Energy and cost of living among legislators’ top concerns for new session

Iowa legislators return to Des Moines on Monday, Jan. 13 for the start of the 2025 Iowa Legislative Session. The North Iowa area will once again be represented at the Iowa Capitol by Rep. Henry Stone of Forest City and Sen. Dave Rowley of Spirit Lake.

“My number one priority has always been the issues affecting those in my district, and that will always be the case,” said Rep. Stone. He says one of his biggest concerns going into this year’s session is the supply of energy.

“With all the electric mandates being pushed on us, our electrical grid and supply needs a new look,” said Stone. “We need to make sure our rural towns don’t suffer power outages or ‘brown-outs’ due to an overload of the electrical grid. The demands for electricity keep going up, and we need to make sure we are looking at ways to continue to provide that vital service to everyone in the district, as well as the rest of the state.”

Sen. Rowley says his priorities this session include: jobs growth, economic development, workforce, and affordable housing. “This includes property tax relief measures and supporting businesses in District 5,” said Rowley.

Rowley says the number one concern he hears from his constituents is the cost of living. “Accumulated inflation during the past administration’s four years in office has negatively impacted everyone. This is what leads our state to pass legislation to hold the line on excessive property tax increases, implementing a 3.8% flat state income tax, eliminating state taxation on Iowans’ retirement income, and bringing accountability and transparency to budgets at all levels of government,” said Rowley. “The fact is, these actions we’ve implemented are saving Iowa households hundreds of dollars per month.”

Rowley says other top concerns for constituents include growing the economy in rural communities, as well as determining how and when the use of eminent domain is appropriate.

The legislators expect to revisit some unfinished business from the 2024 session, including property tax measures. Sen. Rowley says legislators have received feedback from local governments on HF 718, a property tax reform bill signed into law in 2023, and that feedback will help legislators assess the results of that bill and serve as a foundation for any new property tax legislation that may be proposed.

“Iowa property taxes are paid in arrears, so as we transition through HF 718’s impact on current and future budgeting, I am expecting proposals to be introduced,” said Rowley. “It is a work in progress for all Iowans for the purpose of providing property tax relief for Iowans while supporting city and counties’ revenue growth.”

“There could be a number of ways that we continue to lower property taxes, and after hearing from Iowans across the state, we know that this is something we need to take a hard look at,” said Rep. Stone. Cities and counties rely on property tax dollars, and Stone says he plans to propose legislation to give local governments more options for voter approved levies, which would assist them with possible budget constraints.

Other issues Stone would like to revisit this session include disincentivizing illegal immigration (HF 2608), childcare center property tax relief (HF 2655), and parental consent for social media (HF 2523).

Rowley says he expects to revisit some education topics this year, including school safety, cell phone use, and chronic absenteeism.

One of the big education topics in last year’s session was Iowa’s Area Education Agencies (AEAs). The legislature passed a bill last year that shifts some funding from AEAs to school districts. The bill established an AEA Task Force, which met in December to make recommendations looking forward. Stone sat on the task force, which he says included parents of children with IEPs and 504 plans, superintendents from both small and large districts, an AEA director representative, and others.

“I look forward to reading those recommendations and seeing how we can continue to, first and foremost, serve the needs of our kids and then to see how those recommendations work themselves out logistically,” said Stone.

Sen. Rowley has also been keeping up to date with impacts of the AEA bill. “In December, I attended a meeting with the Prairie Lakes AEA, superintendents, and administrators from my district, along with several other legislators,” said Rowley. “It was a productive meeting, as we discussed a wide variety of topics. I appreciated the open dialogue and working together. Staffing has been affected. In our discussion, this is due to several reasons: workforce shortages, restructuring, retirements, new opportunities, and for some, uncertainty.”

Rowley says more data is needed, including how shifts in funding will impact school districts. He says the task force plans to meet again before March 1.

Iowans’ health is another concern for the legislature, and last February, the Iowa Cancer Registry reported that Iowa has the second highest and fastest rising incidence of cancer among all 50 states.

“The legislature is trying to address cancer rates on both ends of the spectrum,” said Rep. Stone. “On the front end, we’ve allocated nearly $18M towards water quality initiatives. This funding prioritizes watersheds to implement conservation practices that reduce nutrient transport to bodies of water throughout Iowa. It also allows IDALS to support education and outreach to encourage agriculture producers to establish water quality practices.”

On the back end, Stone says the legislature is appropriating millions of dollars to be used by health care professionals for education and hiring of needed physicians and nurses. He says the Governor has also signed two critical pieces of legislation to help with testing for cancer so it is caught earlier – allowing for better treatment outcomes. These bills are HF 2668, the Biomarker Insurance Requirement and HF 2489, the Breast Cancer Exams Requirement.

Sen. Rowley explains HF 2668 requires insurance companies to offer coverage for biomarker testing effective January 1, 2025. “By testing before treatment, doctors can now develop targeted therapies for patients. Specific drugs or methods focused on the specific forms of cancer supporting clinical trials for treatment,” said Rowley.

Rowley says the legislature has also offered bills including $2 million for research into potential risk factors like radon and obesity. “I fully support a more aggressive approach for research, to determine why our cancer rates are comparatively so high,” said Rowley.

“We’re not done addressing our state’s cancer rates, and I look forward to helping shepherd more legislation across the finish line that deals with this issue,” said Stone.

Another issue that Stone says is important to people in his district is the decline in population. “As families move out of the district, our cities and counties face numerous challenges; mostly being financial challenges. These financial strains are felt by our local and county governments, school districts, and small businesses,” said Stone.

“We need to help our cities create a more vibrant atmosphere and help out with housing issues in our communities.  I recently toured the new apartment complex in Estherville and talked about the launch of Phase II of the project. It’s housing projects like this, as well as others, that need to happen more often,” said Stone. “We need to keep and attract businesses to our rural towns, while at the same time, help existing small businesses continue to stay open. I believe that in the end, if we can accomplish these goals, our towns and our school districts will benefit tremendously and will continue to serve our children’s educational needs. I will continue to work with my colleagues on issues like this to bring about stable communities up here, as well as growing them.”

Rowley says he’s looking forward to serving District 5 in the Iowa Senate this session, and constituents may reach him by email at dave.rowley@legis.iowa.gov or by phone at 712-330-5596.

Rep. Stone can be reached by email at henry.stone@legis.iowa.gov or by phone at 515-281-3221.