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Washington Evening Journal
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Washington, IA 52353
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The Dickey Dispatch
Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
(March 7, 2025) Happy Funnel Week District 44,
Funnel week is the last week that bills can be introduced to a committee. After this week all bills that have not been passed through committee will die (except for Ways and Means and Appropriations bills). This process allows us to focus on the incoming bills sent over to us by the House and for the House to focus on bills that have been sent over from the Senate. With the stress of the first funnel being behind us, we also turn more of our attention debating on the floor the bills that have passed through the Senate committees so far this session. Needless to say, this week has been a busy one with a mad rush of bills being brought to my Workforce committee and the 6 other committees I serve on to beat the deadline.
Thursday it was fun to meet with the 6th-8th grade students from Southeast Christian School from rural Ollie. The students had a great time touring the Capitol and even had a chance to climb all the stairs and look out over Des Moines from the top of the Capitol dome.
When talking to constituents that want to buy a home or are property owners, one of their biggest concerns has been property taxes. In 2023 the Iowa legislature passed HF 718. This bill helped reform Iowa property taxes but was never meant to be the end of property tax reform. This week Senate Republicans introduced the next step in making property ownership more affordable and viable for Iowans. SSB 1208 is estimated to provide a $426 million cut in property taxes for Iowans, provide a $25,000 homestead credit for ALL homeowners, implement a revenue restriction to keep new spending in check, and deliver additional relief for Iowa’s veterans and senior citizens. As a property owner myself I understand how property taxes have gotten out of control, and as I serve on the Senate Ways and Means Committee, we will continue the rest of the session to tweak our SSB 1208 proposal to lessen the burden of property taxes.
Have a GREAT week and enjoy the wonderful weekend weather that’s ahead!
