The past week was the second funnel week. Thursday was the last day of action at the Statehouse.  The Senate did not debate and instead focused on Committee work.  The House debated Monday through Wednesday.  On Thursday, the House placed 31 bills on the Unfinished Business Calendar which means they will continue to be eligible for further consideration this session.  The Senate, which has passed far fewer bills this session, placed 77 bills on Unfinished Business. Several high-profile bills that did not make it through as of yet, were placed on Unfinished Business including both the House and Senate versions of the Governor’s Boards and Commissions bills.  As of today, a bill that is not through the Committee in the other Chamber, and is not in Appropriations, Ways and Means or placed on Unfinished Business, is no longer eligible for consideration this session. 

During the 11th week of session, Joint Rule 20 requires the Senate to bring up for debate only House bills, House joint resolutions, and unfinished business and the House is limited to only Senate bills, Senate joint resolutions, and unfinished business. 

March 15 was the deadline for persons to file for state office, including the House and Senate.  The Primary election is June 4, 2024. Several incumbent legislators have primary opponents.   

Several members of each chamber did not file for re-election.   

• In the Senate, Jeff Edler, Pam Jochum, and Todd Taylor will not seek re-election.  Senator Molly Donahue is running for a Linn County Supervisor seat, and if she wins that seat, there will need to be a special election to fill her Senate seat.  Representative Art Staed is running for Todd Taylor’s seat.   
• As of today, the remaining 25 Senators are 16 R’s and 9 D’s. 
• In the House, Representatives AKO Abdul-Samad, Brian Best, Ken Carlson, Dave Deyoe, John Forbes, Joel Fry, Stan Gustafson, Anne Osmundson, Brad Sherman, Art Staed, Sharon Steckman, Luana Stoltenberg, and Phil Thompson decided not to seek re-election.  Representative John Forbes is running for a Polk County Supervisor seat.   
• The Health and Human Services world is losing several legislators who have focused in the area which includes Joel Fry (House Chair of HHS Appropriations subcommittee), Jeff Edler (Senate HHS Standing Committee Chair and Vice-Chair of HHS Appropriations Subcommittee), and John Forbes (House Ranking member of HHS Appropriations Subcommittee).  

The Revenue Estimating Conference met on Friday and lowered the estimate for the 2024 fiscal year (FY) revenues by $218.8 million, or by 2.2% from FY23.  However, FY25 numbers are estimated to increase over FY24 by $71.3 million, or by 0.74%. For FY26, the Department of Management (DOM) and LSA were far apart in their initial estimates.  DOM predicted a 3.5% increase compared to FY25, whereas LSA predicted a 5.4% decrease.  Ultimately, after significant discussion, the panel agreed to an estimate of $9.6 billion, a decrease of 1.0%, which equates to $97 million less than FY25 forecasts.  

In the Know  

Revenue Estimating Conference.  Iowa Code Section 8.22A created the Revenue Estimating Conference (REC).  The REC is required to meet at least three times per year with at least one of the meetings taking place in March.  The members must agree on an estimate for the current fiscal year and for the following fiscal year for the general fund of the state, lottery and gambling revenues, and interest earned from the cash reserve fund and economic emergency fund to be deposited in the rebuild Iowa infrastructure fund.  At the March meeting, members must also agree to an estimate of revenues for the fiscal year following the next calendar year.  If the March meeting results in a lower estimate, the Governor and legislators are required to use the lower amount for purposes of budgeting for the next fiscal year. 

Iowa Code Section 8.21, requires the Governor to submit the proposed state budget to the legislature by February 1st.  It further provides that if a later REC estimate is lower, the Governor has 14 days to submit revised budget recommendations to the legislature based on the lower revenue estimate. 

The REC has three members - the governor or designee, the director of the Legislative Services Agency or designee, and a third person agreed upon by the other two members.  Current members of the REC are the Director of the Department of Revenue, Kraig Paulsen; The Fiscal Division Director for the Legislative Services Agency, Jennifer Action; and Jeff Plagge, Public Member.   

Legislative Forums  

While many lawmakers hold forums in their districts year-round, it’s especially important for them to hear from constituents when they’re making decisions during the legislative session.  The events listed below are opportunities to get involved. You can also find these events on BrownWinick’s Iowa Political Events page.   

Key Dates — 2024 Iowa Legislative Session 

Scene on the Hill  

 March 15, 2024: The Revenue Estimating Conference panel deliberates future revenue forecasts.