Barker

As we wrap up the first week of the 91st General Assembly, I felt incredibly grateful for the opportunity to represent the people of Story and Marshall Counties in the Iowa House of Representatives. On Monday, I had the honor of taking the oath of office with family and friends watching from the House Gallery. It’s a weighty responsibility to sit in that chamber in our beautiful and historic capitol and be entrusted with the future of a state that I love. Throughout this week, I began meeting with my committees: Health and Human Services (HHS) – Vice Chair, Commerce, Natural Resources, Economic Growth & Technology, and HHS Budget Subcommittee. These committees will do important work and I’m excited to get started. I am fully committed to do everything in my power to leave things even better for future generations.

This week, we heard from Governor Kim Reynolds when she laid out her priorities for Iowa in her State of the State address. We also heard from Speaker Pat Grassley and Supreme Court Justice Christensen. One clear theme was the priority on securing bright futures for Iowa children. As we proceed through this session, we will ensure that Iowa laws are protecting our youth and setting them up for success in life. We must also make sure that we are supporting kids born into tough situations. This should include taking a comprehensive look at improving our foster care system and lowering the cost of adoption to ensure high costs don’t prevent a child from a loving home. We will also be having conversations about the importance of a robust education system and the hazards of the digital world for our children.

We know that property tax reform will be a priority of the 91st General Assembly. My 15 years of local government experience have me well prepared to engage in this conversation. I believe there are some key principles that will protect taxpayers from rapidly rising tax bills while also allowing our local governments to provide vital services. First, increased transparency around government spending would provide additional understanding for taxpayers and another level of accountability for local officials. Second, guardrails that protect taxpayers should not penalize local governments for new growth. Third, we should have a conversation about localizing the rollback calculation so that our smaller rural communities are not harmed by rapidly increasing assessments in other parts of the state.

One of the most important parts of serving in the House is listening. This week I was able to speak with ISU President Wintersteen and UI President Wilson about how our universities can continue recruiting and retaining talent in our state. I was also able to meet with Consumers Energy and Huxley Communications about how our cooperatives provide vital services to rural Iowans. I’ve also been able to meet with Story County Recorder Stacie Herridge and Marshall County Recorder Nan Benson about their desire to modernize and streamline our county recorders offices.

As the Governor highlighted in her speech, the State of our State is strong. We’re the #1 state for retirement, #1 state for millennial home ownership, and #1 for fiscal responsibility. Iowa is second for cost of living, third for opportunity, and fourth for healthcare and educational choice. While our state is strong, it’s time to get to work to make it even stronger. I can’t wait for the new challenges that the next few months will bring. Thank you for the opportunity to represent you in Des Moines!

Please reach out to me at brett.barker@legis.iowa.gov with your concerns about the 2025 legislative session.

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Brett Barker, a Republican from Nevada, represents District 51 in the Iowa House.