vote of the members.
The Governor’s sweeping state government reorganization bill that reduces the number of cabinet-level state agencies from 37 to 16 was signed into law on Tuesday. Senate File 514 will combine and reorganize the structure of many state departments, resulting in a reduction of 205 vacant full-time positions within the executive branch and a reduction in state spending by $6.6 million, according to an analysis by the state’s Legislative Services Agency.
At the signing ceremony of the bill on Tuesday, the Governor thanked the 16 agency directors and a group of Republican lawmakers who were assembled. “It’s their work as we move forward with implementation that absolutely will generate the positive results that this legislation intends. And so a heartfelt thank you to all of my directors and my team.”
Looking ahead toward the rest of the session, on a recent edition of Iowa Press, Senator Dan Dawson (R-Council Bluffs), chair of the Senate Ways and Means committee, indicated there is a property tax proposal that is being worked on in the Senate that focuses on property tax assessments to be released soon. At Wednesday’s House Ways and Means Committee meeting, Representative Bobby Kaufmann, chair of the committee, also indicated a similar proposal from the House is in the works.
Tornadoes, hail, and high winds struck portions of the state on Friday, March 31 resulting in tornado watches or warnings being issued for 40 different counties. As of Wednesday morning in their latest report of the storm, the National Weather Service’s Quad Cities bureau had confirmed there were 23 tornadoes in Eastern Iowa with at least one of the tornadoes being classified as an EF4, the second-highest rating available. The EF4 tornado was tracked from Keokuk County into Washington and Johnson counties on Friday afternoon. This EF4 tornado had estimated peak winds of 170 mph, with its maximum width of 600 yards. At least 11 injuries, and no fatalities, have been reported as a result of these storms.
On Saturday, Governor Kim Reynolds issued a disaster proclamation for 12 counties in response to the severe weather, including Cedar, Clinton, Delaware, Des Moines, Dubuque, Grundy, Johnson, Keokuk, Linn, Mahaska, Wapello, and Washington counties. On Tuesday, the Governor issued a disaster proclamation for six additional counties in response to these storms, adding Appanoose, Davis, Iowa, Jackson, Lucas, and Monroe counties. Finally, in response to the severe weather experienced throughout the state on Tuesday, the Governor issued a disaster proclamation for two counties, Marion and Warren. Each proclamation activates the Iowa Individual Assistance Grant Program and the Disaster Case Management Program. With the Iowa Individual Assistance Grant Program, residents can apply for up to $5,000 for 45 days from the date of the proclamation. The money is available for expenses such as, home and car repairs, replacement of clothing or food, and temporary housing for those affected.
To view additional summaries from the 2023 Iowa Legislative Session or to learn more about BrownWinick’s Government Relations Team, visit our Lobbying and Public Policy team page.