DES MOINES, Iowa — The Iowa House secured the necessary number of signatures to call for a special session to override Governor Kim Reynolds’ veto of the eminent domain bill.
House Republicans announced on Tuesday that the House of Representatives obtained 70 signatures, surpassing the two-thirds majority required for the House to call for a special session per the Iowa Constitution.
Last week, Gov. Reynolds vetoed House File 639 which aimed to limit the use of eminent domain by private companies for carbon pipelines. The news of the governor’s veto came as a blow to politicians on both sides of the aisle who have worked for several years to pass legislation aimed at protecting property rights, with State Representative Steve Holt telling WHO 13 that the veto would “forever tarnish her [Gov. Reynolds’] legacy.”
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Now, House leadership is calling on the Iowa Senate to secure the required number of signatures so they can convene the special session and override the governor’s veto of the legislation.
“This veto was a major setback for Iowa landowners and the tireless efforts of the House to safeguard property rights,” House Speaker Pat Grassley said. “With 70 members of the House standing united, we’ve met the constitutional threshold to move forward. We now call on our colleagues in the Senate to join us by securing the necessary signatures so we can convene a special session, override this veto, and deliver the protections Iowa landowners deserve against eminent domain for private gain.”
During the legislative session several Republican senators held up the passing of the budget bill to force a vote on the eminent domain bill. Of the 12 senators, three have released statements about the House securing the required signatures to call for a special session, and the possibility of securing two-thirds majority to do so in the Senate.
According to a statement put out by our Senate majority leader, there is not the interest in overriding the veto on the property rights bill. I am not one of the Senate Republican caucus that supports the veto of HF 639. I most definitely am in support of overriding the veto and calling a special session of the legislature to do so! The constitution should trump economic development!
Senator Sandy Salmon (R) District 29
I would like the Senate to join the Iowa House in a joint special session to override the governor’s veto of HF 639. The people of Iowa have a constitutional right to private property; HF 639 protects those rights. I agree with the Iowa House that we need to step in at this point. I will not stand by while people’s private property rights are challenged by big money and big government. Senator Bousselot’s amendment moved the goal post, and it changed the rules in favor of big money and big corporate interests. Governor Reynolds’ veto of HF 639 supports big money and big government interests. I will push back on that. I will publicly say that I am in favor of overriding this veto.
Carbon sequestration is a scam. It’s part of the climate ideology, and I will not have any part of it. I will not compromise. The current Summit CO2 pipeline is not for public use and should not receive eminent domain. That would be unconstitutional. I took an oath to the Constitution, I did not take an oath to farmers and ethanol producers making a profit.
Senator Cherielynn Westrich (R) District 13
I don’t see a path to getting enough votes in the Senate to move this forward. Thirty-four votes are needed in the Senate. This bill passed initially with 27 votes. Additionally, there have been no talks of a willingness to return to override the governor’s veto, or at least I have not been privy to any talks.
Senator Mike Pike (R) District 20
The Senate would need to flip seven Republicans to obtain the two-thirds requirement, or 34 signatures, for the special session to occur.
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