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The Iowa Legislature just hit the first big milestone of the current session, with the first funnel passing last Thursday.

State Senator Jake Chapman, (R) District 10, says the funnels are self-imposed deadlines for legislation to pass out of a chamber’s committee phase. The purpose is to focus the session and weed out the bills that don’t currently have enough support to make it to a floor debate. Chapman says there were a large amount of bills that survived the first funnel, and he and his colleagues are happy with the initial results. “So we had a number of bills that have made it through. I believe for Senate Republicans, all of our priority bills that we want to see have further discussion have made it through. We’ve had some very busy committees this last week, where we’re taking up 15-20 bills, honestly, in these committees to ensure that they stay eligible for the second funnel.”

Some specific bills to make it through the first funnel include: work requirements for people on Medicaid or food assistance; eliminating Daylight Saving Time; new age restrictions for tobacco and vaping products; and several constitutional amendments. The second funnel is in three weeks, and bills have to make it through the committee phase of the other chamber in order to stay eligible. The funnels don’t affect ways and means or appropriation bills, as well as items such as the Governor’s proposed one-cent sales tax increase. To learn more about this and other legislative topics, listen to today’s Perry Fareway Let’s Talk Dallas County program on air and at RaccoonValleyRadio.com.