Week 14 Update: The Budget

The House has passed all nine budget bills which means they’re currently in the Senate. The Senate Appropriations Committee met on Wednesday and approved HF 2557, the Transportation Budget, which is typically a bipartisan bill. Subcommittees have been assigned to a few other budget bills, but that’s it at this point.

One key issue related to the budgets currently under consideration that ABI members should be aware of is eminent domain. The provision related to eminent domain is in HF 2565, the Administrative and Regulatory budget bill. It states that the Iowa Utilities Board cannot hold a hearing before Feb. 1, 2023 for a carbon sequestration pipeline company that must submit a specific exhibit if they claim the right of eminent domain for a permit. According to a Radio Iowa article, Senator Dennis Guth, who chairs the Administration & Regulation Budget in the Senate, indicated this provision was not going to stay in his version of the bill.