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House opens with prayer; Tulip Festival queen introduced and several bills referred to committee
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Summary
The House of Representatives opened its session with a prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, welcomed the 2026 Tulip Festival queen from Orange City, had several bills introduced and referred to committees, acknowledged a campus blood drive, and recessed for party caucuses after a motion to recess passed by voice vote.
The House of Representatives opened its session with a prayer offered on the floor and the Pledge of Allegiance, then accepted multiple bill introductions and formal committee referrals before recessing for party caucuses.
Representative Tom Jenery offered the opening prayer, asking members to have "strength, wisdom, and courage" and praying for lawmakers and the governor to "find your peace and direction," concluding, "We ask this in the name of our beloved Lord and savior Jesus Christ, amen." The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Ava Truesdell of Orange City, who was visiting as part of the Tulip Festival court.
A number of bills were read into the record by the clerk and placed on committee referral. The clerk described House File 2760 as creating an attorney loan repayment program with an appropriation; HF 2761 concerns driver's licenses and nonoperator identification cards and a "gold star" marking; HF 2762 referenced a ceremonial provision tied to an anniversary of the Declaration of Independence; HF 2764 would modify school district budgeting provisions related to proposed property tax amounts; and HF 2765 addressed the regulation of mining and related penalties. Senate File 2472 was also described as a multi-topic measure addressing state and local tax and revenue divisions, a first-time homebuyer program, appropriation changes, and retroactive application provisions. Each bill was designated first review and was not yet ready for amendment.
Members paused for a ceremonial recognition when the presiding officer invited the 2026 Tulip Festival queen and her court from Orange City to the floor. "My name is Ava Truesdell, and I have the honor of serving as queen for the annual Tulip Festival in Orange City," Truesdell said, describing the court's traditional Dutch attire and inviting members to the festival's performances and events.
Representative Joe Jacoby introduced guests supporting a blood drive at the Capitol, naming Jenny Nikaido of Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies and Judy Foss of the American Red Cross. Jacoby thanked members for participating and organizers for their help. Representative Kauffman reminded members the blood drive continued until 2:00 p.m. and noted a friendly competition with the Senate.
Before adjourning for caucuses, Representative Kauffman announced that Republicans would caucus at 1:30 p.m. in Room 103 and a separate announcement set the Democratic caucus for 1:30 p.m. in Room 19. Kauffman then moved that "the House recess until the conclusion of both party caucuses." The motion was approved by voice vote and the chair declared the House in recess.
No formal debate or roll-call votes on the introduced bills occurred in this portion of the session; the matters were placed on committee calendars for further review. The House resumed with ceremonial remarks and procedural business before the recess.
