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Legislators and other government officials are back in Des Moines to start the 2023 session of the 90th General Assembly.
The first week of session is full of procedural tasks before the legislature can get to work. Monday saw the House of Representatives swear in all members including 38 new members and the Senate swear in incumbents and 14 new senators.
The week began with leadership from both parties in each chamber giving remarks on what they hope to accomplish this session. Republican leaders focused on educational choice and property tax reform with Speaker Pat Grassley (R-New Hartford) saying “Now, the tax we hear about the most is property taxes. We need reforms that put the taxpayer first.”
Tuesday evening the governor gave her annual Condition of the State address where she laid out her budget overview and goals she hopes to accomplish this legislative session. Her overall budget proposal sees a 3.3% increase over current funding levels. You can watch the full speech and some rebuttal from Senate Minority Leader Zach Wahls here.
She laid out her plan for a new education savings accounts program that will allow families to use about $7,600 of state money for education of their choice, starting with low-income families and expanding over 3 years to eventually be available to all Iowa families.
Rounding out the week, Governor Reynolds was sworn into her 2nd full term as governor following her election win in November. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig was also sworn in Friday and other department heads were sworn in throughout the week.
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