As the 2025 legislative session begins, new leaders of the Iowa House and Senate will shepherd legislation and handle the behind-the-scenes administrative work in the Iowa Capitol.
Iowa Republicans grew its legislative majority with the November election, taking a 67-33 advantage in the Iowa House and a 34-15 lead in the Iowa Senate.
The election’s outcome marked the largest majorities Republicans have held in Iowa since 1970. The seat in Iowa Senate District 35 that remains open will be decided Jan. 28 in a special election after Chris Cournoyer resigned to serve as the state’s new lieutenant governor.
Who are the lawmakers elected as the Legislature’s top leadership roles? Here’s what you need to know ahead of the coming session.
More: Property tax cuts, Medicaid, higher ed: 5 issues to watch in the 2025 Iowa Legislature
Who is Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver?
Jack Whitver has led Senate Republicans as majority leader since 2018 and was first elected to the Iowa Senate in 2011.
He previously served as Republican whip and Senate president. In May, Whitver announced his diagnosis of a brain tumor and said he was receiving radiation therapy.
Senate Republicans recently said in a statement that Whitver has since started drug therapy and “continues to see forward progress.”
Iowa Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver, R-Grimes, at the Iowa State Capitol on Friday, April 19, 2024, in Des Moines.
“Multiple recent scans this fall have shown a steady and continued reduction in the size of the tumor, many of his symptoms have improved and optimism abounds about his recovery,” Senate Republicans said in the statement.
Whitver, of Grimes, grew up in Grinnell and is an alum of Iowa State University and Drake University Law School.
What does the Senate majority leader do?
The Senate majority leader oversees the Republican caucus’ legislative agenda while also leading its staff and serving as a spokesperson. Whitver will select which items on the Senate floor get called up for debate during the session. His office also issues the Senate’s debate and committee schedules.
Whitver will also serve as chair of the Senate Rules and Administration Committee and as head of the Legislative Council on a rotating basis with the House speaker.
Who is Senate Minority Leader Janice Weiner?
Iowa Senate Democrats elected Senate Minority Leader Janice Weiner to replace retiring Sen. Pam Jochum, D-Dubuque, who ended her 30-year career.
Weiner was elected in 2022 to represent Iowa Senate District 45 after serving on Iowa City’s city council for three years. She previously had a 26-year global career as a U.S. State Department foreign services officer.
Sen. Janice Weiner, D-Iowa City, speaks during debate of amendments for SF 579, a ‘fetal heartbeat’ abortion ban, at the Iowa State Capitol on Tuesday, July 11, 2023, in Des Moines.
She unsuccessfully ran for the Iowa Senate in 2018 against Sen. Zach Wahls, D-Coralville. Weiner was raised in Coralville and is an alum of Princeton University and Stanford Law School.
What does the Senate minority leader do?
As Senate minority leader, Weiner will lead the Senate Democrats’ legislative agenda, serve as a spokesperson and oversee its staff.
She will serve as the ranking member of the Rules and Administration Committee and as a member of the Legislative Council as well as other committees. Weiner also appointed Senate Democrats to committees before the session started.
More: Want to contact Iowa lawmakers or find bills? How to engage in the legislative process:
Who is Senate President Amy Sinclair?
Senate Republicans reelected Amy Sinclair of Allerton for another term as president of the Iowa Senate. She’s held the post since November 2022.
Sinclair served her first term as a member of the Iowa Senate in 2013 and as majority whip and chair of the Education Committee.
“I look forward to working together with our even larger supermajority to continue implementing pro-growth, pro-taxpayer, pro-family policies to make Iowa the best state in the country,” she said after her reelection as president of the Senate.
Iowa Senate President Amy Sinclair, R-Allerton, strikes the gavel at the Iowa State Capitol on Friday, April 19, 2024, in Des Moines.
She is a family farmer and has lived in Wayne County for three decades.
What does the Senate president do?
Sinclair will serve as the presiding officer of the Senate and oversee debate and rules on parliamentary questions.
She will also refer bills to the appropriate standing committee and sign bills approved by Iowa lawmakers as well as oversee the administrative budget and expenditures.
Who is Iowa Senate President Pro Tempore Ken Rozenboom?
Sen. Ken Rozenboom, R-Pella, will serve as president pro tempore of the Iowa Senate, replacing Sen. Brad Zaun, R-Urbandale, who lost his reelection bid to Matt Blake.
Rozenboom was elected to the Iowa Legislature in 2013.
Rozenboom is a farmer and attended Calvin College in Michigan. He resides and grew up in rural Oskaloosa.
What does the Senate president pro tempore do?
As president pro tempore, Rozenboom will fill the role of president of the Senate if Sinclair is absent. The president pro tempore is also a member by custom of the Legislative Council.
Who is Senate Democratic Whip Bill Dotzler?
Sen. Bill Dotzler, who resides in Waterloo, will serve as Senate Democratic whip. He has served on the Iowa Senate since 2003 and previously was a member of the Iowa House for three terms.
Iowa Senate President Amy Sinclair, R-Allerton, speaks with Sen. Bill Dotzler, D-Waterloo, at the Iowa State Capitol on Friday, April 19, 2024, in Des Moines.
He received an associate degree from North Iowa Area Community College and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Northern Iowa. Dotzler is a U.S. Army veteran and a retired John Deere employee.
Who is House Speaker Pat Grassley?
House Speaker Pat Grassley, of New Hartford, represents Iowa House District 57. He first ran for the Iowa House in 2006 and has served as speaker of the Iowa House since 2019.
He is the grandson of U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa.
He received an associate degree from Hawkeye Community College and is a farmer.
House Speaker Pat Grassley addresses the Iowa House on the first day of the Legislative session, Monday, Jan. 9, 2023.
What does the speaker of the House do?
As speaker of the House, Grassley presides over debate and rules on parliamentary questions. He leads the construction of the legislative agenda and also is a caucus spokesperson.
Grassley and House Majority Leader Matt Windschitl, in their respective roles, will decide the House chamber agenda. He also oversees the House Republicans’ staff.
Grassley will also refer bills to the appropriate committees, determine the committee schedule and sign bills approved by the Iowa Legislature. He also oversees the administrative budget of the House and approves its expenditures.
He is the chairperson of the Legislative Council in alternate terms with Whitver.
Who is House Majority Leader Matt Windschitl?
House Republicans reelected Windschitl as House majority leader, a post he’s served in since 2019.
He was elected to the Iowa House in 2007 and resides in Missouri Valley.
Iowa House Majority Leader Matt Windschitl, R-Missouri Valley, speaks at the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines, Tuesday, May 24, 2022.
Windschitl works for Doll Distributing in Council Bluffs and went to school for gunsmithing at the Colorado School of Trades. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps.
What does the House majority leader do?
As House Majority Leader, Windschitl serves as the floor leader in the House.
With the speaker of the House, Windschitl helps create the chamber agenda and leads House floor action by facilitating debate. The debate calendars are authored in his office.
Who is House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst?
Democratic Rep. Jennifer Konfrst, of Windsor Heights, is returning to her role of House minority leader that she’s held since 2021.
She’s been a member of the Iowa House since 2019 and is an associate professor at Drake University. Konfrst received a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication and a Master of Public Administration from Drake.
House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst speaks during the first session of the year Monday, Jan. 8, 2024, at the Iowa State Capitol.
What does the House minority leader do?
As House minority leader, Konfrst leads House Democrats and represents the caucus’ views during the legislative agenda-setting process. She also is a spokesperson for the caucus and oversees its staff.
Konfrst led the committee-appointing process for House Democrats. As a custom, Konfrst also serves on the Legislative Council and other standing committees.
Who is House Majority Whip Henry Stone?
Rep. Henry Stone, R-Forest City, will again serve as majority whip.
He was elected to the Iowa House in 2020 and resides in Forest City. Stone received an associate degree in applied science from the Community College of the Air Force and a bachelor’s degree in business management from the University of Phoenix.
IA. Rep. Henry Stone, R-Forest City, speaks during a committee meeting on redistricting legislation and a bill that would widen exceptions for vaccine mandates, on Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021, at the Iowa State Capitol, in Des Moines.
Stone also attended Trident University and received a master’s degree in education and administration. He served in the U.S. Air Force.
Who is House Speaker Pro Tempore John Wills?
House Republicans reelected Rep. John Wills, R-Spirit Lake, as speaker pro tempore, which he’s served in since 2019.
He’s served in the Iowa House since 2015 and is an environmental coordinator at Dickinson Soil and Water Conservation District.
Rep. John Wills, R-Spirit Lake, speaks to the Iowa House of Representatives on the first day of the 2020 legislative session on Monday, Jan. 13, 2020, at the Iowa Capitol in Des Moines.
Wills, who resides in Spirit Lake, received a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern College and has two master’s degrees. He also served in the Army National Guard for 25 years.
What does the House speaker pro tempore do?
The speaker pro tempore of the House fills the role of the House speaker if they are absent and is part of the Legislative Council.
Who is Democratic House Minority Whip Brian Meyer?
House Minority Whip Brian Meyer will serve as joined the Iowa Legislature in 2013. He recently ran unopposed and will represent Iowa House District 29 for his seventh term in office.
He is a lawyer and a former Assistant Iowa Attorney General and Assistant Polk County Attorney. Meyer, who resides in Des Moines, is an alum of the University of Northern Iowa and Drake University Law School.
Before serving as a state lawmaker, he was on the Des Moines City Council for seven years and served in the Iowa National Guard.
Register Statehouse Reporters Stephen Gruber-Miller and Marissa Payne contributed to this report.
Sabine Martin covers politics for the Register. She can be reached by email at [email protected] or by phone at (515) 284-8132. Follow her on X at @sabinefmartin.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: What to know about the Iowa Legislature’s leading lawmakers
