When the legislature is in session, all roads lead to Des Moines. You can learn about bills, when committees and sub committees meet, and much more information about legislation, districts, etc. To email your legislator, use “firstname.lastname@legis.iowa.gov”. Email is usually the best way to contact someone. You can join meetings via livestream, you may submit comments to subcommittees, and participate in other ways besides actually going to the capitol or sending an email! Become engaged and be a citizen activist.

Video walking you through how to use the website: legislative website

Our Facebook page contains updates on bills that are of most concern. Boone County Democrats

Here’s a quick guide to understanding the process of contacting your legislator when they are in session and taking every opportunity to make your voice heard.

Step 1: Subcommittee

Subcommittees are public meetings where we hear from you.

The first step for most bills under consideration in the Senate is a subcommittee. This is where a small panel of lawmakers review the bill and take public comment. If you want to make your voice heard on the pros or cons of a bill, this is the place to do it!

Subcommittees take place in person at the Capitol, but are usually streamed online as well, with time set aside for public comment.

What do to: If you want to speak on a bill in subcommittee, you can attend in person or participate online. You can also send comments to subcommittee members to read and consider.

Find scheduled subcommittees here. Click “Agenda” for meeting details and the Zoom link. There is a “Comments” link to leave a public comment, which can demonstrate to the press and the public how people feel about this legislation. But know that these comments won’t be read in the subcommittee and legislators may never look at them.

Step 2: Committee

Committees are where we iron out the details.

If a bill passes out of subcommittee (many don’t!) it is eligible to heard by a full committee of senators. A bill passed by a subcommittee does not have to be taken up by a committee. In the Senate, we have 17 standing committees focusing on various policy areas. Each committee has between 6 and 20 members, often with specific expertise in that issue area.

If the committee chair chooses, the bill may be discussed by senators at one of the full committee meetings.

Senators can amend the bill in committee — that is, the majority party can accept changes and additions to the legislation at this point.

Committees take place in person at the Capitol but are also streamed online. The public is not allowed to speak but can attend or watch online.

What to do: Attend in person to show public interest in the issue. Watch the committee live or later (it will be archived on website) to know what legislators are saying and how they vote. Contact senators on the committee to let them know what you think and how you want them to vote. Find committee schedules here. Click here to find senators’ contact information.

Step 3: The Floor

Floor debate is where we make our stand

A bill that passes committee is eligible for floor debate (although the majority party leaders decides when or if a bill actually comes up). Again, a bill that was voted out of committee may not ever be brought to debate.

If a bill is brought up for debate, the sponsor introduces it and then all 50 senators have a chance to speak and offer amendments to change it. At the end of debate, senators vote on whether or not to pass it.

Floor debate is held in the Senate chamber and streamed online. Watch live here. Click here for archived floor debates.

What to do: The Senate chamber galleries are open to the public. Attend in person or watch online. Contact your senator to make your voice heard. Legislators may share stories and comments from the public as part of their speech.

Step 4: What Happens Next

What happens after the Senate passes a bill depends on whether the bill has also been considered by the House.

If the bill originated in the Senate, it moves over to the House and starts the process from Subcommittee to Committee to Debate in that chamber. If there are no changes, it goes to the Governor. If there are changes, it needs to go back to the Senate for debate again.

The same bill could be moving through both the House and Senate at the same time, cutting down the amount of time legislation would take to pass.

If a bill already passed the House, and then passes the Senate, it moves on to the governor. The governor gets the final say on all legislation, choosing whether to sign it into law or veto it.

The next six weeks will be very busy with bills moving through the legislative process. It looks like we may already have debate next Thursday in the Senate. If there’s an issue you care about, now is the time to get involved and make your voice heard!