The 2020 Iowa General Assembly is off and running, and amid the pomp and circumstance of the first week, much has already been discussed.

State Representative Chris Hagenow, (R) District 19, says the Legislature has a lot of activity during the first week, much of which is driven by Governor Kim Reynolds in her first speech of the session. “Probably the biggest thing that happens in that first week is the Governor’s condition of the state address. Besides just being a speech, it’s very substantive, because that’s where she lays out her proposed budget for the year that we will work off as we move through session. Also our committees begin their work together (to) start the conversation about what particular bills might be moving through those different committees. Then we also have internal conversations among one another about what bills individuals might want to run. So there’s a lot that happens, you know you might not see us moving bills off the floor of the House, but we’re moving that direction pretty quick.”

Hagenow says some of the items Reynolds included in her speech that perhaps raised some eyebrows included raising the state sales tax, a constitutional amendment to take away the right to an abortion, and allocating around $103 million in new money to public education. To learn more about this and other State Legislature topics, listen to this Monday’s Perry Fareway Let’s Talk Dallas County program on air and at RaccoonValleyRadio.com.