Iowa lawmakers gavel in for 2023 legislative session
Top Iowa Republicans say their top priorities are school choice and property tax reform. Top Iowa Democrats say they're committed to funding public schools and protecting abortion access.
Top Iowa Republicans say their top priorities are school choice and property tax reform. Top Iowa Democrats say they're committed to funding public schools and protecting abortion access.
Top Iowa Republicans say their top priorities are school choice and property tax reform. Top Iowa Democrats say they're committed to funding public schools and protecting abortion access.
The 2023 Legislature is in session at the Iowa Statehouse. Lawmakers gaveled in at 10 a.m. Monday.
State Republicans and Democrats laid out their visions for what they hope to accomplish this year.
Most lawmakers are coming off the heels of a midterm election. After months of knocking on doors and making campaign promises to Iowans, legislators said they're eager to get to work on the issues they campaigned on.
Republicans say their constituents want lower property taxes and expanded rights for parents in their children's education. Among other education reforms, lawmakers are likely to take immediate action on school choice.
The plan would send taxpayer dollars to some Iowans to pay for private school tuition. School choice bills have failed the past two years at the statehouse and faced opposition on both sides of the aisle.
However, after touting school choice as a central part of her re-election campaign, Governor Kim Reynolds and other key Republicans have expressed support to get the plan across the finish line this year.
"We’re digging deep into the issues that are oftentimes deemed too complicated to address like property taxes," Republican and Iowa House Speaker Pat Grassley said in his opening remarks. "And we’re acting on the concerns we hear consistently from our constituents and are pushing back against the radical social agenda being forced upon us and our children by the left."
Democrats will have a tougher road this session with a smaller minority than they had last year. But top Iowa Democrats say they remain focused on putting people over politics, fighting back against the school choice plan, expanding childcare, fixing the workforce shortage and protecting abortion access in Iowa.
"Let's remember that freedom includes the ability of people to make their own decisions about their own bodies," Democrat and House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst said in her opening remarks. "And let’s remember that our foundation of strong public schools is what got most of us here today."
Watch: vlog's Amanda Rooker reports from the Statehouse as Iowa legislature begins