The Iowa Capitol as seen Feb. 7, 2024. (Photo by Kathie Obradovich/Iowa Capital Dispatch)
Democrats who are seeking to expand their numbers in the Iowa House announced four top agenda items Thursday for the 2025 legislative session, addressing public education, reproductive freedom, legalizing marijuana for adults and reducing costs for families.
Democrats currently hold 36 out of 100 seats in the Iowa House, and Republicans hold the majority trifecta with control of the governor’s office and Senate as well.
House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst said during a news conference Thursday that Democrats chose to highlight issues that regularly come up when they’re knocking on voters’ doors and receive majority support from Iowans.
“These are issues that are reflected and supported by more than 50% of Iowans, not just Democrats, but all Iowans who want the Legislature to focus on things that matter to them,” she said.
While offering few details of legislation, Democratic leaders emphasized these concepts:
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Supporting and defending public education, including fully funding public schools, raising pay for educators, ending “vouchers” that funnel taxpayer money to private schools, support special education and end “book bans passed for special interests.”
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Restoring reproductive freedom, including advancing a constitutional amendment specifying a right to abortion and working for legislation to ensure access to abortion, in vitro fertilization and birth control.
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Reducing costs for families, including making housing and child care affordable, capping heath care costs, expanding access to mental health care and lowering taxes for working families.
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Legalizing marijuana for adults, including for recreational use.
Iowa House Republicans suggested Democrats were taking a page out of their playbook.
“In response to Iowa House Republicans’ record of improving educational opportunities, maintaining safe communities, and letting Iowans keep more of their hard-earned money, Iowans have only grown our majority,” House GOP spokesperson Melissa Saitz said in an email to Iowa Capital Dispatch. “Seeing the massive election success our agenda has had, it’s not surprising to see Democrats taking some cues out of our book. It’s great to hear Democrats will now join us in our work to support public education and make Iowa more affordable. Though most recently, their voting record shows votes against historic tax cuts for all Iowans and against public-school teacher pay raises.”
House Democrats voted against changes to Area Education Agencies that also included a pay raise for teachers, but supported amendments that would have raised teacher pay.
Konfrst said Democrats recognize the reality that Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds, who is not up for reelection until 2026, will remain in office next year and would not likely sign legislation to repeal Iowa’s six-week abortion ban. While she said the caucus would reintroduce a constitutional amendment that would guarantee a right to abortion access, members would also work to clarify the existing law and potentially expand exceptions and exemptions.
Iowa’s current law would ban most abortions after fetal cardiac activity can be detected, typically around six weeks of gestation. It includes narrow exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the pregnant patient.
However, she said Democrats also hope to mobilize political pressure for issues like marijuana legalization. “ … so we can independently put forward legislation and let the governor be the one who says that something that Iowans support — over 60% of Iowans support — she’s going to oppose again,” Konfrst said.
House Minority Whip Lindsay James of Dubuque noted that in her tri-state area, marijuana is already legal in Wisconsin and Illinois and is coming into Iowa regardless of current laws.
“The product is here. It’s here in our states. And the most important thing we can do with that reality is to say we want to regulate it so that we can have a safe product, and we want to regulate it so that we can keep it out of the hands of kids,” James said.
The lawmakers emphasized the list of priorities would not preclude efforts related to other issues Democrats have long supported, such as water quality.
