Iowa Legislative Session Goes Into Overtime

District #18 Representative Tom Moore, of Griswold says legislators are in for many more extra days without clerks or pages or Per Diem. He says this is a result of the negotiations taking place between the House, the Senate, and the Governor to come to an agreement on budget figures. Representative Moore says the Senate seems to have a very low total budget number but has little idea of how to get there without serious cuts.

Meanwhile, House Republicans have proposed a state budget totaling $9.453 billion for Fiscal Year 2026. This is an increase of roughly 5.65%, or $506 million, from the current fiscal year’s budget. The Iowa House number includes additional funding for K-12 education services, para-educators, community colleges, long-term care facilities and nursing homes, support for human trafficking victims, and many other priorities Iowans have asked us to address.

Representative Moore says the Iowa Senate and Governor’s proposal comes out lower on spending and does not include some of those key House Republican priorities. He says the House, Iowa Senate and Governor, are all committed to bringing forth a balanced budget for working Iowans while still funding the commitments we have made.