The Thompson Times

Week two for the Iowa legislative Session was busy with many bills written by individual legislators, with associated subcommittees. The deadline to have those individual bills submitted was the end of this second week. I have submitted several regarding human trafficking and victims care along with a veteran’s bill to mirror legislation in the Senate.

As you may have seen in the news, the House passed a simple bill stating CO2 pipelines do not meet the state or federal constitutional criteria to use eminent domain. This is not about opposing the pipelines, but about opposing the use of eminent domain to construct the pipelines. The Senate has their own bill on the eminent domain issue so which bill progresses or if they move forward is unknown.

Every day during the legislative session, groups and interested parties can reserve time in the capitol rotunda to share information and present programs. Among those at the capitol this week were Veterans organizations and Veteran Service Officers (VSO) throughout the state. I was able to meet with Wright County VSO and the President of the VSO organization along with several from the Marine Corps League as well. 

This month is Human Trafficking Awareness and the Iowa Network Against Human Trafficking was at the Capitol. As the legislator writing Human Trafficking legislation, I spoke alongside Senator Bisignano at the awards ceremony to present the plan for creating the Iowa Human Trafficking Team. This is a bi-partisan mission, so Sen. Bisignano’s(D) remarks were particularly important as he stood with me as a partner in this legislation. (picture included) 

Property Tax Reform

The Iowa Senate, Iowa House and the Governor all have independent plans for property tax reform. The Iowa House just released their plan and below is a quick synopsis. 

The components of the bill include:

•Capping revenue growth at 2% plus new construction, ensuring that cities and counties are still incentivized to grow. This component includes exceptions for schools and the debt levy.

•Delivering immediate relief to every homeowner by creating a new $25,000 exemption. Every residential property will not be taxed on the first $25,000 of the assessed value of their home. 

•Revamping the informational mailer sent to every property taxpayer to increase transparency and give taxpayers a better idea of where their money is going and what it funds. 

•Clarifying that all bonds payable with property taxes must receive a 60% affirmative vote.

•Requiring Councils of Government (COGs) to help local governments find efficiencies and cut waste.

Each proposal will be evaluated, and legislature will work on the best option with one or a mix of several. Here is a link comparing the three options.https://taxrelief.org/a-side-by-side-look-at-iowas-property-tax-reform-l...

For the businesses in the area, Iowa Workforce Development (IWD) is opening a new round of grant funding to help employers advance promising summer internship programs for Iowa’s youth. Applications are now open at iowagrants.gov and will be accepted through Monday, February 16, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. Eligible grant applicants include nonprofits, educational institutions, employers, and community organizations. Priority funding will be given to programs that: Provide internships to youth at risk of not graduating, from low-income households, or who face barriers to upward mobility in the labor market. Programs must be based in a high-demand occupation as determined by the state listed on the website above. The full list of grant requirements and the notice of funding can be found at: Summer Youth Internship Program. 

Another point of interest for Iowans getting or renewing their driver’s license; this past week the Iowa Department of Transportation announced the launching of a new statewide scheduling system. The new website – https://iowadot.gov/drivers-licenses-ids/schedule-appointment – allows Iowans to look and see what appointment times would be available at all 103 state and county-run locations.

Finally, for those in Wright and Humboldt County, the county economic development office has published information on the Heart of Iowa Regional Housing Trust Fund which will assist low-income individuals with rehabilitating and repairing owner-occupied housing. For more information, contact your respective county economic development office. There is also a program in Wright County for gap financing for new single-family home purchase or rehabilitation loan. I hope those who qualify can take advantage of these programs to improve our community.