Legislative Session Wraps Up for 2025

Lawmakers approved a tax cut for Iowa businesses, made final state spending decisions and ended the 2025 Iowa legislative session early Thursday morning. 

Republican Senate President Amy Sinclair says the session’s top accomplishment is the bill reducing the tax rate businesses must pay into Iowa’s Unemployment Trust Fund.

House Democratic Leader Jennifer Konfrst says Republicans failed to address the state’s housing crisis, improve access to child care or lower property taxes.

Representative Bobby Kaufmann, a Republican from Wilton, says the property tax system was set up 50 years ago and the groundwork was laid this year for reform next year.

Democrats also criticized the GOP’s nine-point-four BILLION dollar state budget plan, which relies on withdrawing 900 million dollars from state reserves. Senator Matt Blake, a Democrat from Johnston, says Republicans are deficit spending.

Other Democrats say not enough was spent to provide health care to needy Iowans and boost budgets for public schools. Republican Representative Austin Harris of Moulton led negotiations on education spending.

Lawmakers began Wednesday with meetings and periodic bursts of activity of debate on bills. By sunrise Thursday, Senator Tim Kraayenbrink of Fort Dodge — the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee — was leading debate on the final piece of legislation.

The legislative session wrapped up shortly after 6:30 a.m. Thursday.

story courtesy of Radio Iowa