DES MOINES, Iowa — The Iowa Legislature reconvened Monday for a somewhat subdued start to the 2024 session given the flurry of legislation passed last year and the one-week countdown to Republicans' presidential caucuses.
Before gaveling in, Iowa Republicans celebrated their trifecta — control of the House, Senate and governor's mansion — and the policies they passed last year, including creating publicly funded educational savings accounts to help families pay for private K through 12 schools and cutting property taxes.
“The impact of Republican leadership is undeniable," Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said at a Republican Party of Iowa breakfast. “With just one week away from the Iowa caucus, the eyes of the country are going to be on Iowa once again. And, you know what, I am so proud of what they will see.”
The chambers were last filled in July for a special session, which Reynolds convened to pass a ban on abortion after about six weeks of pregnancy, which is currently on hold as it is reviewed by the state Supreme Court.
Republican leadership in the House and Senate both identified cutting income taxes and addressing worker shortages as priorities for the new year.
Leaders on both sides of the aisle also acknowledged last week's shooting at Perry High School, wherein a 17-year-old opened fire on the first day back to school after winter break, wounding seven students and staff and killing an 11-year-old boy.
“One of our main themes is making sure Iowa's a safe place to live and raise a family,” said House Speaker Pat Grassley. “Unfortunately, the tragic shooting in Perry at a high school just four days ago has reinforced that this is more urgent than ever.”
Grassley identified security in schools and mental health as important factors. He also argued that safety at schools means “ridding our classrooms and school libraries of inappropriate material," referring to a law a judge has put on hold that would remove books with “sex acts” from school libraries.
In the House chamber, there was agreement from Republican and Democratic leaders that their work this session needs to address Iowa students' safety in schools.
In her opening remarks, House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst identified reproductive rights, recreational marijuana and public education as her caucuses' priorities, along with school safety, saying an idea shouldn't be discounted in the Republican-controlled chamber just because it's introduced by Democrats.
"We work everyday to put people over politics," Konfrst said. "You know we have our agenda: We're gonna defend reproductive freedom, we're gonna defend public education, we're gonna fight to legalize marijuana and give Iowans the freedom to choose, and we're going to continue to work to lower costs for Iowa families."
Democrats also said they want to reach across the aisle to draft more bipartisan legislation.
"The word I would use to describe so many of our fellow Iowans is 'frustrated'," Konfrst said. "I gotta tell you friends: they don't like any of us. They're sick of politics and they're sick of politicians."
House Majority Leader Matt Windschitl agreed with Konfrst, saying Republicans want to work across the aisle despite party differences.
"I'd say probably 80% of your speech is exactly what I was going to say," Windschitl said. "Alright, I remember sitting down at that table, I remember having that conversation, but not just that conversation I remember having many conversations where you and I were able to make things work smoothly."
Later Monday, several hundred students, parents, activists and Democratic legislators rallied in the Iowa Capitol rotunda in response to last week's shooting about 40 miles (65 kilometers) northwest of Des Moines. High school and college students in the Des Moines metro area also walked out of classes Monday to advocate for stricter gun laws in the state.