Des Moines, Iowa — The 2022 Iowa legislative session kicked off Monday morning at the Capitol in Des Moines.
Republicans hold the majority of seats in the Iowa House and Senate, giving the GOP control of the policy agenda. Republican Governor Kim Reynolds has made clear priority number one will be tax cuts, but she won’t reveal her policy proposals until Tuesday night during the annual “Condition of the State” address.
Speaker Pat Grassley, the top Republican in the House, says there are several issues related to parental involvement in education.
There’s no resolution yet, though, over the governor’s proposal to have the state give parents in a handful of districts state money to send their kids to a private school. The plan failed to advance in 2021 after a few House Republicans along with all the Democrats raised concerns. Grassley says tax conversations are going to be the most significant part of the 2022 session, as the state’s Taxpayer Relief Fund is overflowing.
Governor Reynolds says the long-term goal should be to eliminate the state income tax. House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst, a Democrat from Windsor Heights, says complete elimination of the income tax would forever eliminate about half of the state’s total revenue.
Senate Democratic Leader Zach Wahls of Coralville says the state’s flush with cash because of federal pandemic relief.
Democrats say some of the state’s billion dollar surplus should be used on other priorities, like shoring up public schools that face teacher shortages. Republicans say there will be money in the general state budget for education. And Senate Republican Leader Jack Whitver of Ankeny says the surplus is expected to double to more than two billion dollars by this summer.
The Senate and House started at 10 a.m. Monday. Shortly after convening, Republican Dave Rowley of Spirit Lake was sworn in as a member of the senate. He won a special election in Senate District 1 in December to replace a Republican senator who resigned and moved to Texas for a job there.
