From the Desk of Senator Donahue
As we close out the second funnel, a critical deadline that determines which bills remain alive this session, the work at the Capitol has taken a troubling turn. In the late hours Wednesday, Republican leadership attempted to log-roll a Senate resolution that would effectively sidestep one of our most fundamental responsibilities—passing a responsible, balanced budget. Rather than doing the hard work of governing and collaborating with a Democratic governor, this maneuver appears aimed at avoiding accountability altogether. Iowans expect us to show up, do the job, and make thoughtful decisions about their tax dollars—not rewrite the rules when the work gets difficult.
As Senator Winckler stated in her press release while in the caucus room working to stop this effort, “Once this legislation is enacted, Senate Republicans could refuse to pass a budget, adjourn the session, and head home without addressing property taxes, eminent domain, their growing deficit, or any of the significant issues that Iowans face.”
In the end, the Republicans got the vote through adding an emergency member to the committee due to a Republican absence but losing some of their members who voted against it. So, instead of doing the hard work Iowans expect, Republicans have spent this session playing political games—avoiding the responsibility of addressing a multi-billion-dollar budget shortfall they’ve created over the past two years. While families are asking for good-paying jobs, strong public schools, and affordable housing, healthcare, and childcare, this last-minute maneuver shows a clear attempt to shirk their duty to govern.
Events around the district:
Chew on This: Grant Wood Seriously Silly
Community Days at the Marion YMCA
This week’s BIG birthdays! If you know any of these folks, be sure to wish them a very happy birthday!
| Jean | Fry |
| Todd | Vandemark |
| Sheileen | Adams |
| Brenda | Jurgensmeier |
| Gregory | Westrom |
| Lindsey | Cliburn |
| Beverly | Stratton |
| Holly | Zimmerman |
| Joseph | Ojo |
| Jayne | Olson |
| Benjamin | Chambers |
| Jamie | Stolley |
| Tyisha | Strong |
| Diek | Brunscheen |
| Mary | Longo |
| Eugene | Curtis |
| Neil | Hoppenworth |
| Eric | Baurichter |
| Robert | Reynolds |
| Janet | Henderson |
| Joan | Shaffer |
| Nicolas | Thorp |
| Eric | Bahl |
| David | Johnston |
| Gerald | Bodeker |
| Angela | Keslar |
| Scott | Nelson |
| Gordon | Rasmussen |
| Andrew | Helle |
| Roger | French |
| Aghdas | Hosseini |
| Janelle | Hartwig |
| Charley | Delatte |
| Adam | Determann |
| Carol | Caldwell |
| Daniel | Zach |
| Robert | Walton |
| Scott | Riesenberg |
| Melissa | Meyer |
| April | Janutka |
| Twyla | Hall |
| Mark | Minger |
| Susan | Stutterheim |
| Emily | Elston |
| Alan | Rowe |
| Keisha | Glydewell |
| Sonja | Humpfer |
| Kimberly | Tornage |
| Catherine | Carter |
| Armonda | Trevino |
| Joseph | Sherbon |
| Vicki | Bierie |
| Stephen | Willis |
| Laura | Oldfather |
| Scott | Berntsen |
| Tyler | Martin |
| Douglas | Nietert |
| Alecia | Bacon |
| Jaime | Duesenberg |
The plan falls apart
Last week, we talked about the state’s Revenue Estimating Conference (REC), and how their projections give legislators a baseline for building the state’s budget each year. This week, let’s look ahead and talk about how the latest REC numbers affect the outlook of the Republican fiscal “plan.”
Some helpful context before you read on: Iowa’s Fiscal Year runs from July 1 to June 30 and state budgets are built for the upcoming year. So, during this legislative session, the legislature will work on the budget for Fiscal Year 2027, which runs from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027.
Last legislative session, Republican lawmakers passed a budget for Fiscal Year 2026 (the fiscal year we’re currently in) that spent roughly $9.5 billion. They did this despite knowing, thanks to REC projections available at the time, that state revenues would end up well below that number. They planned to run a substantial budget deficit – spending more than we took in. The most recent REC numbers from March 2026 project revenues for FY26 to be in the neighborhood of $8.11 billion. Based on that number, we’re looking at a budget deficit for FY26 of over $1.3 billion.
Iowa law requires that the legislature pass a balanced budget, so, in order to bring that billion-dollar deficit to balance, the majority party will need to transfer money from state reserves. The two major sources of reserve funds are the Taxpayer Relief Fund (TPRF) and the surplus carryforward. Republican lawmakers have been hoarding taxpayer dollars in these reserve funds as a way to get us through their reckless budgeting until revenues rebound.
But that’s the problem: revenues haven’t rebounded. We’re looking at back-to-back years of unprecedented revenue drops – numbers we didn’t even see during the Farm Crisis in the 1980s. The “plan” is coming apart at the seams.
And still, Republicans in the legislature are seemingly intent on running budget deficits for the foreseeable future – knowing full well that they can’t rely on the reserves forever. At the rate they’re going, with no significant changes in policy or revenue generation, the reserves will run dry in less than five years.
And then what?
What’s frustrating is that Republican lawmakers seem to recognize, at least on some level, that the “plan” isn’t working as they’d hoped. But instead of fixing their mistake, they’re scrambling for ways to drum up new revenue at Iowans’ expense, make it easier to transfer larger sums from the reserves, or to drop this whole mess at the feet of a new governor – hoping you forget they created the mess in the first place.
In the last week or so, the majority party has fast-tracked SF 2464, a bill designed to start filling in the budget hole that THEY created by raising taxes on health insurance and forcing Iowans to pay the price – at a time when so many are already struggling to afford their healthcare.
SF 2464 would also increase the amount they’re allowed to transfer from the TPRF, granting them more power to run deficit budgets while still claiming to have balanced the scales or carried over a surplus. The bill legislatively authorizes creative accounting!
Just this week, legislative Republicans attached SF 2461 as an amendment to an altogether separate bill in the Senate State Government Committee to keep it alive through the second funnel deadline. This bill would allow legislators to pack their bags and head home for the year if they don’t want to negotiate a budget with a new, potentially Democratic, governor. It would authorize a “continuing appropriation,” or essentially locking in status quo funding for the next year, regardless of what the balance sheet looks like. They’d get to blame the new governor for a deficient budget even though THEY walked away from the negotiating table.
There are millions of Iowans who rely on the choices made at the Capitol, and this isn’t how a responsible legislature governs. It’s time for the majority party to admit their mistake, abandon this failed plan, and work to correct course for the people we all serve.
The Second Funnel
This week was the second legislative funnel. After this point, only bills that have advanced through their original committee in their home chamber AND a full committee in the opposite chamber remain eligible for consideration. (There are exceptions here, as there were for the first funnel. Tax and spending bills, for example, are funnel-proof and remain alive, regardless of where they are in the legislative process.)
I’ll give a fuller update on which bills survived the second funnel, which didn’t, and what comes next in next week’s newsletter.
Quick Updates
Victim service grants available: Grants for eligible nonprofit and governmental organizations that provide victim-centered and trauma-informed victim services in the areas of domestic violence, sexual assault, homicide, and other violent crimes will be made available in the coming weeks. The first opened on March 16, with the next two to follow in April. To apply for funding, applicants must be registered in Iowa Grants for Victim Services. More details are available on the Attorney General’s Office website here.
Bill expanding childcare assistance moves ahead: More Iowans would qualify for expanded childcare assistance under HF 2514, which has advanced past the second funnel. The Child Care Assistance pilot program (CCA) helps those with children 13 and under (19 and under if they have special needs) who need childcare. This bill extends CCA eligibility to parents, guardians, or custodians who are employed at a childcare facility or home who work at minimum an average of 32 hours a week providing childcare directly to children.
Expanding pharmacy accessibility: HF 2585, which has passed the committee stage and survived the second funnel, would require the Board of Pharmacy to adopt rules that would enable a person who is blind, has a visual impairment, or other print disability to request access to prescription drug labels, bag tags, and medical guides at no additional cost, expanding accessibility in Iowa’s pharmacies for Iowans with disabilities.
Catfish are biting across Iowa: Channel catfish move close to shore and are eager to bite in many lakes and large reservoirs across Iowa just after the ice is gone. Search for actively feeding fish on windblown shorelines, points where dead fish are piled up, and shallow areas where the water warms quickly. Catfish can be found in almost every river or lake across Iowa. Check the weekly fishing report to find out where catfish are biting.
Spring turkey hunting seasons only a few weeks away:Last year, more than 50,000 tags were sold and hunters reported harvesting more than 15,000 birds; the second-highest total since mandatory harvest began in 2006. See the season dates below:
- Youth-only – residents only, age 15 and younger – April 10-12
- Season 1 – April 13-16
- Season 2 – April 17-21
- Season 3 – April 22-28
- Season 4 – April 29 – May 17
- Resident Archery Only – April 13 – May 17
Claim Your Future: Thousands of Iowa high school seniors will soon receive letters outlining college options through the state’s new ‘Claim Your Future’ initiative.More than 37,000 high school seniors will receive information about the many higher education opportunities available to them and critical next steps to support their education. Each letter has QR codes linking the students directly to each college and university to complete the application process, as well as the applications to apply for federal and state financial aid opportunities. More information on planning and preparing for postsecondary education can be found on the Iowa Department of Education’s College & Career Preparation webpage.
This Week around the district and the Capitol:
