The Evans Edition: Finalizing bills to be debated

State Sen. Lynn Evans

The 11th week of the legislative session means we have gotten through both funnel deadlines. We now will focus on any remaining legislation that will be considered in this legislative session. With both deadlines passed, much of our time is spent on floor debate and finalizing bills to be debated by the Senate.

One bill this week was Senate File 2427 which limits liability on human and natural producers of greenhouse gas against civil or criminal actions from any effect on the climate. It also placed the burden of proof on the person bringing civil or criminal action. Being an agricultural state, it constantly seems like we need to protect Iowa farmers and the agriculture industry from bad actors trying to upend their way of life while they provide food worldwide.

House File 766 was passed this week, allowing front side windows to be tinted to 50% light transmittance but maintains the windshield must remain at 70%. Under current law, the windshield and front side windows of a vehicle are prohibited from being “excessively dark or reflective.” Under Department of Transportation rulemaking, this has been determined to mean about 70% of light transmittance, which is mostly factory specification. Rear windows do not have a tint limit. This was passed to get us closer to the rules of surrounding states. This is a topic that has been discussed at the Capitol for many years.

House File 2232 passed unanimously helping protect Iowans against financial exploitation, specifically relating to life insurance. The bill sets up a framework to delay disbursements when suspected abuse or fraud is occurring in a vulnerable adult. We see news headlines all the time of new scams targeting Iowans and older adults, and this bill would be one tool to help protect against these kinds of scams.

House File 2583 also passed unanimously. This bill requires electric transmission owners to file emergency response plans with the Iowa Utilities Commission by Dec. 31, 2026, including 24-hour contact details and methods for prioritizing restoration to essential facilities like hospitals. The bill mandates owners notify the IUC of significant service interruptions exceeding six hours and coordinate repairs during proclaimed disaster emergencies. The legislation aims to apply uniform safety standards to all operators, drawing on lessons from the 2020 derecho.

Each year, the Hoover Presidential Foundation chooses a recipient for the Hoover Presidential Uncommon Public Service Award. The Uncommon Public Service Award was created to honor those public servants who demonstrate uncommon service to the people of Iowa above and beyond their legislative responsibilities. The Hoover Presidential Foundation requests the public nominate legislators who exemplify Herbert Hoover’s ideals of honesty, integrity, and uncommon public service. The nominees are judged on their public service and humanitarian projects. This year, the recipient in the Senate was my friend, Senator Dave Rowley. He has been a member of our caucus for the past several years and has dedicated himself to public service and advocating for his district, most notably during the severe storms and flooding that swept through his district. We are so proud of all the work he’s done, and he is the perfect recipient for this award.

As we move into the final weeks of session, our focus shifts from the committee room to the chamber floor for debate on the remaining priority legislation. We still have important work to do, and major goals that we would like to accomplish for our constituents.

One bill you may have heard about in the legislature is House File 2379. There has been a lot of misinformation about what this bill does. In reality, this bill passed for a number of reasons to protect the interests of Iowa taxpayers. House File 2379 eliminates taxes on tips and overtime, invests over $500 million in health care and rural hospitals through Medicaid, and continues the responsible budget practices enacted by Republicans over the last several years.

Additionally, the bill implements a temporary tax to bring in additional federal dollars to help fund required spending in Medicaid and comply with provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. It is simply a federal tool that many other states are also using to help offset Medicaid costs. After these temporary adjustments in the bill, Iowa’s 0.95% rate remains the most competitive in the country, significantly lower than rates in Massachusetts (1.2%), Minnesota (3.5%), and Illinois (6%). To put it simply, at the beginning of this year, Iowa had the lowest tax rate for insurance companies in the country, and at the end of the year, Iowa will continue having the lowest tax rate for insurance companies in the country.

Despite claims from special interest groups that this bill will raise insurance premiums, Iowa’s largest health insurance company itself said it has made no determination about the bill’s impact on premiums. Further, the Iowa Insurance Division has rate review and approval authority over rates for individual health insurance plans. They have previously stated, “The standard of rate review for any health insurance rate review requires a determination that the rates are not inadequate, not excessive, and do not unfairly discriminate. Further, the rates must be actuarially sound.” This evidence demonstrates claims consumers will shoulder the costs of this bill are not based in fact.

The primary goal of HF 2739 is to eliminate tax on tips in alignment with President Trump’s promise to working Americans. It also protects Iowa taxpayers from the significant increases in required Medicaid funding by using more federal dollars and less Iowa money. Finally, the passage of this bill gives our state the tools and resources to manage health care costs for Iowans.

I rely on your input because everything we do as a General Assembly affects you personally. Email me at lynn.evans@legis.iowa.gov to voice your support or concerns on upcoming legislation.