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Senate receives House message, refers S.F. 2498 to appropriations; conference committee set on S.F. 2218
Summary
The state Senate opened its session, approved the journal, received a House message listing multiple bills, referred Senate File 2498 to the Committee on Appropriations under Rule 38, and the House's insistence on an amendment to S.F. 2218 triggered a conference committee with House members Bowden, Holt, Ehlert, Matson and Thompson.
The State Senate convened and approved its journal before taking up a series of procedural items and House messages on April 15, 2026. The presiding officer announced that, pursuant to Rule 38, Senate File 2498 was referred to the Senate Committee on Appropriations.
The clerk read a message from the House stating that, on April 15, 2026, the House had passed a list of bills and transmitted them to the Senate. The secretary read the list into the record, identifying bills including S.F. 2417 (on requirements for conversational AI services as read), S.F. 2426 (physician/driver-related requirements as read), S.F. 2039 (agency judicial review with reference to the Iowa Administrative Procedure Act as read), S.F. 2168 (workforce development procedures as read), S.F. 2187 (immigrant verification and drivers' licensing as read), and several House files concerning salvage certificates, health and human service volunteer provisions, and tax exemptions related to electric generation projects (titles and transcribed wording presented by the clerk as read into the record). The clerk prefaced the reading with, "Madam president, the house has on 04/15/2026 passed the following bills." (Secretary)
The secretary also reported that the House had insisted on its amendment to S.F. 2218, which the clerk said triggers a conference committee. The House members named for that conference committee were Bowden, Holt, Ehlert, Matson and Thompson. The secretary's announcement was entered into the record as the formal trigger for the conference process.
Separately, the chamber recorded a brief introduction and recognition: Senator Donahue asked the body to welcome his clerk, Emily, who is graduating from Drake University and has accepted a law school scholarship; he also noted Emily's parents were in the gallery. The session concluded its business by recessing so members could meet in party caucuses: Senator Weiner announced, "Democrats will caucus," and Senator Clemish announced Republican caucus arrangements and the Senate was placed at ease.
No floor debate, formal motions to adopt or reject the House bills, nor roll-call votes on the listed measures were recorded during the session excerpt provided. The next procedural steps for the referred measure and the items sent from the House depend on committee scheduling and any subsequent actions taken by the Senate or by the appointed conference committee.
