From the Desk of Senator Blake

This week, I was unable to be at the Capitol due to illness. After spending the week quarantined at home with the flu and strep throat, I’m finally on the mend and plan to return next week.

Even though I was out, work continued on a bill I plan to introduce. Senate Democrats are rolling out proposals to make housing more affordable, including my bill to strengthen the first-time homebuyer program. With home prices rising, the down payment remains one of the biggest barriers to homeownership. Expanding this program will give more Iowans the support they need to buy a home.

Meanwhile, Senate Republicans introduced SJR 6, a resolution to repeal the Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund and redirect the funding to property tax relief. Iowa voters overwhelmingly approved this trust fund in 2010, but it has never been funded due to Republican opposition. While I support efforts to lower property taxes, we should respect the will of voters and protect critical conservation funding.

Housing Iowans Can Afford

I’ve talked a lot about opportunity in the first few weeks of this legislative session. We’ve discussed childcare access and paid family leave for Iowa’s working families. I’ve talked about providing adequate funding for our kids’ schools and reinforcing Iowa’s unemployment system to better protect Iowa’s workers.

These proposals are all designed with a specific goal in mind: to make life more affordable by lowering costs for Iowans.

This week, my colleagues and I are introducing a legislative package to continue those efforts by addressing a significant element affecting Iowans’ economic security: housing.

Our metros are expanding, and the proliferation of remote work broadens opportunities in our small towns and rural communities in new and exciting ways. Attracting and maintaining that growing workforce is a critical economic priority, and essential to that effort is providing robust access to housing Iowans can afford.

Our legislative package includes efforts for neighborhood revitalization and rehabilitation, affordable housing development, first-time home ownership expansion, and combatting predatory practices.

We start with neighborhood revitalization and development. We are proposing to increase funding for local housing trust funds, create Land Redevelopment Trusts, and to establish forgivable loan programs for home improvements and renovation. By partnering with and empowering local communities, municipalities, and homeowners to reinvigorate and rehabilitate existing properties – along with creating new, affordable options – we can help address dilapidated or abandoned properties and create more livable space, fostering local community growth.

We also want to make home ownership a reality for more Iowans by enhancing the first-time home buying down payment program. By increasing the available grant amount, we can ease entry into home ownership for a greater number of Iowans – many of whom may never have considered home ownership a possibility.

Finally, we want to protect Iowans from predatory practices. Out-of-state private equity firms are making a quick buck at the expense of Iowa families by gobbling up existing housing supply – including rental units – and jacking up prices. Iowans are being priced out of these previously affordable properties and my colleagues and I say enough is enough.

Our goal this session has been to work on creating economic security for Iowa families; to lower costs and make life more affordable by focusing on what Iowans really want. We believe Iowans deserve housing they can afford, and we are fighting to put that belief into practice across the state.

Action Alert

House Republicans have introduced and are fast-tracking a far-reaching bill that would strip trans Iowans of civil rights protections guaranteed by Iowa’s constitution. We anticipate that HSB 242 will move quickly through the legislative process. There is not currently a companion bill in the Senate, but we are keeping an eye out. In the meantime, you can call or email your Representative in the House and urge them to vote NO on this odious legislation. Trans Iowans are our family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers. Our duty as a Legislature should be to protect Iowans’ rights, not strip them away.

Quick Updates

Where’s the accountability? State Auditor Rob Sand revealed this week that Gov. Reynolds’ Department of Education has refused to turn over information needed to audit the state’s private school voucher program. Auditor Sand’s request came as part of his office’s Annual Comprehensive Financial Report. Despite the voucher program costing Iowa taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars, the Reynolds Administration is claiming the information falls outside the scope of the Auditor’s review. It is yet another example of the lack of transparency and accountability provided by the Republican private school voucher program.
Fetal development education legislation advanced through the Senate this week. The bill, SF 175, removes professional medical associations as recognized experts and removes the requirement that instructional information be free of racial, ethnic, sexual orientation, or gender biases. It requires schools include instruction and computer-generated videos on pregnancy and fetal development that is scientifically inaccurate and designed to elicit an emotional response based on a specific ideological viewpoint. It was proposed by an out-of-state anti-abortion organization.
Disability protections under threat: Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird has added Iowa to the Texas v. Becerra lawsuit, suing the federal government to get rid of federal law, section 504. The law mandates that schools, hospitals, and other federally funded institutions provide equal access and accommodations to disabled individuals. A 504 plan provides specialized support and accommodations to help students with special needs, covering a broad range of conditions, including visual impairments, diabetes, heart disease, epilepsy, depression, and ADHD. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently updated the rules under Section 504 in 2024, incorporating the addition of gender dysphoria to the Section 504 definition. The lawsuit not only asks the court to get rid of all the updated rules – but is asking to get rid of the whole law. The outcome could have significant implications for the enforcement of disability rights across the United States. See the full text of the September 2024 filing in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. The Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund’s FAQ page summarizes the legal points. Attorney General Bird provided a status update on Thursday saying the case had been suspended pending the Trump Administration’s review of the rules. It is important to note, however, that “suspended” does not mean the case has been dismissed. We are in a holding pattern for the moment, and I will continue to closely monitor the situation.
Purple Star Schools: SF 275 passed the Iowa Education Committee and is awaiting action by the full Senate. The bill requires the Director of the Iowa Department of Education to develop and administer a purple start school initiative that supports military-connected students and families. The Purple Star School program is designed to help schools respond to the educational and social-emotional challenges military-connected children face during their transition to a new school and keep them on track to be college, workforce, and life-ready. As of January 2025, 43 states have Purple Star School designation programs or approved legislation, and five states have proposed legislation.
Black History Month Celebrations: February is Black History Month, and many local libraries are hosting events like "Explore Visual Black History." These programs provide valuable learning experiences about African American history and culture. Check out your local library for what activities are available in your town.
Des Moines residents can request up to five free trees from the city’s forestry division. Visit the City of Des Moines website and fill out the form to register for up to five tiny trees. You can also volunteer for the program to help distribute the tiny trees to the community.
Iowa received its first significant snowfall last week and the Iowa Department of Transportation, county, and city snowplows were busy clearing the roads across the state. I want to thank all of the hardworking employees for their work and remind Iowans to be careful when driving near snowplows. There were 15 snowplows hit by vehicles this past week. Please exercise caution during hazardous conditions and give Iowa’s snowplow drivers a wide berth!

This Week in the Capitol

On Thursday, the Leadership Urbandale group visited the Capitol for a tour.

Contact Senator Matt Blake at [email protected] or follow him on social media.
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