2025 Government Relations Legislative Update - Week Two

By: Matthew H. McKinney, R.G. Schwarm & Julie A. Smith

Capitol Update

Monday was a very busy day in D.C. with the inauguration of our 47th President, Donald J. Trump (and former 45th President). It was also Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and celebrations honoring Dr. King were held in Iowa and around the country.

Hands-Free Legislation Passes First Subcommittee. Both the Senate and House are considering hands-free legislation. This week the Senate bill, SF 22 passed unanimously out of a Senate Judiciary subcommittee. SF 22 was sponsored by 17 Republican Senators and is being floor managed by one of the sponsors, Senator Mark Lofgren. The subcommittee meeting was packed with supporters, including law enforcement and advocates who shared personal stories of tragic loss due to distracted driving. Governor Reynolds expressed support for passage of hands-free legislation in her Condition of the State address. The House bill, HSB 64, is in the House Transportation Committee and is chaired by Representative Ann Meyer. The bill does several things:

Prohibits ANY use of an electronic device while driving (i.e. “hands free”)
Allows use in a voice-activated or hands-free mode
Exempts certain persons while using in the course of business
Makes a “violation” a “moving violation,” which may be considered for license suspension
Warning citations would be issued until Jan. 1, 2026
Scheduled fine would be increased from $45 to $100

Higher Education Committee. The new House Higher Education Committee met this week and heard testimony from Neetu Arnold from the Manhattan Institute. Ms. Arnold discussed college affordability in Iowa’s public universities. To read Ms. Arnold’s testimony, click here. Chairperson Representative Taylor Collins has sponsored 14 House Study bills for Committee consideration. Topics range from changing the general education requirements for the Regents Universities, see HSB 63 to HSB 53, to the “Freedom From Indoctrination Act”.

Ethics Rules. The start of a new General Assembly requires the adoption of rules governing the process by which the legislature operates. This week, the Senate Ethics Committee met and voted out SSB 1020 governing the conduct of members of the Senate and SSB 1021, (now SCR 1) governing lobbyists ethics. Some of the lobbyists' rules include registration and declaration reporting requirements, client reporting requirements and prohibitions against offering a variety of monetary and other benefits to legislators.

Insurance Presentation. Iowa Insurance Commissioner, Doug Ommen, presented to the House Commerce Committee this past week. Ommen’s presentation covered many policy areas of interest, including health insurance coverage and related mandate impacts; pharmacy benefit managers; property casualty insurance and availability, disaster recovery matters, and financial literacy. Commissioner Ommen’s presentation is not yet available online, but for convenience, can be found by clicking here.

In The Know

“Executive Orders” - we heard this term a lot throughout the week. On President Trump's first day, he signed multiple Executive Orders. Among the many orders was a 75 day pause on Congress’ TikTok ban. On Thursday, President Trump signed an order declassifying the John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr's assassination files. Our first President, George Washington, issued the first executive order to his new federal agencies. An Executive Order has the force of law but must be within the authority of the President and must be published in the Federal Register. According to the American Presidency Project, President Franklin Roosevelt issued the most Executive Orders of any President, 3,721.

Iowa’s Governor also has the power to issue Executive Orders. Governor Reynolds has issued 11 Executive Orders since her tenure began. Executive Orders are published in the Iowa Administrative Bulletin. The latest Executive Order, No. 11, which was issued on June 6, 2024 reviewed all outstanding Executive Orders as far back as then Governor Harold Hughes’ 1st Executive Order issued on May 14, 1964. That Order was rescinded because it has been superseded by state and federal law.