The Iowa General Assembly adjourned sine die on April 22, 2017.  Legislators approved a state budget of $7.293 billion, effective for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2018.

Gov. Terry Branstad must sign or veto any bills received in the last three calendar days of the legislative session within 30 calendar days.

Gov. Terry Branstad called a special election for House District 89.

Democrat Jim Lykam resigned after winning the Senate District 45 seat previously held by Sen. Joe Seng, who passed away on September 16, 2016.

The special election for House District 89 will be held on January 31, 2017.

President-elect Donald J. Trump has selected Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad as the ambassador to China.

Branstad’s amiable relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping was a major factor in Trump’s decision to choose the Iowa governor.

If Branstad accepts the position and is confirmed by the Senate, Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds will finish the rest of Branstad’s term as the first female governor of Iowa .

Photo of Terry Branstad by Gage Skidmore on Wikimedia Commons.

Gov. Terry Branstad has scheduled a special election for Iowa Senate District 45 on December 27, 2016.

The special election will fill the vacancy created by the passing of Sen. Joe Seng.

Branstad wanted the special election to be held on the same day as the general election, but the county auditor declined the request because adding the special election would cause undue delay in delivering absentee ballots.

State Sen. Joe Seng lost his battle with brain cancer on September 16, 2016.

Seng was elected to represent District 45 for the fourth time in 2014.

As Seng’s seat was not up for election this year, a special election will need to be called to fill his remaining term.

The 2016 session of the 87th General Assembly adjourned on Friday, April 29, 2016.

The House and Senate have agreed to continue state funding for Planned Parenthood clinics and to double the state tax credit for adoptions.

Legislators also approved a state budget of $7.35 billion, effective for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2017.

A special election will be held to fill a vacant seat for Iowa House District 21.

The special election is slated for December 8, 2015, following the death of Representative Jack Drake earlier in the year.

The Iowa Legislature adjourned on Friday, June 5, 2015, after the Senate approved a state budget of $7.3 billion, effective for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2015.

Gov. Terry Branstad now has 30 days to approve or reject the budget.

Photo of the Iowa State Capitol by Carol M. Highsmith on Wikimedia Commons.

Gov. Terry Branstad signed Senate File 135 into law on April 24, 2015. The bill increases political expenditures triggering filing requirements for committees to $1,000.

The bill also amends the definition of an independent expenditure to be one or more expenditures in excess of $1,000. It also makes anonymous contributions in excess of $25 illegal.

Beginning January 1, 2016, all committees not already required to file electronically must do so by 4:30 p.m. of the day the filing is due.

Senate File 135 takes effect July 1, 2015.

Gov. Terry Branstad has called a special election on January 6, 2015 to fill the state House District 4 seat formerly held by Dwayne Alons.

Alons passed away recently after serving in the Iowa Legislature since 1999.

The timing of the special election will allow the newly elected lawmaker to be present for 2015 legislative session, which convenes January 12, 2015.

Gov. Terry Branstad has called a special election for state Senate District 12. The special election is scheduled for December 30, 2014.

The election will fill the vacancy left by Joni Ernst, who resigned from the state senate after being elected to the U.S. Senate in November 2014. Ernst’s former senate district includes Fremont, Mills, Montgomery, Page, Ringgold, and Taylor counties.

The 2014 session of Iowa’s 85th General Assembly adjourned Friday, May 2, 2014.

While in session, legislators considered an array of legislation, including anti-bullying and the use of medical marijuana for epilepsy patients.

Legislators also agreed on the 2015 fiscal budget for the state.

Corporations in Iowa are still prohibited from making campaign contributions, despite an attempt by non-profit corporation Iowa Right to Life Committee, Inc. to remove the ban. The Supreme Court of the United States denied review of the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals case with no comment.

In Iowa Right to Life v. Tooker, plaintiff Iowa Right to Life alleged the ban on corporate contributions is an unconstitutional bar to free speech and equal protection. The Eighth Circuit did not agree, thus upholding the ban.

The Iowa Ethics and Campaign Finance Disclosure Board has proposed a requirement for all campaign finance reports to be filed electronically. Currently, the only reports required to be filed electronically are those of legislative and statewide campaigns.

In order for the proposal to become law, it must be approved by the Iowa Legislature. An amendment to the bill allowing waiver by the state ethics board of the e-filing requirement for extenuating circumstances is likely to be considered by the House State Government Committee.