District 6 Sen. Jason Schultz (R-Schleswig) is looking back at the 2025 Iowa Legislative Session, recalling some of the more consequential bills that made it through both chambers. Most legislators come into the session with a list of priorities, and Schultz says he is happy that most of his were sent to the governor’s desk.
Schultz adds that over 1,000 bills were introduced between the House and Senate this year, so narrowing down what he sees as the most important can be difficult. He says there are always controversial topics in each session, but generally, most bills that pass are bipartisan. The GOP could not get the state’s property tax reform legislation through both chambers, which was led by Sen. Dan Dawson (R-Council Bluffs) and Rep. Bobby Kaufmann (R-Muscatine). Schultz says it is frustrating because he believes they had a solid proposal.
The tax reform proposal would have also applied to cities, school districts, and other agencies with taxing authority. While it didn’t make it through 2025’s session, the Iowa GOP has already indicated it will be their key issue for next year’s session. One of the final challenges of the session was legislation on CO2 pipelines. A bill restricting the use of eminent domain for projects like Summit Carbon Solution’s pipeline was approved by both chambers in the session’s closing days. Schultz, a long-time opponent of eminent domain for that project, was one of the 22 senators to vote against that bill.
While there were some disappointments in the session, Schultz says he gives the whole session a solid grade.
While the session might be over, Schultz says he is already looking ahead to 2026 and its challenges.
