Governor's speech, other officials' wish lists, two Dems for Ag Sec
Jan. 19 edition of "KHOI's Capitol Week"
Monday was a quiet day in Iowa politics, as the legislature and government offices were closed for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. If you had the day off, I hope the holiday was meaningful for you.
January 19 is a special day for me for another reason too. On that day in 2024, the Institute for Free Speech filed a federal lawsuit on my behalf against the Iowa House chief clerk. I had been fighting for five years to be treated fairly, like my peers in the statehouse press corps. Days later, I received credentials to report from the press bench. We settled the lawsuit, with the state agreeing to pay attorney fees to the Institute for Free Speech. My application for House credentials was accepted in 2025 and 2026 with no incident.
Journalists who can report from the House chamber have many advantages, including access to Speaker Pat Grassley’s weekly “gaggles.” I have been recording these media availabilities and publishing them on the Bleeding Heartland YouTube channel, so anyone can watch the whole Q&A, and not just a few sound bites. (Here’s the gaggle from last Thursday.) Subscribe to the YouTube channel for more unedited footage from the legislature, along with my 2026 candidate interviews.
On to the topic at hand: the sound file from Monday night’s edition of “KHOI’s Capitol Week” is at the top of this message. You can also find the show through any podcast platform or smart speaker. Here’s a recap of the stories Spencer Dirks and I covered. If your email provider truncates this message, you can read it without interruption here.
A nod to MLK Jr. Day
Just like last year, Spencer and I began by sharing a quote from the great civil rights leader. Mine came from MLK’s 1967 speech called “The Other America”: “It's much easier to integrate a lunch counter than it is to guarantee a livable income and a good solid job. It's much easier to guarantee the right to vote than it is to guarantee the right to live in sanitary, decent housing conditions.”
Spencer’s came from the book Stride Toward Freedom: “When evil men plot, good men must plan. When evil men burn and bomb, good men must build and bind. When evil men shout ugly words of hatred, good men must commit themselves to the glories of love.”
Here’s a bit of political trivia I didn’t mention on the show: Senator Chuck Grassley is the only person still serving in the Senate who voted in 1983 against establishing a federal holiday to honor MLK. Representative Hal Rogers of Kentucky is the only current House member who voted against that bill in Congress.
I didn’t have time to write a new Bleeding Heartland post about MLK Day this year, but here’s my piece from January 2023: Where Kim Reynolds stood during “times of challenge and controversy.”
Governor’s speech: property taxes
We spent quite a bit of time on biggest event from the legislature’s first week back. Governor Kim Reynolds laid out her wish list for Iowa lawmakers on Tuesday evening. If you missed the Condition of the State, you can watch the video on Iowa PBS, or read the full prepared text here. (She didn’t deviate from the script in any significant way).
If you watched the governor’s speech, share your thoughts in the comments.
I was struck by the lack of divisive topics compared to some of her past addresses. She spent a lot of the speech outlining goals no one would oppose (fighting cancer, helping veterans collect more of the benefits they’ve earned, and so on).
Reynolds has said for months that property tax reform would be a top priority for this year. She laid out some details on her plan, and more information was available in her budget book. She’s promising that Iowa homeowners will save $3 billion over six years. Key points include:
A cap on most property tax increases at 2 percent
A property tax freeze for Iowans 65 and older for homes assessed at up to $350,000
Less frequent assessments of home values
Incentives for communities to share services with others
I was struck by the focus on savings for seniors above others. We all know that property taxes can be a hardship for many people on fixed incomes, but a lot of seniors live quite comfortably. The cap on the home valuation indicates to me that Reynolds understands it would be bad optics to freeze property taxes for wealthy people living in large homes.
A lot of Iowa cities and towns (including Windsor Heights, where I live) are home to many senior citizens. I wonder how local budgets could sustain a property tax freeze for Iowans over 65.
The Senate GOP proposal appears to be even worse for local budgets, since Iowans over 60 who own their homes free and clear would pay no property taxes at all.
Reynolds is proposing to help first-time homebuyers with a tax-deductible savings account modeled on the 529 program for higher education expenses. That would mainly help people from higher-income families.
Governor’s speech: fighting cancer
The governor spent quite a bit of time on Iowa’s cancer problem. She noted that every year, more than 20,000 Iowans are diagnosed with some form of cancer, and said more than $50 million in federal funds for rural health care will be invested this year in cancer prevention, screening, and treatment. (That’s nearly a quarter of the $209 million Iowa will receive this year for the “Healthy Hometowns” rural health care initiative.)
Reynolds said the plan is to invest $183 million out of the roughly $1 billion in federal funds toward fighting cancer. There will be a new focus on early detection, to help people get mammograms, MRIs, colonoscopies, skin cancer screenings, and prostate exams before cancer becomes difficult to treat.
She also said, “we’re developing cancer care hubs—helping fund the oncologists, equipment, and advanced medical technology necessary to provide this specialized treatment.
“That’s step one, and it starts this year. Then, we’ll complete this hub-and-spoke model by opening satellite clinics in outlying communities, where patients can get routine cancer care even closer to home.”
Governor’s speech: education
Reynolds hailed the universal nature of Iowa’s Education Savings Accounts (school voucher program), noting that “the same State Cost per Pupil follows every child, regardless of income or ZIP code.” And she called for giving students in public charter schools access to the college credit courses and extracurricular activities in area public schools, “so that every public-school student receives equal support, no matter which public school they attend.”
Democrats will be wary of this idea, but I expect Republicans to support it, in part because most of the charter schools are in larger metro areas like Des Moines and Cedar Rapids. They’re not competing with many rural public schools.
Governor’s speech: veterans benefits
The governor also said she wants to “modernize” the system for delivering veterans benefits. She said only one-third of Iowa’s nearly 178,000 veterans are receiving the full benefits they earned, “placing Iowa 44th in the nation for VA compensation.” (I hadn’t heard that statistic before.) Reynolds wants to create incentives for counties to improve performance in that area.
I’m also proposing that we incentivize better performance by repurposing existing state funds to create a new, performance-based county grant program. The higher a county’s VA compensation per capita, the more money a county will earn, ensuring that outcomes improve. The goal is simple: more benefits reaching more veterans.
It’s not clear how this idea would work. Speaking to reporters after the Condition of the State, Republican leaders indicated that they want to see the details.
Everyone’s for making sure veterans can collect their benefits, but I wonder whether pitting counties against each other is the right approach.
Democrats flag topics governor didn’t address
Following the governor’s Condition of the State address on January 13, I recorded all of the media availabilities with legislative leaders. Click any link to watch:
The Democratic leaders criticized Reynolds for not acknowledging Iowa’s water quality problem. The Des Moines Water Works recently had to turn on its nitrate removal system, which hadn’t happened during the winter since 2016.
Regarding the various property tax proposals, Meyer said it’s hard to take Republicans seriously on the issue, since they haven’t done anything significant on property taxes during their nine years of total GOP control of state government.
Asked about the planned rural health care investments, Meyer highlighted how Republicans in Congress led the enhanced subsidies for Affordable Care Act health insurance expire, and last summer’s big budget reconciliation bill cut funding for rural hospitals. He said the easiest thing to do to improve health care would be to help more Iowans keep their Medicaid or private insurance coverage: “Anything else is a band-aid.”
Weiner said rural hospitals will be at least $40 million short, even with the additional federal funds. She noted that Iowa is dead last in the nation in the ratio of women to OB/GYNs and 44th in the ratio of patients to physicians overall. She mentioned that the only OB/GYN in Fort Madison is retiring, and they are closing their birth center. Not because of insufficient demand—they simply couldn’t recruit any physician to work there. In the future, women in Lee County will need to go to West Burlington to give birth.
As for fighting cancer, Weiner called for action to lower the cancer rate and a focus on preventive care. She said it wasn’t clear how Iowans would access the improved early detection options if they don’t have insurance coverage. The governor didn’t address pediatric cancer; according to Weiner, one of the top experts in that field is leaving the University of Iowa to continue their research in Florida.
Sand: “I’m concerned about what we didn’t hear”
State Auditor Rob Sand told reporters after the speech that he was concerned Iowans didn’t hear the governor acknowledge “a record state budget deficit,” a plan to fix that, or water quality. Before Reynolds’ speech, he had released a “pre-buttal” video highlighting Iowa’s weak economy and sluggish growth in personal income.
As for the rural health care, Sand drove home a point we covered on the show earlier this month: the budget reconciliation bill will cut health care funding, including cancer research, by far more than Iowa will receive back. Speaking to Dave Price of the Gray group of TV stations, Sand likened the situation to your boss saying we’re cutting your salary by 30 percent, but there will be free M&Ms at the office. You probably wouldn’t be too excited about the M&Ms.
Things Reynolds wants, but didn’t mention in the speech
The governor submitted a detailed book of budget and policy proposals to the legislature on Tuesday. As usual, lots of policies in the book did not feature in Reynolds’ prime-time speech.
For example: she’s going to ask lawmakers to approve a 2 percent increase in K-12 school funding per pupil. Democrats will point out that’s far below the rate of inflation for schools.
Reynolds also wants to create a state-based health insurance exchange. I’ve asked her staff for further details but haven’t heard back. In 2012 and 2013, as the Affordable Care Act was being implemented, the Democratic-controlled Iowa Senate wanted to create a state-based health insurance exchange. Then Governor Terry Branstad rejected the idea.
The governor will try again for legislation allowing pharmacists to dispense hormonal birth control without a prescription. (She calls it “over-the-counter birth control,” but “behind the counter” is more accurate.) In a new level of MAGA pandering, Reynolds now supports over-the counter access to ivermectin as well.
Governor wants to axe elections for some county offices
One part of the governor’s property tax bill that wasn’t in her speech was a proposal to eliminate elections for county treasurers, auditors, and recorders. Instead, county boards of supervisors would have the power to appoint those offices. What is going on here?
In the speech, Reynolds talked about consolidating services and changing the way some are delivered: “If Iowans want lower property taxes, we must also change how local government works—and who we elect to run it.” She gave some examples of cities or counties signing partnership agreements.
In interviews with other reporters, Reynolds said the county supervisors are the ones who set the budget so should be able to make those hiring decisions. She also said that as a former county treasurer she would have loved not to have to stand for election.
I have heard rumblings that there will be an effort to have state agencies assume some functions currently performed by county treasurers, assessors, recorders, public health departments, and so on. I’m working on confirming that; tips are welcome.
My viral moment
We took a minute to discuss my experience last week of being blocked from entering a budget briefing a few hours before the governor’s speech. I explained the background and why the briefing is so valuable for journalists in my post from last Friday. No one gave me a specific reason for being excluded.
Six questions about the governor's staff blocking me from a budget briefing
This original reporting and analysis first appeared at Bleeding Heartland and is shared here as part of the Iowa Writers Collaborative. For regular emails linking to all recent Bleeding Heartland articles and commentary, subscribe to the free Evening Heartland newsletter
In that post I covered a few angles we didn’t have time to talk about on the show, such as why it’s likely unconstitutional to invite most statehouse reporters but exclude a handful with a critical perspective on the Reynolds administration. I also addressed a question many readers raised: why the other journalists continued walking into the briefing while I was stopped at the door.
Chief justice warns “the sky is falling” on judicial pay
On Wednesday morning, Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Susan Christensen delivered the annual condition of the judiciary address. You can read the prepared text here or watch the video on Iowa PBS. She warned state lawmakers that “Serving as a judge in Iowa is becoming economically unsustainable,” adding, “The sky is falling on judicial pay for Iowa’s judges.”
It’s not the first time Christensen has asked lawmakers to raise judicial pay; previous chief justices have done so as well. But she brought some pretty alarming numbers this year. For instance: “Just last month, an experienced district associate judge stepped down from the bench to take a position as county attorney. Her salary immediately increased by $15,000. […] When experienced judges leave the bench for other public sector jobs that pay better, we no longer have a recruitment problem—it’s a retention problem.”
Christensen also noted that when she was a young lawyer, judicial openings would often draw 20 or more applicants. “In 2025, the average number of applicants was 5 for a district judge opening and 6.5 for a district associate judge.” There have been openings with only two applicants.
Last year, Christensen asked lawmakers to work toward bringing state district court judges’ salaries up to 75 percent of a federal district judge’s salary, which would have been a more than 10 percent increase. This year, the judicial branch is asking to raise judicial salaries by at least 4.3 percent, “to cover cost-of-living growth and to recover at least a portion of the purchasing power judges have lost in recent years.”
She also warned that Iowa is losing the capacity to have indigent defense, because more private attorneys can’t afford to take on that work. In some cases the lack of a court-appointed attorney led to criminal charges being dismissed: “If we cannot hold criminal defendants accountable, Iowans are at risk. We are playing with fire.”
I was very moved by the stories the chief justice shared about addiction and recovery. Studies have shown attorneys have the highest rate of problem drinking; she spoke about a judge, an attorney, and a former criminal defendant who are in long-term recovery. She also discussed the Iowa Lawyers Assistance Program, which “offers confidential support to judges, lawyers and law students who are struggling.”
Chief Justice Christensen was the guest on Julie Gammack’s Iowa Potluck podcast this Monday. Subscribe to receive the video when Julie releases it later this week.
Why the Iowa National Guard is in Syria
On Thursday, Iowa National Guard Adjutant General Stephen Osborn delivered the Condition of the Guard speech. You can watch the speech on Iowa PBS; a transcript of Maj. Gen. Osborn’s remarks is on that page.
He didn’t have a wish list for state lawmakers this year. Instead, he paid tribute to the Guard members who were killed or injured in Syria in December, and he recognized some 1,800 “Iowa Soldiers and Airmen who remain deployed today across the Middle East.”
General Osborn also took some time to answer a question that many have asked since last month’s tragedy: Why is the Guard in Syria? An excerpt from his prepared remarks:
The National Guard is a core component of our nation’s Total Force, providing 40% of the Army and 30% of the Air Force operational forces. The National Guard is not a backup or auxiliary; the National Guard serves as an integral component of the of United States military’s global mission to protect our nation, our allies, and our partners.
The National Guard is no longer a strategic reserve to be utilized only in times of the most extreme national emergencies. We are—and will continue to be—the primary COMBAT reserve for the United States Army and the United States Air Force. […]
I noted that Gen. Osborn referred to the “Department of War.” On “KHOI’s Capitol Week” (and at Bleeding Heartland) we will continue to call it the Department of Defense until Congress approves and the president signs a law changing the legal name of the agency.
Gen. Osborn mentioned that the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, which Congress approved in December, authorized $220 million “to recapitalize the runway at the 185th Air Refueling Wing” in Sioux City. That money would still need to be approved in a spending bill for FY 2026. Congress hasn’t yet approved the current year defense budget.
Attorney General Brenna Bird’s legislative priorities
Other statewide officials don’t deliver a big speech to the legislature, but this month they have submitted their own wish lists to lawmakers. Attorney General Brenna Bird outlined four priorities for the 2026 session:
“Katie’s Law” would require “DNA collection from individuals arrested for felony or aggravated misdemeanor offenses,” instead of waiting until after a conviction to collect DNA. Bird’s chief deputy attorney general, Steve Blankinship, previously worked for the Republican governor of New Mexico, one of the states where a version of this law was enacted.
Another bill “allows victims and prosecutors to extend no-contact orders, shortens the number of days required for sex offenders to notify sheriff of changes in residence, work, and vehicle, and allows crime victim counselors to share information with law enforcement when there is immediate risk of harm.”
Bird wants judicial officers and attorney general staff to be able to get a professional permit to carry, which would allow them to bring firearms to court and other “sensitive environments.” I forgot to mention on the show that the same bill would also enhance penalties for threatening judicial officers and immediate family members, which is ironic, given Bird’s steadfast loyalty to Donald Trump.
Finally, Bird will push again to pass a bill restricting “defense subpoenas.” The Iowa Senate has passed a version of this legislation, but it didn’t get through the House Judiciary Committee because of concerns about criminal defendants’ rights.
State Auditor Rob Sand’s legislative priorities
Earlier this month, State Auditor Rob Sand released his legislative priorities; you can read them all here. Among other things, he is asking state lawmakers to increase penalties for theft of public funds, so public employees or officials convicted of stealing $10,000 or more of public funds would have to spend some time in prison.
Sand also is seeking to roll back the limits on the State Auditor’s office that Republicans enacted in 2023. That law restricted categories of documents his staff can request and eliminated his ability to go to court to enforce a subpoena. Some of Sand’s proposals are a bit more technical, related to audits.
I forgot to mention that Sand is again asking legislators to codify his “PIE” program, which highlights Public Innovations and Efficiencies in local government.
Most if not all are non-starters in a Republican-controlled legislature when Sand is the Democratic front-runner for governor. On the other hand, House Republicans are going to push a “tough on crime” package, so maybe they could get behind enhanced penalties for stealing public funds.
Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig’s legislative priorities
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig has introduced a legislative package that he said would “support Iowa farmers, strengthen rural communities, and position Iowa agriculture for long-term success.” We didn’t have time to get into most of the details on the Iowa Farm Act; lots of Big Ag and commodity groups endorsed the proposal in the agency’s news release.
Naig is asking for a lot of tax and regulatory changes that would benefit farmers, and the bill has several provisions on biosecurity and animal disease outbreaks. Chris Jones wrote about that angle in this post for The Swine Republic.
Naig is also asking state lawmakers to increase the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship budget but more than $1 million. I noticed that the governor’s proposed budget does not include that higher appropriation.
Eminent domain bill moving quickly through Iowa House
The Iowa House and Senate also started moving legislation last week. Last Tuesday, I attended the first subcommittee of the year, on a House eminent domain bill. It’s rare to have a subcommittee before the governor’s Condition of the State. You can watch that sub on Bleeding Heartland’s YouTube channel; lots of people spoke on both sides of the bill.
House File 2104 couldn’t be more simple: “Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a person shall not exercise the power of eminent domain to acquire right-of-way for, construct, or operate a pipeline for the primary purpose of transporting carbon oxide.” The full House Judiciary Committee approved the bill last Wednesday by 19 votes to two, and it’s slated to be debated on the House floor tomorrow. I doubt there is a path for this bill in the Iowa Senate; we’ll talk about that more next week.
Some other fast-moving bills that caught my attention include proposals from the Iowa House Higher Education Committee, which we’ll discuss more next week. One is related to state university president searches and another related to mandatory U.S. history and civics classes at the state universities.
I attended the first subcommittee of 2026 on an anti-vaccine bill. (I’m sure it won’t be the last.) Republicans including State Representative Eddie Andrews, a candidate for governor, advanced Senate File 304, which would remove the ability of 16- and 17-year-olds to get the HPV vaccine without parental consent.
Two Democrats launch campaigns for secretary of agriculture
Last Monday, Iowa had no declared Democratic candidates for secretary of agriculture. Now there are two. Wade Dooley, a sixth-generation farmer in Marshall County and a past board member of Practical Farmers of Iowa, was the first to declare last Wednesday. He is what I would call a traditional candidate for this office: someone from a multi-generational farm family, who uses sustainable practices on his land.
In an interview with Radio Iowa, Dooley said, “Farmers are on debt treadmills for the most part. They’re all trying to do what’s best for their family, they’re also trying to do what’s best for their land, they’re also trying to do what’s best for their community, but at the end of the day, they’ve got to make their bank payment.” He expressed frustration with “people in the Democratic Party blaming farmers.” From Dooley’s perspective, “They’re doing it, in part, because they’re forced. They’re trying to save their farms.”
While Dooley is not well-known, he does have some high-profile supporters, including former State Senator Rob Hogg, a 2016 candidate for U.S. Senate. Dooley will appeal to Democrats who think it’s important for the party to nominate a farmer for secretary of agriculture.
On the flip side, Chris Jones, the former University of Iowa researcher who has been an outspoken critic of current policy on farming and water quality, launched his campaign for secretary of agriculture on Thursday. I attended the kickoff event in Des Moines and posted his speech on YouTube.
Jones wants to make this race a referendum on clean water. The signs said Chris Jones Clean Water for Iowa, and the campaign logo has a big drop of water. He has some well-known supporters too, including his longtime friend John Norris, a 2018 candidate for governor who previously served as chief of staff for Governor and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack.
In his speech, Jones pushed back against the idea that you have to be a farmer to run for this office. He said only about 2 percent of Iowans are farmers, but all Iowans are impacted by the way agriculture operates now. He emphasized that he’s not against farmers; in fact, he’d like to see more of them on the land. He understands that most people would make the same decisions given the current financial incentives. So we have to change those incentives.
Jones believes Iowans aren’t getting the environmental outcomes they want, and farmers aren’t getting the farm income they want. The system is only good for the big “ungovernable multinational corporations.”
I think a competitive Democratic primary will be good for the eventual nominee. It will raise the salience of the race for sure, giving the winner higher name recognition. And unlike some primaries, where there’s not much of a difference between the contenders, Democrats will have a clear choice here. Do they want to nominate a farmer who would try to improve the system incrementally, or someone who will challenge the system more broadly? Jones has said some politically incorrect things, like “We need to get rid of ethanol.”
Aside from the governor’s race, where Julie Stauch is a huge underdog, there aren’t any other competitive Democratic primaries for statewide offices in 2026.
Another national forecaster rates IA-03 a toss-up
Iowa has several closely-watched federal elections this cycle. Last week the Cook Political Report changed its rating on Iowa’s third Congressional district from “lean Republican” to “toss-up.” I think they were late to the party; I would have moved this race to toss-up months ago.
Like Cook, Sabato’s Crystal Ball also rates both Iowa’s first and third district as toss-up U.S. House races. IA-03 and IA-01 as toss-ups now. Inside Elections still sees IA-03 leaning Republican, but I would guess that will change soon. Zach Nunn didn’t outperform the top of the GOP ticket in 2024, and it’s very likely President Trump’s approval rating is underwater across the third district now.
Incidentally, the major national election forecasters all see the open second Congressional district race as “likely Republican.” While that’s a reasonable assessment, I could see that race becoming more competitive, depending on the GOP nominee.
Steen encouraging supporters to attend off-year caucuses
I made a last-minute addition to our show format after an email from Adam Steen’s campaign for governor landed in my inbox Monday afternoon. He’s asking supporters to “commit to caucus” on February 2. We don’t often talk about off-year caucuses, and I thought it was worth explaining what Steen’s up to here.
Few people attend Iowa precinct caucuses in non-presidential years. The party business conducted there could be important, though, because caucus-goers will elect county convention delegates. Those who attend county GOP conventions will elect district and state convention delegates.
Five Republicans are running for governor (Randy Feenstra, Brad Sherman, Eddie Andrews, Zach Lahn, and Steen). If no candidate receives at least 35 percent of the vote in the June 2 primary, the state Republican convention will select the nominee. If Steen fans are disproportionately represented among the convention delegates, it could be anyone’s game.
Caucus-goers will also elect precinct representatives to county central committees at the February 2 caucuses. Those positions can become important if a vacancy in the Iowa House or Senate needs to be filled, because those precinct representatives will choose candidates at special district nominating conventions.
I try to subscribe to Iowa campaign email lists, but please forward anything interesting you receive to me. I’d rather hear about something several times than miss a newsworthy item.
That’s all for now. I’ve got tons to cover at the legislature this week. Thanks for reading or listening!
Great reporting. Thanks!
I understand why it made sense to have 99 counties before automobiles, but does it make sense now? It seems like one way to save would be to consolidate some of these counties. For example, Arizona, which is larger geographically than Iowa, has only 15 counties.
I could not bear to watch the Condition of the State address by Kim Reynolds. I would prefer to have my nails pulled out by pliers instead.