Iowa Republican lawmakers are advancing several bills that would rein in the governor’s powers with the office up for the grabs in the 2026 midterm elections.
House Republicans on a three-member subcommittee on Monday, Feb. 16, moved forward House File 2413, which would require the General Assembly to sign off on any new major administrative rules that agencies use to implement various laws and reduce the length of gubernatorial appointees’ terms to four years.
The legislation comes as Gov. Kim Reynolds has decided not to seek reelection this year, leaving the governor’s race wide open.
GOP legislators who championed the measure said it would restore more legislative oversight in the rulemaking process.
Republican Reps. John Wills of Spirit Lake, Judd Lawler of Oxford, Henry Stone of Forest City, Cindy Golding of Cedar Rapids, Taylor Collins of Mediapolis, Bill Gustoff of Des Moines, Steve Holt of Denison, Charley Thomson of Charles City and Jon Dunwell of Newton as well as House Majority Leader Bobby Kaufmann of Wilton are sponsoring the legislation.
“We want accountability to voters,” Lawler said. “That comes through elected officials, and that’s what this bill seeks to create.”
Rep. Sean Bagniewski, D-Des Moines, opposed the bill and raised concerns it would slow the state’s responsiveness to natural disasters as the state has dealt with damage from derechos, tornadoes and floods.
He said the bill may work well on a typical day but would take away state powers to act swiftly should there be a terrorist attack, bird flu outbreak or other public emergency.
“This would literally make just about everything we do in the state of Iowa take an act of the Iowa Legislature to get anything done in the state of Iowa,” Bagniewski said.
The measure would affect rules that require at least $200,000 in annual expenditures or at least $1 million within five years; have “significant adverse effects on competition, employment, investment, productivity or innovation, including significant adverse effects on individual industries or regions”; or change the state’s implementation of the federal Clean Air Act.
To approve a major rule, both chambers would have to pass a joint resolution allowing the governor to seek temporary approval by the legislative council if it must take effect outside of the legislative session. Federal law, federal funding or disaster response would need to justify the rule taking effect at that time.
The change in term length for gubernatorial appointees to state boards from six to four years would take effect for those appointed on or after July 1, 2026. The rulemaking provisions would take effect for rules published on or after July 1, 2027.
Pam Mackey-Taylor, with the Sierra Club, opposed the bill and said it diminishes public protections.
“We believe that this bill does significant micromanaging of the rulemaking process that is not necessary,” Mackey Taylor said.
Megan Schlesky, representing the Iowa Public Employees’ Retirement System, said the bill would affect the state’s largest public pension system’s annual process of setting contribution rates as an administrative rule, determining the amount of money paid into IPERS by public workers and employers.
IPERS’ investment board is reviewing the rules that would set the rates for fiscal year 2027 starting July 1.
Sarah Piziali, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ air quality bureau chief, said there are concerns the bill would divert air quality regulation to federal plans because the state agency would be unable to submit timely reports and information, including issuing industry permits.
Tyler Raygor, Iowa state director for Americans for Prosperity, spoke in support of the bill and said regulatory costs are often hidden but result in higher prices and fewer jobs. He said unelected bureaucrats can impose costly rules without lawmakers’ direct approval.
“We believe that that’s a gap in accountability,” Raygor said.
This bill is among several Republicans advanced that impose new limits on gubernatorial powers, including House File 2145 and House Study Bill 726, which seek to restrict the governor’s ability to regulate churches, including through proclamations of a public health emergency or natural disaster.
House Speaker Pat Grassley, R-New Hartford, said Republicans have contemplated such restrictions since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The governor issued an executive order after the onset of the pandemic in March 2020 that prohibited “social, community, spiritual, religious, recreational, leisure and sporting gatherings and events of more than 10 people.” The restrictions on religious and spiritual gatherings were lifted in April 2020.
Asked if House Republicans planned to put forward more bills restricting gubernatorial powers in anticipation of a Democrat potentially being elected governor, Grassley said lawmakers were preparing for the shakeup atop state government regardless of the outcome of the race.
Republicans have gone on the offense against state Auditor Rob Sand, the lone statewide elected Democrat who is his party’s frontrunner in the governor’s race. He raised about $9.5 million last year, signaling the competitive nature of the race as Democrats work to offset the substantial leads Republicans hold in voter registration totals in Iowa.
Grassley said Govs. Reynolds and Terry Branstad have provided a consistent approach to handling state government, “so anything we look at that boils down to what does it look like for the future of the governor’s race?”
“I don’t want Iowans to read into any more than the fact that we will have a different governor. That does not come from the standpoint of the Branstad-Reynolds legacy, and so those decisions that we’re making isn’t just partisan focus,” Grassley told reporters Feb. 12.
“As we’ve been looking back over the last few years, now that we’re away from the COVID and away from some of the emergency declarations, I think our caucus has said, ‘OK, it is time for us to really look at what are those important things.'”
Marissa Payne covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. Reach her by email at mjpayne@registermedia.com. Follow her on X at @marissajpayne.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa GOP pushes bills curbing governor’s powers as Reynolds’ term ends
Reporting by Marissa Payne, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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