Iowa House passes House File 2800, sending the standing appropriations bill to the Senate

The Iowa House approved House File 2800, the standing appropriations bill, and ordered the measure messaged to the Senate after a final recorded vote of 58 Aye, 26 No, and 16 absent.

Clerk read the bill caption on the floor: the bill relates to state and local government and finances, including making, modifying, limiting, or reducing appropriations, authorizing expenditures of certain funds, and a range of substantive provisions — among them references to the national electrical code, local civil-rights laws, state and local finance adjustments, and provisions affecting education, public assistance programs, judicial and county attorney salaries, and other items.

On the floor the House considered several amendments while taking up HF 2800. Amendment H8491 (sponsor: Representative Collins) was adopted by voice vote and incorporated into HF 2800; amendment H8494 (sponsor: Representative Cooling) failed in a roll-call vote (27 Aye, 56 No, 17 absent). Amendment H8493 (sponsor: Cooley of Lynn) was presented but the sponsor asked for more time to refine the design and the request to take it up later was granted by unanimous consent.

After the final vote, the chair asked if there were objections to the bill title; hearing none, the title was agreed to and the clerk was instructed to immediately message HF 2800 to the Senate. The presiding officer then moved that the House stand at ease.

What it means: HF 2800 moves to the Senate with floor amendments adopted by the House. The bill covers a wide set of appropriations and policy changes, and floor debate included discussions about code provisions and cost-versus-safety trade-offs for construction-related requirements.