The 2025 Iowa legislative session has ended—not with a bang, but with the legislative equivalent of an eye roll. As lawmakers hugged it out and congratulated themselves in Des Moines, most Iowans were left asking the same question: “What exactly did they do for us?” The answer, as it turns out, is…not nearly enough. From property tax reforms that never arrived, to civil rights that were actively rolled back, and healthcare plans that created more red tape than relief, this session turned out to be a last hurrah of conservative overreach and head-scratching priorities. And yes, Governor Kim Reynolds gets a special farewell—consider it the legislative cherry on top of an underwhelming sundae.
Let us take a snarky, in-depth tour through the trainwreck—and the few bright spots—of Iowa’s 2025 legislative session. Spoiler alert: the people who needed the most help got the least attention.
Property Tax Reform: The Elephant They Pretended Was Not in the Room
Ask literally anyone in Iowa who owns property—farmer, retiree, single mom, millennial clinging to their starter home like it is a lifeline—and they will tell you the same thing: property taxes are crushing. Republicans made a whole press conference circuit earlier this year promising to address it. And then… crickets.
To be fair, they talked about it. House Speaker Pat Grassley and Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver did their little dance in front of the cameras about “hearing Iowans’ concerns.” But when it came time to legislate? They blinked. Instead of immediate, actionable relief, Iowans got an IOU for 2026. Translation: “We’ll fix it next time… maybe.”
Meanwhile, cities and school districts continue to juggle budget shortfalls with increasing service demands. And you, the taxpayer, are left paying more—again—with fewer services in return. If that feels like déjà vu, it is because it is. Local governments are now essentially being asked to operate with shrinking state support and rising voter dissatisfaction. A reform package that meaningfully rebalanced school finance, county infrastructure, and local emergency services funding should have been tabled and passed. Instead, Reynolds & Co. opted for the equivalent of sending “thoughts and prayers” to your mailbox every time your assessment notice increases.
Education Funding: A Gold Star Sticker on a Crumbling Wall
The legislature did toss $14 million toward paraeducators, and bumped per-pupil spending by 2%, or about $162 per student. Yay, right? Well, sort of. This is what we call “budget glitter”—something shiny lawmakers can point to without actually solving the foundational issues.
Let us talk about what they did not do. They did not address the teacher exodus plaguing the state. They did not resolve the Area Education Agencies (AEA) funding battles that threaten support for students with disabilities. And despite rising class sizes, crumbling infrastructure, and dwindling rural school resources, Iowa’s leaders somehow managed to prioritize attacking “woke” curricula over creating equitable, modern, inclusive schools.
Instead of funding new programs or hiring more teachers, they wasted time banning classroom discussions about gender identity in grades K–6. Because when your classrooms lack enough chairs, clearly the problem is pronouns. Maybe next session they will ban adjectives.
What Iowans wanted this year was investment: more teachers, safer schools, mental health supports, and smaller class sizes. What they got instead was culture war fluff and a back-pat over lunch money raises.
Healthcare: One Step Forward, Two Miles Back
To their credit, legislators did allocate $29 million from the opioid settlement funds toward treatment and recovery programs. This is real money, and if deployed effectively, it will save lives. That is the kind of initiative people want to see: funding evidence-based responses to real crises.
But wait—we cannot have nice things without tacking on a controversy. Enter: the pharmacy reform bill. This legislation mandates a $10.68 minimum dispensing fee for pharmacies, with the stated goal of helping independent rural pharmacies survive. Noble enough. The problem? It does not exist in a vacuum. Health plans and employers say this will explode prescription costs. Critics argue it is a giveaway to some pharmacy lobbyists while ignoring cost burdens placed on everyday Iowans and employers alike.
It is worth noting that the very same lawmakers who hate government “interference” just created a minimum charge rule and intervened in how private prescription plans operate. Hypocrisy much?
And let us not forget the cruel cherry on top: the new Medicaid work requirement. Legislators now demand that certain Medicaid recipients prove they work at least 80 hours per month. Because apparently, if you are poor and sick, your punishment is bureaucracy. Never mind that many recipients already work—often in unstable, underpaid jobs—or that this kind of red tape has failed in other states, leading to lost coverage without improving employment outcomes. It is a solution in search of a scapegoat, not a strategy.
Civil Rights: Progress in Reverse
Of all the bills that passed this session, none are more morally bankrupt than Senate File 418. In a year when trans youth are facing record violence and suicide rates nationwide, Iowa decided to yank gender identity from its list of protected civil rights categories. And in case that was not offensive enough, the bill also bans any discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity in grades K–6, and blocks changes to gender markers on birth certificates.
This is not legislation; this is a manifesto of erasure.
Governor Reynolds has long courted far-right platforms with anti-trans rhetoric, but this move cements her legacy. While her defenders claim this is about “parental rights” and “protecting children,” what they mean is this: the state will now codify exclusion and shame. LGBTQIA+ youth in Iowa—already at higher risk for bullying, homelessness, and suicide—now know their government sees them not as citizens, but as talking points in a Fox News segment.
Iowa was the third state in the nation to legalize same-sex marriage. Now, it is the first to deliberately strip gender identity from civil rights protections. Congratulations to Reynolds and the legislature—you have made history. The wrong kind.
Medicaid Work Requirements: Punching Down, As Usual
Let us spell this out: if you are disabled, recovering from surgery, taking care of an elderly parent, or living in a rural town with no public transit and no consistent jobs, the new Medicaid work requirement is going to hurt you. Full stop.
Republicans in the legislature framed this as a “compassionate” policy to encourage self-reliance. Because nothing says compassion like threatening to take healthcare away from someone unless they can log 80 hours at a minimum-wage job while battling chronic illness.
This is not a new idea. Other states tried it. Arkansas implemented a similar requirement in 2018 and quickly saw over 18,000 people lose coverage. There was no surge in employment. Just a surge in bureaucracy and avoidable suffering.
Iowa’s own Department of Human Services will now be tasked with verifying employment hours, handling disputes, and monitoring exemptions. That is not just cruel—it is expensive. The state could have used that money to fund community health clinics or expand telehealth. Instead, they chose to invest in gatekeeping.
Landowner Rights: A Rare Win in a Session of Losses
To their credit, lawmakers passed legislation tightening eminent domain rules around carbon pipeline projects. This came after months of grassroots organizing from landowners, environmentalists, and farmers who—believe it or not—do not want billion-dollar companies tearing up their land for speculative carbon sequestration projects.
The new law places a 25-year limit on permits and requires higher insurance from pipeline companies. It is not perfect, but it is a step toward fairness and transparency. For once, the legislature managed to listen to the people shouting from the town halls and not just the industry execs whispering in committee rooms.
Will it stop the pipelines? Probably not. But at least it makes them think twice—and gives landowners a fighting chance.
Governor Reynolds: Farewell to the Queen of Culture Wars
As Governor Kim Reynolds exits the stage, she leaves behind a legacy wrapped in contradictions. She styled herself as a “commonsense conservative,” but governed like a MAGA loyalist with a penchant for performative cruelty. Under her watch, Iowa turned its back on civil rights progress, mental health reform, and reproductive freedom. She sided with private corporations over public schools, and with out-of-state donors over in-state realities.
In her final legislative session, Reynolds could have pivoted. She could have taken the high road—championed housing reform, boosted mental health funding, made Iowa a leader in rural revitalization. But no. She doubled down on wedge issues, ignored pleas from vulnerable communities, and bowed to the far-right echo chamber that feeds on outrage like it is oxygen.
So here it is: goodbye, Kim. The door is over there, next to the pile of vetoed empathy and defunded compassion. May your next venture involve less harm.
Conclusion: The Session That Could Have Been—and Still Should Be
What Iowans wanted in 2025 was not complicated. They wanted to keep their homes without drowning in property taxes. They wanted their kids to be safe, supported, and taught facts—not fear. They wanted healthcare that helped, not haunted them with forms and red tape. They wanted civil rights protected, not erased. They wanted to feel heard, valued, and prioritized.
Instead, they got the Reynolds Farewell Tour: part culture war circus, part missed-opportunity museum.
But it is not too late. The people of Iowa still have power. They can organize, protest, vote—and most importantly, they can build something better by electing leaders who actually represent them. One of the most powerful choices Iowans can make in the coming year is to elevate current State Auditor Rob Sand to the Office of Governor. He has shown integrity, transparency, and a commitment to the truth—qualities that have been in short supply under the gold dome. The 2026 legislative session will be shaped by who shows up in November. Let this be the year Iowans do not just watch the sausage being made—they storm the kitchen, change the recipe, and hand the apron to someone who knows how to serve the people, not just the party.
