Senator Hardman’s Feb. 13 Newsletter

From the Desk of Senator Hardman

Greetings, my dear neighbors and friends –

Week five (5) has come and gone. As your new Senator, I participated in my first debate session. During this first Senate debate of the legislative session, I of course spoke in opposition of SF 2201 – which deals with the disappointing 1.75% increase for school funding. This is simply unacceptable and will have a consequential impact on our schools and young people throughout the state. Please see more on this below. 

On another more positive note, I am thinking ahead and wanting to solicit some ideas for a district wide community service project this summer. I would love the project to benefit West Des Moines, Clive, and Windsor Heights. Maybe three different projects. This is where you come in. I am looking for volunteers to serve on a planning committee to help plan this service project. I promise it will be fun, impactful, and serve the needs of our community. I am excited to hear about all ideas. If interested in serving – please send me an email at renee.hardman@legis.iowa.gov by Friday, February 27, 2026. I can’t wait to hear from you. Thanking you in advance. 

I’ll close with wishing each of you a Valentine’s Day filled with much love, peace, and joy. Take time to do some self-care. ❤️ ❤️ ❤️

Preparing for Funnel Week

After five busy weeks at the Capitol, we’re now coming to the point during session when legislation begins to narrow down. Next week is the first legislative Funnel. For you veterans of the bill tracking process, this is old hat, but for those of you newer to the legislative process, here’s a quick breakdown.

Each legislative session has two built-in Funnel weeks. These self-imposed deadlines are designed to shrink the pile of bills up for consideration during a given year. We don’t have year-round legislative sessions in Iowa, so the idea behind the funnels is to keep lawmakers focused on the legislation that really matters to our constituents and limit the time we spend on things of minimal consequence to most Iowans.

The first Funnel Week deadline is Friday, Feb. 20. By this date, policy bills introduced in the Senate need to have advanced through a Senate committee in order to still be eligible for consideration for the rest of session. The same is true for the lower chamber: House bills need to have advanced through House committees. There are some exceptions to these deadlines, like bills dealing with taxes or appropriations.

So, by the end of next Friday, if a Senate bill you were tracking never passed a vote in its assigned Senate committee, that bill should be considered dead for the year. You can always see where any bill is at during the process on the Legislature’s website. Here’s an example of what to look for (you can find the Bill History on the left-hand side of the screen when viewing any specific bill on the Legislature’s website):

Unfortunately, many Senate Democratic bills fail to advance past the first funnel deadline – the majority party often refuses to even give Democrat-sponsored bills a subcommittee hearing. But that doesn’t mean that everything that advances is bad. There are always some good, bipartisan bills still in the mix.

Once we’re through the first funnel, I’ll give you an update on what’s still alive, what isn’t, and what comes next.

A Failing Grade: More cuts on the way for Iowa’s public schools

On Tuesday, the Iowa Senate held its first day of debate for the 2026 legislative session, and the big focus of the day was school funding. As your Senator, I made comments on the floor voicing my opposition to this bill.

The bill in front of us, SF 2201, was a Republican proposal to set the annual increase for public school funding at 1.75%. As I mentioned in last week’s newsletter, this is not nearly enough to provide for the type of world class educational environment our kids deserve. It will result in harsh budget cuts for school districts around the state.

I know that percentage can seem abstract, so here’s what it means in real terms:

Only $21.2 million in increased funding for the hundreds of school districts around the state
Many school districts won’t be able to afford the new basic minimum teacher salary requirements, so teacher vacancies will remain unfilled or existing teaching positions will be cut, meaning class sizes will grow and kids won’t get the individual attention they need
Extracurricular activities, like a 100-year-old orchestra program in Boone, will be cut to save costs
Schools will consolidate or close altogether

After several hours of debate, the bill passed the Senate by a vote of 28-20 – three Republicans joined every Democrat in voting No.

The bill now moves to the House for consideration. I will keep you updated on its progress.

Celebrating a win…

As a member of the Natural Resources and Environment committee, I helped stop SSB 3120 regarding hunter education requirements, which compromised hunter safety by not requiring hunters under the age of 18 to take the 4.5 hour in-person field training. Safety will always be my number one priority. As your Senator, I will also speak my truth to influence change.

Quick Updates

A good bill “postponed indefinitely”: SSB 3080 would have allowed nursing facility residents or their representatives to install electronic monitoring devices in resident rooms for visual or audio surveillance. Roommates would have to consent, and installations must meet National Fire Protection Association 101 life safety code standards. Unfortunately, the Senate Technology Committee pulled this bill off the committee agenda this week. If having a video monitoring option for your love ones in a nursing home facility is something you would like to see, please contact the members of the Iowa Senate Technology Committee.
IPERS retirement counseling and informational sessions in Des Moines: Thirty-minute, one-on-one counseling sessions with an IPERS Retirement Benefit Officer are available ONLY by appointment. One-on-one counseling appointments are intended for members who are within three to five years of retirement. You can register for a counseling session here. IPERS staff will also host group informational sessions for members to learn general information. You can find more information about those group sessions here.
New Online Guide to Iowa Zoning to Support Housing: Iowa State University Extension and Outreach has launched the Online Guide to Iowa Zoning, a new publicly accessible mapping and data tool designed to help policymakers, planners, and community leaders better understand how local zoning regulations shape housing development across the state.
Free nitrate test kits: Central Iowa Water Works turned on its nitrate filtering system unexpectedly last month due to high levels. Residents can request a free kit here.
Follow Iowa Senate Democrats on TikTok! Take a look behind the scenes at what’s happening at the Capitol by following our TikTok page, @iowa.senate.dems. We’ll keep you updated on what’s happening in the Senate, legislation to keep an eye on, and opportunities for you to speak out about issues you care about.