Iowa House and Senate Republicans are at odds over Gov. Kim Reynolds’ proposed immigration bill and will need to resolve their differences in a rare conference committee.
Republicans have held full control of the Iowa House, Senate and governor’s office since 2017, making public disagreements unusual. But this year each chamber has voted multiple times on Senate File 2218 without agreeing on the language.
That triggers a conference committee that will consist of members named by House and Senate leaders. Those members will meet and agree on a final deal.
House lawmakers said April 15 that their members on the conference committee will be Reps. Brooke Boden, R-Indianola; Steven Holt, R-Denison; Charley Thomson, R-Charles City; Tracy Ehlert, D-Cedar Rapids; and Heather Matson, D-Ankeny.
The Senate’s members to the committee will be Sens. Lynn Evans, R-Aurelia; Ken Rozenboom, R-Pella; Kerry Gruenhagen, R-Walcott; Cindy Winckler, D-Davenport; and Matt Blake, D-Urbandale.
The committee is likely to meet early next week.
What are the differences between the House and Senate immigration bills?
The version of Senate File 2218 the Senate passed would require the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners to ensure that anyone granted an Iowa education license is has proven they are authorized to work in the United States. Public and private schools would also to verify any prospective employees’ work authorization.
But House lawmakers voted to amend the Senate bill and replace it with Reynolds’ immigration proposal requiring state agencies to verify new hires’ eligibility using the federal E-Verify and SAVE programs.
Reynolds’ bill also creates a presumption that undocumented immigrants arrested in Iowa for a crime other than a simple misdemeanor are a flight risk and should not be granted bail. The defendant could challenge that presumption in court.
The bill would create new penalties for providing a false Social Security number to an employer.
And anyone registering to vote in Iowa would be required to swear that they are a United States citizen. Under current law, Iowans must attest that they are a U.S. citizen when they cast their ballots.
How did we get here?
The Iowa Senate first voted unanimously to pass the bill on Feb. 25.
House lawmakers voted 78 to 16 on March 17 to amend the bill and replace it with Reynolds’ language, sending it back to the Senate.
On March 31, the Senate refused to concur with the House’s amendment, sending the bill back to the House with its original language.
Finally, House lawmakers voted April 15 to “insist” on their amendment to the bill adding Reynolds’ language, triggering the conference committee.
Republicans pursuing multiple bills on immigration, employment
Republicans stepped up their efforts this year to verify Iowa workers’ immigration status after the immigration arrest of former Des Moines Public Schools Superintendent Ian Roberts last fall.
House File 2337, which makes it a crime to knowingly and intentionally falsely represent oneself as having an academic degree or credentials, is awaiting Reynolds’ signature.
And a bill adding new English language proficiency requirements for commercial driver’s license holders, Senate File 2426, is heading to Reynolds’ desk after a 73-22 House vote on April 15.
Also on April 15, House lawmakers voted 87-8 to pass Senate File 2187, which would require the Iowa Department of Transportation to use the SAVE system to check the immigration status of anyone applying for or renewing a driver’s license or nonoperator ID. The vote sends the bill back to the Senate.
House and Senate Republicans are also negotiating final language on bills that would restrict eligibility for public assistance programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and the Women, Infants and Children program.
Stephen Gruber-Miller covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. He can be reached by email at sgrubermil@registermedia.com or by phone at 515-284-8169. Follow him on X at @sgrubermiller.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa GOP at odds over Kim Reynolds’ immigration bill. What happens now?
Reporting by Stephen Gruber-Miller, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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