In one week, the 2019 Iowa legislative session will begin, and lawmakers around the state are gearing up for what they believe will be another busy year.

State Senator Jake Chapman, a Republican from District 10, says one of the first areas of discussion will be continued tax cuts. “My hope is, in particular this session, that we look really hard at property tax. I think that’s the next logical step in what we have been able to accomplish. And frankly, I think property tax is getting out of control. And so I suspect there’ll be some strong discussion about how we fund local government, and at the same time protect private property rights.”

Another thing Chapman expects to come up during the 2019 legislative session is the potential repeal of what he refers to as “the death tax.” He also believes they’ll have a great deal of discussion on how to increase the state’s workforce, as employers have been finding themselves without qualified applicants due to the low unemployment rate. Finally, Chapman says the legislature will continue talks on whether they will continue the replacement claims to cities, counties, and schools, commonly referred to as “the backfill,” as well as the extension of the statewide penny for school infrastructure, commonly referred to as “SAVE.”

To learn more about the upcoming Iowa legislative session, listen to today’s Perry Fareway Let’s Talk Dallas County program on air and at RaccoonValleyRadio.com.