DES MOINES, Iowa — After waiting through the night, Iowa lawmakers in both chambers finished with the state budget right when the sun came up Thursday morning.

The Iowa House chamber was the last to sine die, meaning adjourn, around 6:30 a.m. after passing the standing appropriations bill. Lawmakers had gaveled in at 9:30 a.m. the day before, marking a 21-hour marathon to wrap up the 91st General Assembly.

Governor Kim Reynolds saw a number of her priorities pass this session. Those included a cell phone restriction in schools, rural healthcare expansion, hands-free driving bill, Medicaid work requirements, unemployment insurance reform, and more. A property tax reform bill was introduced this session, but due to the wide impact of the bill lawmakers were not able to pass it this session.

“I look forward to continuing this work next session—especially when it comes to reducing Iowans’ property tax burden. And to make sure tax cuts remain sustainable, even as we continue to make smart investments, we’ll keep streamlining government. Our alignment efforts, so far, have already saved taxpayers more than $250 million, and we’re just getting started.” 

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, (R)

The Iowa Senate adjourned just briefly before the House with both chamber leaders highlighting legislation that had been passed over the last four months.

“We addressed a wide range of issues this year as Iowans brought us their concerns, their stories of successes or struggles, and their experiences and expertise. We passed bills on the biggest priorities of Iowans, including education, health care and public safety. We always are putting the taxpayers first, and it consistently showed as we passed bills to protect our freedoms, budget responsibly, and fund important priorities.“

Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver (R), District 23 from Grimes

Senate President Amy Sinclair discussed the unemployment insurance tax that had just made it through both chambers on Wednesday.

“This year, we passed common-sense legislation to allow Iowa businesses to keep more of their money to reinvest in growth, wages, and employee benefits.  This legislation cuts taxes by $1 billion.  That’s $1 billion businesses will invest in our economy.  It’s common sense to take less from Iowans and allow the market to dictate how to invest in our state.“

Senate President Amy Sinclair (R), District 12 from Allerton

Now, lawmakers, lobbyists and Iowans await what bills will be signed into law, specifically a bill that would add requirements for eminent domain use for carbon pipelines.