Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds delivered her 2025 Condition of the State speech from the Iowa Capitol on Tuesday, Jan. 14. Here’s a countdown of top takeaways you need to know:
#5. Iowa is nationally ranked …
… the No. 1 state for retirement and Millennial home ownership. No. 1 for fiscal responsibility, for the third year running. No. 2 in cost of living. No. 3 in opportunity. And No. 4 in health care and educational freedom.
#4. Reynolds launches Iowa D.O.G.E.
Not content with cutting the individual tax rate from 8.98% down to 3.8% in the last six years, Reynolds looks to further find ways to cut property taxes. But to do it, government will need to spend smarter and spend less. Reynolds announced formation of a state-level Department of Government Efficiency to trim government waste.
#3. Reynolds introduces cell-phone limits
Gov. Reynolds proposed a pair of bills – one that would limit student cell phone usage in schools, and another that would enforce hands-free driving on Iowa’s roads.
#2. Aiming to help mothers and babies
Reynolds announced several partnerships and expenditures to improve health care, especially for rural Iowans and at-risk moms. The plans aim to add nurses and medical residencies, to unbundle Medicaid reimbursements for complicated pregnancies, and to add midwifery and doula services as Medicaid-payable services.
And the biggest highlight from the evening …
#1. School choice is flourishing
“Iowa families have more options than ever before,” said Reynolds, “to choose the best educational opportunities for their children.” This year, an estimated 28,000 Iowa students will use educational saving accounts, the third largest educational freedom measure in the nation. In addition, 43,000 public school students in Iowa open-enrolled to other public schools, and Iowa expanded from offering 3 to 17 charter schools.
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