The first funnel of the 2025 Iowa Legislative Session was this past Friday, but District 11 Representative Craig Williams (R-Manning) says the deadline only slightly limited the number of bills still eligible for debate. More than 1,200 bills have been introduced in the Iowa House since the beginning of the year, and more than 300 are still alive after the funnel, 190 of them last week alone, according to Williams.
Like any other session, Williams notes there are some disagreements between the parties on some legislation, but generally speaking, most of the House bills that are still alive have support from both sides of the aisle.
Williams adds what he expects to be the most controversial bill of the session, removing “gender identity” from the Iowa Civil Rights Act, has already made it to the governor’s desk to be signed into law. However, there a few others that may yet be contentious.
Last month, the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals struck down a portion of the U.S. Code that prohibits federal firearms licensees (FFLs) from transferring handguns to individuals under 21 years old. Williams is pleased to report there were not any bills that he was backing that did not make it through the first funnel. He says the next few weeks are a scramble to get the 350 or so bills to the House floor before the second funnel on April 4.
After April 4, only bills that have passed at least one chamber and a committee in the other chamber remain eligible, excluding appropriations, ways and means, government oversight, and other similar areas.
