Iowa
House committee advances bill to raise pay for lawmakers, statewide elected officials • Iowa Capital Dispatch
A panel of House lawmakers approved legislation Wednesday that would increase pay for legislators and statewide elected officials by $10,000.
The House Appropriations Committee passed House Study Bill 750 on a 17-8 vote. The bill raising salaries for legislators and statewide elected officials advanced quickly in the expected final days of session. The measure was introduced Tuesday, and a subcommittee unanimously approved it the same day.
Lawmakers quickly moved on the bill during the committee meeting, with Rep. Adam Zabner, D-Iowa City, saying that it is “a good bill, it’s good for Iowa.”
During the subcommittee meeting on the legislation, lawmakers spoke more in depth about the need for a pay increase. Rep. Steve Holt, R-Denison, said no one likes to talk about giving themselves a pay raise, but that legislators need to face the “reality” that action must be taken to ensure that all Iowans are able to realistically consider serving in office.
“The unfortunate reality we face is: Do we want our Legislature made up of a bunch of rich folks and retired folks?” Holt asked. “Because that’ll be the only ones that can afford to serve up here. Or do we want the representation of the Legislature to be based upon the people of Iowa?”
The bill would increase the pay for Iowa representatives and senators to $35,000 a year, as well as raising the pay for lawmakers in leadership positions including House speaker, Senate president and each chamber’s majority and minority leaders to $47,500. The House speaker pro tempore and Senate president pro tempore would earn a salary of $37,000.
The bill would also grant a $10,000 raise to statewide elected officials, putting Gov. Kim Reynolds’ salary at $140,000 and Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird at $133,669. Other elected officials, including Iowa’s secretary of state, state auditor, treasurer and secretary of agriculture would all have their salaries increase to $133,212 annually.
These increases would go into effect starting in the 2025 legislative session. Beginning in 2026, the bill would apply a cost-of-living adjustment each year to legislators’ pay equal to the average adjustments negotiated by public collective bargaining units representing workers like police officers and government employees.
Current salaries — legislators make $25,000 annually — have been brought up in retirement speeches as lawmakers seek to end the session. Rep. Phil Thompson, R-Boone, said during his retirement speech earlier in April that while he enjoyed serving as a legislator, he could not afford to continue to serve as he and his wife are expecting their first child, Radio Iowa reported.
“As rewarding as this work is, it really isn’t cut out for working age families,” Thompson, 33, said. “You guys should really fix that if you want a representative government.”
The Iowa Legislature generally meets four months out of the year and many lawmakers maintain other employment.
Rep. Joel Fry, R-Osceola, said Tuesday “we’ll see where where we go” with the bill this year, as it has not been agreed upon with Senate Republicans or the governor. He also echoed others’ comments about why the pay increase is needed.
“I think it’s very modest increase actually, what we’re looking at here on this bill, and also believe that if we want the representation of people across Iowa to serve in this role, that we have to look into that we’re paying those folks to be here,” Fry said.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) — Volunteers broke ground Saturday for Iowa Valley Habitat for Humanity’s 16th Woman Build, honoring a retired University of Iowa nursing professor.
Liz Swanson, a retired nursing professor, was chosen as this year’s honoree for her decades of impact. The Women Build program focuses on including women in every step of home construction.
While the home is built in Swanson’s honor, it will go to a fellow nurse and mother of three. The family applied through the affordable housing program.
Swanson said she’s proud to be part of a project that directly connects to her nursing legacy.
“It’s very special to have the unique opportunity to help the nurse who is working nights,” Swanson said.
Swanson said stable housing gives families the security to plan for the future.
“It means security for families. We talked briefly to the children and they said, ‘we’re gonna have our own bedroom,’” Swanson said.
Volunteers are set to begin work on the home in August. Those interested in volunteering can find more information here.
Copyright 2026 KCRG. All rights reserved.
The Iowa Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big with rewards ranging from $1,000 to millions. The most an Iowan has ever won from playing the lottery was $343 million in 2018 off the Powerball.
Don’t miss out on the winnings. Here’s a look at Friday, May 8, 2026, winning numbers for each game:
Winning Mega Millions numbers from May 8 drawing
37-47-49-51-58, Mega Ball: 16
Check Mega Millions payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick-3 numbers from May 8 drawing
Midday: 0-5-8
Evening: 9-9-2
Check Pick-3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick-4 numbers from May 8 drawing
Midday: 0-2-7-3
Evening: 0-7-0-6
Check Pick-4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from May 8 drawing
14-16-21-43-51, Bonus: 03
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
When are the Iowa Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10:00 p.m. CT on Tuesday and Friday.
- Lotto America: 9:15 p.m. CT on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Lucky for Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
- Pick 3 (Day): 12:20 p.m. CT daily.
- Pick 3 (Evening): 10:00 p.m. CT daily.
- Pick 4 (Day): 12:20 p.m. CT daily.
- Pick 4 (Evening): 10:00 p.m. CT daily.
- Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by an Iowa editor. You can send feedback using this form.
IOWA — Iowa’s new restrictions on SNAP benefits are drawing concern from advocates who say the changes could make it harder for families to buy food and could put future summer assistance for children at risk.
The state’s SNAP waiver took effect January 1, 2026, limiting what items can be purchased based on Iowa’s taxable food list. While that includes widely discussed restrictions on soda and candy, the policy also affects certain prepared foods, creating confusion for shoppers.
“Something as small as whether or not a utensil is included in a food item actually impacts whether or not you can continue to purchase that item using your SNAP benefits,” Paige Chickering, Iowa State Manager for the Save the Children Action Network, said.
Advocates say the rules can be difficult to navigate, especially for people relying on quick meals. Items like prepackaged salads or sandwiches may or may not qualify depending on how they are packaged.
At the same time, new legislation slated for the next session at the statehouse could make those restrictions more permanent by requiring Iowa to continue seeking federal approval for the waiver.
That’s raising additional concerns about the future of Summer EBT, also known as “Sun Bucks,” which provides food assistance to children when school is out.
“This makes that food assistance dependent on a decision made in Washington, D.C. that is just arbitrary and not really dependent on the needs of Iowans and Iowa children,” Chickering said.
The program is expected to help around 220,000 children in Iowa during the summer months. Advocates worry leaving it up to federal approval of the waiver could jeopardize that support if policies change. They also point out that SNAP plays a major role in addressing hunger compared to other resources.
“We know that for every one meal provided by an emergency feeding organization, SNAP provides nine,” Chickering said.
Advocates say they support improving nutrition but argue there are more effective, evidence based ways to do that without limiting food choices.
For now, organizations across Iowa are working to help families understand the new rules, while also pushing lawmakers to reconsider how the policy could impact food access moving forward.
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