BW INSIGHTS

2021 Iowa Legislative Session - Week Eight Summary

By BrownWinick | 03.08.2021

Lawmakers raced to advance dozens of bills in an effort to beat last Friday’s “first funnel” procedural deadline. Most bills that didn’t pass both subcommittee and full committee in either the House or Senate by March 5 are now “dead” for the remainder of this legislative session. The main exceptions are bills dealing with taxes, spending, and... Read More

2021 Iowa Legislative Session - Week Seven Summary

By BrownWinick | 02.26.2021

Schools will receive a 2.4% funding increase under a bill Governor Kim Reynolds signed into law Tuesday. House and Senate Republicans reached a compromise on the spending measure earlier this month. Reynolds and the House had supported a 2.5% increase, while the Senate GOP favored a 2.2% hike. Although the funding levels in SF 269 are... Read More

2021 Iowa Legislative Session - Week Five Summary

By BrownWinick | 02.12.2021

House and Senate Republicans have reached an agreement on school funding, which the House passed Thursday. Under SF 269 K-12 funding would increase by 2.4% for the 2021-22 school year. That’s higher than the Senate’s proposed 2.2% and slightly lower than the 2.5% favored by Governor Kim Reynolds and House Republicans. It’s also a greater... Read More

2021 Iowa Legislative Session - Week Four Summary

By BrownWinick | 02.05.2021

This week the Senate began considering two far-reaching bills proposed by Governor Kim Reynolds that would address the affordable housing shortage and policing issues. SSB 1142 is aimed at increasing affordable housing stock largely through tax credits. The bill would establish a new $15 million low-income housing credit designed to match a... Read More

2021 Iowa Legislative Session - Week Three Summary

By BrownWinick | 01.29.2021

This week Republican lawmakers moved rapidly on two of Governor Kim Reynolds’ highest priorities, with Reynolds signing one of the bills this morning. SF 160 requires all schools to offer 100% in-person learning. Schools can continue offering additional online or hybrid options, and the waiver process for coronavirus outbreaks remains the same.... Read More

2021 Iowa Legislative Session - Week Two Summary

By BrownWinick | 01.22.2021

With the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday on Monday, this was a short week for lawmakers. On Wednesday, Senate Education Committee Chair Amy Sinclair (R-Allerton) introduced two of the governor’s priority education bills. SSB 1064 would require all public and private schools to offer 100% in-person instruction for students. Schools would also be... Read More

2021 Iowa Legislative Session - Week One Summary

By BrownWinick | 01.17.2021

The legislature convened for the 89th General Assembly Monday, welcoming 26 newly-elected lawmakers to the statehouse. With Republicans maintaining their majority in the Senate and expanding it in the House, the GOP will continue driving the state’s policy agenda for the next two years. In his opening remarks, House Speaker Pat Grassley (R-New... Read More

2020 Iowa Election Takeaways

By Matthew McKinney | 11.06.2020

While several close races remain following Tuesday’s elections, Republicans have expanded their Iowa House majority, maintained control of the Senate, and netted at least one new congressional seat. BrownWinick’s Government Relations team has carefully reviewed the current election results and produced a detailed report on all 130 state and... Read More

2020 Election Summary

By Matthew McKinney | 10.30.2020

With only days until the November 3rd election, the BrownWinick’s Government Relation’s Team has developed a 2020 Election summary document to provide the most up-to-date information. As a reminder, the Iowa Senate has 25 seats up for election this year and the Iowa House has all 100 seats. Currently, the Iowa Senate and House are controlled by... Read More

Department of Homeland Security Issues Guidance on Exemptions to Travel Bans

By BrownWinick | 08.24.2020

The Department of Homeland Security has issued guidance on exemptions to travel bans, specifically detailing exemptions to Presidential Proclamations 10014 and 10052, which together suspend the entry of certain immigrant visa applicants, and foreign nationals who present a risk to the U.S. economic recovery efforts in the wake of COVID-19, until... Read More