House passes $1.042 billion education appropriation after multiple failed amendments

The Iowa House passed House File 2783, a strike-after amendment H8439 containing the FY2027 education appropriation package, after extended floor debate and several recorded roll-call votes on amendments addressing mental-health funding, special education, vouchers and cancer research.

Floor manager Representative Gilbach summarized the package, saying it "will appropriate over $1,000,000,000 — $1,042,000,000 — in general fund dollars" for the Department of Education, community colleges, Iowa Public Television, the Board of Regents and related education programs. Highlights mentioned on the floor included: a $5,000,000 increase to special education, $335,000 for dyslexia endorsements, $500,000 for school cybersecurity, $3.5 million for community colleges, $33,500,000 from the ACE infrastructure program for career training and physical expansion, and a $76,000 addition for school food service tied to summer EBT enrollment.

Amendment H8445 (technical FTE correction) passed on a voice vote. Several substantive amendments were debated and defeated on recorded roll calls: H8442 (Levin) — a $1,000,000 mental-health appropriation for Regents universities — failed 26–59; H8443 (Matson) — a special-education work group to review weightings and definitions — failed 26–59; H8444 (Matt Smith / Matson) — a transparency and reporting amendment on vouchers with reinstated income caps — failed 25–60; and H8446 (Beth) — $450,000 to expand a cancer epidemiology study at the University of Iowa — failed 30–55.

Critics on the floor argued the package left unmet needs in mental-health funding and special education and objected to voucher allocations; proponents emphasized priorities including workforce alignment and efficiency measures for Regents universities. Representative Levin urged support for the mental-health appropriation and framed it as a student-safety and wellness priority; Representative Gilbach and other supporters said funding decisions balance priorities and efficiency.

The final roll-call for HF2783 as amended was 58 yeas, 27 nays and 15 absent; the bill passed the House and the title was agreed to. The House ordered HF2783 messaged to the Senate.

Next steps: HF2783 will be transmitted to the Senate for consideration; several defeated amendments indicate continuing floor-level disagreement on funding priorities.