Friday was the first legislative deadline, what people at the Capitol call a "funnel deadline." Bills that did not make it out of their assigned committee by February 18 are no longer eligible for debate. They are "dead" and will no longer be debated. Bills that were voted out of committee are now ready for debate by the full House or full Senate, the next step in the process.
Legislators will spend this week debating bills, what we call "floor debate." All 100 Representatives will vote on House bills, and all 50 Senators will vote on Senate bills. They have another deadline coming up in just one month - by March 18 all bills must be ready for action in the second chamber (House bills must be ready for Senate debate; Senate bills ready for House debate). That's a lot of work ahead.
The House and Senate tax bills are now sitting on the Senate Calendar. The Senate Regular Calendar is a list of bills that are ready for Senate debate. The "Daily Debate Calendar" is a list of bills legislators may debate that day. You can see these calendars here. As you may remember, the Senate tax plan cuts $2.2 billion in taxes by 2028. The House tax plan cuts $1.6 billion in taxes by 2028. That sounds good - paying less in taxes - but it also means legislators will have less money coming in to spend on things like Medicaid and Home and Community Based Services (HCBS).
More than half of the bills in the infoNET Bill Tracker are now dead; the rest are ready for action, but may need some extra help. If you see something in the Bill Tracker you like, let your legislators know!
Remember, you can watch or listen to floor debate daily here - either live or the daily tapes. Follow us on social media (#infonetiowa; @infonetiowa) for upcoming debates that may interest you.
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