By O. Kay Henderson (Radio Iowa)

The 2026 Iowa legislative session begins later this morning, with property taxes and property rights topping the agenda for Republicans who hold 100 of the 150 seats in the Iowa House and Senate.

After several years of stalemate, House Speaker Pat Grassley said it would be good to quickly resolve the debate over whether Summit Carbon Solutions should be allowed to seize some of the property along its proposed pipeline route. “I’m not going to get myself locked in on a specific timeline, but I don’t think it’s something that we want to let, purposely, linger,” Grassley told Radio Iowa. “If there can be an agreement reaching on eminent domain, I think we should engage in those conversation.”

Governor Reynolds voted a wide-ranging bill on the topic last spring. Senate Republican Leader Mike Klimesh is suggesting a bill that would set up a 10 mile zone around a proposed pipeline route, letting companies bypass unwilling landowners and find others who’d voluntarily let the pipeline run through their land. “My personal priority is for that to be one of the first things we tackle in the session,” Klimesh said. “I think it’s important for both chambers and the governor’s office that we come to a consensus and a solution.”

House Republican Leader Bobby Kaufmann of Wilton indicated the conversation about property taxes is focused on “how much of a revenue restriction” legislators will impose on cities and counties. “I think you’re going to see whatever we end up doing being bold and something that people can understand and something that people will feel the effects positively,” Kaufmann said.

Senate Democratic Leader Janice Weiner of Iowa City said property tax reform should be focused on the Iowans who really need it. “Older Iowans, people on a fixed income and reform shouldn’t mean stripping local government of the ability to provide public safety and so forth.”

Last week Democrats in the Iowa House proposed freezing property taxes for all Iowans above the age of 65, along with a four percent limit on younger homeowners’ yearly property tax payments. House Minority Leader Brian Meyer said Democrats are focusing on “the affordability conversation” that’s happening across the country. “There’s a lot of talk about things that are going to be coming up during the session, but the bottom line is that it is becoming increasingly difficult to be able to afford to live in this state.” said Meyer, who indicated House Democrats will propose increasing the state program for low or moderate income first-time home buyers from $2500 to up to $10,000 in down payment assistance.

House Republicans intend to propose a tough-on-crime package this year that would require longer prison sentences for repeat offenders. Speaker Grassley said Scott County, for example, is seeing the ripple effect of soft-on-crime laws across the river in Illinois and it’s time to make Iowa law tougher on career criminals. “Iowans expect to have a safe place to live,” Grassley said. “It’s one of benefits of why we live here.” Iowa’s violent crime rate currently ranks 32nd among the states and Iowa’s murder rate is about half the national average.

This fall the governor’s Government Efficiency Task Force recommended a study to examine offering public employees the choice between a pension or a 401(k) plan, but Republican legislative leaders immediately said they’re have no interest in making changes to the Iowa Public Employees Retirement System this year. Democrats like Senate Minority Leader Weiner are skeptical. “The talking point that I’ve heard from our Republican colleagues is they don’t have the ‘appetite’ to deal with IPERS this session,” Weiner said. “Would they have the appetite next session, once it’s no longer an election year?”

House Democrats plan to propose a constitutional amendment which would prohibit changes in the state-run retirement system known as IPERS. About one in 10 Iowans are either getting an IPERS pension today or are enrolled in IPERS because they’re employed by the state, a school district or some other local government in Iowa.

Last week Governor Kim Reynolds appointed a task force to advise state officials and lawmakers on nuclear energy technology and infrastructure. During an interview in December, Senate Majority Leader Klimesh said energy growth is directly tied to economic growth and the 2026 legislature should examine Iowa’s energy regulations. “I liken it to a game of musical chairs,” Klimesh told Radio Iowa. “All the states will be vying for capital investments. All the states are looking for energy policy changes or improvements to help incentivize that and Iowa needs to be in a chair when the music stops.”

The Iowa House and Senate are scheduled to start the 2026 legislative session this morning at 10 a.m. Tomorrow night Governor Reynolds is scheduled to deliver the annual “Condition of the State” address in the House chamber.