The Iowa Senate Appropriations Committee on Feb. 25 adopted internal rules for the 2025–26 budget cycle and used its organizational meeting to outline priorities and concerns for the upcoming budget process. Committee leaders emphasized fiscal restraint and called for more information on educational savings accounts.

Committee Ranking Member Janet Peterson, R., who addressed new members during introductions, said one focus will be oversight of scholarship-like programs. “Probably one of my biggest concerns going into this session is, not knowing enough about where the millions of dollars in the educational savings accounts are going, how that money is being spent,” Peterson said.

Chair Senator Kreinbrink opened the meeting and framed the committee’s task around balancing the state budget. He summarized recent fiscal changes, saying the state moved “from, basically borrowing from the rainy day fund… to close to a $7,000,000,000 surplus,” and that constituents have received benefits from the “3.8 flat tax cut that we put into, position last year.” Kreinbrink said the committee will need to set priorities and resist promising money for every request.

Members repeatedly flagged constituent concerns about property-tax assessments during the meeting. Several senators noted they are hearing more complaints about property-tax burdens and assessment practices, and said the panel will consider those concerns as it prepares the budget.

The committee also used the session for introductions: more than 20 senators identified their districts and communities, and leadership described how appropriations subcommittees will bring budget numbers forward to the full committee. Chair Kreinbrink and Ranking Member Peterson said the panel intends to operate with an open process and invited members and staff to raise questions as budget work proceeds.

Formal actions taken during the meeting were procedural. The committee approved the minutes of its prior meeting “as written,” adopted internal rules identified in the meeting as Rule 20 and Rule 39 on a voice vote, and accepted a motion to adjourn. The motion to adopt the rules was moved by Senator Julian Garrett; the motion to adjourn was moved by Senator Jesse Green. The meeting record does not include a roll-call tally for those voice votes.

The session was largely organizational: senators described the committee’s scope and expectations for the session, stressed the need for prioritization in the face of many funding requests, and signaled plans to examine how education savings-account dollars are being spent.

The committee did not take substantive programmatic votes or adopt policy changes beyond the internal rules at this meeting. Members indicated further hearings and budget work will follow as agencies submit requests and subcommittees produce numbers.