After spending Easter weekend with our families, the 13th week of session was busy as we talked about important issues in the Iowa Senate. One of the big issues debated this week was House File 2254, which requires the Board of Regents to develop a policy prohibiting the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics from including noncompete clauses in any contract with a physician.
The bill applies to all employment contracts between the UIHC and advanced registered nurse practitioners, licensed practical nurses, pharmacists, physician assistants, registered nurses and physicians that were entered into, extended, or renewed on or after the effective date of the bill. This is a huge win for rural hospitals, our workforce and Iowans looking for care. It gives Iowans a greater ability to find work in our state, helping address workforce needs in this important area. We have done other legislation in the past to help address our health care workforce challenges, and this bill is one more way we can help improve it in our state.
Iowa Senate Republicans continue to deliver for Iowans and we are thrilled to see the Iowa Make American Healthy Again Act pass in the Senate. The Iowa MAHA Act aims to refocus the state’s efforts to improve nutrition, physical activity and healthy foods for all Iowans, but with an emphasis on children. Good habits start young and to improve our trends we need to educate and hold our systems accountable to achieve these goals. One of those efforts includes the removal of artificial food dyes for school lunch programs. Studies have shown these chemicals, which have zero health benefits, can contribute to behavioral issues.
This bill also codifies a requirement that the SNAP program follows the healthy food guidelines approved by the USDA, ensuring taxpayer dollars are being used to buy healthy, nutritious foods that are improving the health of Iowans. This bill will greatly benefit the health of Iowans and make improvements in our state for a healthier lifestyle.
We also had some big wins related to education this week. We recently learned that Iowa’s high school graduation rate climbed to 88.8% in 2025, marking the highest rate in five years, according to new data from the Iowa Department of Education increasing from 88.3% for the class of 2024. About 35,116 students graduated in 2025, nearly 1,000 more than the previous year. This marks the first time since 2020 the rate has exceeded pre-pandemic levels. In 2019, the rate was 88.3%. We have been working on several policies to help ensure students are being taught the essentials they need to be successful in school and after, and we are proud to see Iowa’s graduation rates improving.
Historic property tax relief overhaul passes Iowa Senate
After months of work and discussions, this week the Iowa Senate passed a historic property tax overhaul to provide real relief to Iowans, reform Iowa’s broken property tax system, and restore Iowa’s infrastructure. It represents a vision for a better property tax system that favors Iowa property taxpayers, and is simpler, fairer and more transparent. This is a proposal that we released on the very first day of session to show Iowans this was a big priority, and we were proud to bring this bill to a vote this week.
Senate File 2472 provides a 50% discount on taxable value for every single Iowan who owns a home. It also increases the discount to 60% when Iowans turn 60 years old and adds an additional 10% to that discount every decade. To give Iowans even further relief, the bill automatically lowers levies when property inflation rises above 2%. The proposal also modernizes Iowa’s property tax system to make it more transparent and stable for Iowans. It eliminates the antiquated variable rollback system and allows all public notices to be posted online.
As we gathered more feedback, questions and concerns throughout the summer and fall, one of the things we heard was the need to continue offering services in our cities and towns. The bill includes additional flexibility measures to give local entities the ability to raise the local option sales tax to 1.25 cents to ensure public safety can be funded and lower property taxes. Additionally, Senate File 2472 includes a fuel tax index to guarantee additional funds to restore Iowa’s roads and bridges.
Iowa has the worst bridges in the country, and cities and counties are worried about being able to maintain Iowa’s infrastructure, a necessary ingredient to economic growth. Our proposal ensures fuel taxes never increase more than one cent a year and cannot increase more than three years in a row. The legislature also has the ability to come in and reduce the fuel tax at any time. This ensures additional funds that are constitutionally protected go to Iowa’s infrastructure, with over 53% of those funds going to city, secondary, and farm-to-market roads.
This bill says we are no longer interested in Band-Aid approaches or short-term fixes. It is the biggest property tax overhaul Iowa has seen in decades. It works to create a system that is better for Iowa’s homeowners, offers more flexibility for local governments while controlling spending, and restores Iowa’s roads and bridges to help the economy grow. This bill passed the Senate 41-4 and is now being considered in the Iowa House.
I rely on your input because everything we do as a General Assembly affects you personally. You can email me at lynn.evans@legis.iowa.gov to voice your support or concerns on upcoming legislation. Visit the legislative website for information about bills important to you or to follow the work of the legislature: www.Legis.Iowa.Gov
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