"Republicans have made an unprecedented mess of the state's budget."
An earlier post of this video mistakenly misspelled Sen. Petersen's name, which has been corrected here.
How do Republican lawmakers plan to follow up their billion-budget deficit for FY26? With another billion-dollar budget deficit for FY27. Ta-da!
Read Sen. Petersen's full statement on the REC's latest estimates here: bit.ly/MarchREC
Iowans with disabilities who rely on home- or community-based care are facing steep cuts that threaten their services and the state's Department of Health and Human Services isn't being transparent with families. Read more here: bit.ly/4ruTMIa
HF 2716, which passed the House this week and is now eligible in the Senate, would further restrict access to federal assistance for children in need.
"Iowans are paying the cost of pollution in their water bills. To say that policy language that would help with those things is not germane to the Department of Natural Resources bill is truly unbelievable." -- Sen. Janet Petersen
Divisive bills like SF 579 do nothing to help solve the real issues Iowans face every day, like finding housing they can afford or accessing reliable childcare options.
Today, Senate Republicans voted to pass a bill that would disallow cities and local governments from instituting civil rights protections for their own citizens, expanding on the anti-transgender bill passed in 2025. More division from the majority party.
Republican lawmakers spent years creating the conditions that put laid-off Iowa workers at risk today. Truly supporting working Iowans means reversing the harmful legislative changes made in the last decade. Read more here: bit.ly/4rwhVhK
Happy International Women's Day!
In order to start digging out of the budget mess they created, Senate Republicans have proposed raising taxes on health insurance companies. The problem? Those increases will be passed on to Iowans through higher health insurance costs. Read more here: bit.ly/4la10ja
Here's Sen. Janet Petersen with a primer on Iowa's fiscal health ahead of next week's REC meeting.
It's pretty simple: if a company lays off Iowa workers and moves those jobs out of the country, it shouldn't get to keep its unemployment insurance tax break.
Layoffs don't just impact workers, they impact whole communities. Senate Democrats will continue to fight to restore slashed unemployment benefits so our communities can survive surprise job losses.
Iowa already ranks dead last in the number of OB/GYNs per capita. This is why expanding access to affordable healthcare is so critical.
It was community college day at the Capitol yesterday, and Sen. Mike Zimmer rose to sing the praises of Eastern Iowa Community Colleges. Iowa's network of community colleges provides an invaluable service, expanding education opportunities to thousands of Iowans every year.
Hunger in Iowa hasn't disappeared. SNAP participation has dropped thanks to state and federal restrictions, but food insecurity is on the rise. It's an awful cycle that punishes the Iowans most in need of help.
Several bills in front of the Senate today dealt with watering down safety requirements in housing construction. The bills do nothing to lower housing costs for renters or homebuyers, but make these properties less safe for everyone.
We all have a role to play in creating a better Iowa.
Want to save time and costs during session? Stop with the divisive detours and focus on what actually matters to Iowans.
Taking this month to honor and celebrate all the women trailblazers who've come before us. ♀️
Gov. Reynolds signed SF2201 on Thursday, ensuring school districts around the state will be forced into budget cuts and layoffs.
We're all for setting records when it comes to education -- but not like this. Every year, inadequate state funding leaves more and more schools struggling to keep up with rising costs.
During today's joint press conference with the House Democrats, Senators Janice Weiner and Tom Townsend spoke about the layoffs in Amana and Republican lawmakers' failure to work on policies that will actually benefit Iowans.
A bill that could have helped prevent animal abuse was pulled from the Senate debate calendar at the last minute today. Sen. Donahue urged her Republican colleagues to bring it back up for consideration next week.
The Legislature should be focusing on the issues that really have an impact on Iowans' lives, not distractions that don't serve anyone. Read more here: bit.ly/4kWhJGT
Today, every Iowa legislative Democrat signed on to a letter asking executives at Whirlpool to reconsider the upcoming planned layoffs in Amana. Senate Republicans were invited to participate but declined. You can read the full letter here: bit.ly/4rFCFV3
Privatized Medicaid is a failed experiment, but Senate Republicans voted to ensure Iowa's next governor can't bring us back to a better system.
