The 2025 Iowa legislative session officially adjourned in the early-morning hours of May 15 after lawmakers worked through the night to finalize a state budget for fiscal year 2026.
The 123-day session also saw the passage of various bills and appropriations related to higher education. Gov. Kim Reynolds has until June 14 to sign or veto any of the 176 bills that cleared the legislature. By contrast, legislators introduced 2,360 bills this session.
In advance of the legislative session, Iowa State requested nearly $11.8 million in additional appropriations from the state for the fiscal year that begins July 1. University leaders didn't seek an increase to general university operating support but instead grouped seven funding requests into two focus areas: Enhancing Iowa's rural economy and supporting Iowa businesses.
The legislature approved about $1.7 million in additional appropriations for Iowa State that focus on the state's agriculture economy. They are:
- An operations increase of $1 million for the Agricultural Experiment Station, the state's only public agricultural research program.
- A $299,898 operations increase for the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory (VDL).
- A one-time appropriation of $250,000 for VDL moving expenses and equipment.
- A one-time $100,000 additional appropriation for livestock disease research.
- A new $50,000 appropriation to support a study on the ability of the state Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship's Choose Iowa food program to serve rural grocers.
Higher ed policy bills
The legislature also passed a series of higher education policy bills, four of which Reynolds has signed into law.
On May 6, Reynolds signed both House File 295: Accreditation Autonomy Act, which prohibits an accrediting agency from taking adverse action against an Iowa public university for following state laws, and House File 440: College Affordability Act, which requires the Iowa Board of Regents to:
- Establish tuition rates by April 30 of the previous fiscal year.
- Begin implementation of at least one work-study program in which a student engages in part-time employment while pursuing a degree, with the employer being financially responsible for the student's tuition.
- Conduct a study on establishing a "tuition guarantee program" across Iowa's three regent universities. This policy would guarantee that undergraduate students classified as Iowa residents during their first academic year of enrollment would not experience a tuition increase during their subsequent years of undergraduate enrollment for three consecutive academic years.
At the April 24 regents meeting, board president Sherry Bates announced a tuition study group, comprising regents David Barker and Christine Hensley, to "research the merits of a tuition guarantee program" for resident students at any regent university. Bates asked to receive the study group's report by the board's November meeting.
House File 889: Parental Leave was signed by the governor on May 27 and guarantees paid leave for state employees eligible for leave under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act: four weeks of paid leave for a parent who has given birth and one week of paid leave for a parent who has not given birth. The bill also guarantees four weeks of paid leave for state employees who adopt a child. Look for more information on what this means for ISU employees in the next Inside.
"After working on it for three years, the families-first bill is finally state law," Reynolds said in a statement after signing HF 889. "We are giving state employees paid parental leave, joining 24 other states and the federal government. This bill will provide the crucial time needed for employees to bond with their newborn children."
Reynolds also signed House File 856: DEI Ban on May 27. The bill prohibits state and local governments from spending money on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, and authorizes the Iowa attorney general to bring enforcement action.
The governor has not yet taken action on Senate File 288: Pregnancy Accommodation, which would require regent universities and community colleges to provide reasonable accommodations for pregnant students and those who recently gave birth. Universities and community colleges already are required to fulfill these accommodations under Title IX.
The Legislature maintains a regularly updated list of bills the governor has signed from Iowa's 91st General Assembly.
