The first bill Reynolds signed in the 2025 legislation session was SF 418, removing gender identity as a protected class in the Iowa Civil Rights Act.  As the measure takes effect, there will no longer be legal protections against discrimination in employment, housing, public accommodations and education for transgender individuals or others who have been denied access to these services opportunities because of their gender identity.   This law allows for the banning of Medicaid coverage for transgender Iowans seeking gender-affirming care like sex reassignment surgery, hormone replacement therapy and other health care treatments for gender dysphoria. 

At the federal level, efforts continue to reverse protections afforded to transgender individuals in particular.  The purpose of these actions is to define sex as an immutable binary biological classification and remove recognition of the concept of gender identity from all protections and federal agency operations.

Federal law enforcement agencies continue to capture, detain, and remove people from the country based on skin color and language spoken.  Due process is not generally afforded to these individuals.  We have seen formerly unimaginable acts of violence being perpetrated by agents of the federal government against non-citizens and citizens alike.  In Cedar Rapids members of our church attend demonstrations at the ICE office as immigrants arrive for their routine check-in appointments.  Some of these immigrants have been detained and local agencies are attempting to keep records of these individuals so assistance can be provided.  It is likely that these detainments will accelerate.

Key legislation and initiatives on the state’s water quality issues will come before the 2026 legislative session.  The Clean Water for Iowa Act would require water pollution permits and monitoring for over 4,000 large factory farms in Iowa that are currently not subject to this oversight.  Other bills would increase penalties for water quality violations and provide for more regulation of animal feeding operations.  Thus far, bills to improve water quality have not advanced in the Legislature.  Some monitoring programs, such as the Iowa Water Quality Information System, face potential shutdowns due to funding cuts.  Legislative advocacy will be needed to bring pressure on lawmakers.  Programs such as Nitrate Watch where volunteer citizens monitor water quality will continue to be helpful for collecting actual data.