State Policy
Last Friday, February 21, marked the first funnel deadline for the 2026 legislative session. Both chambers were busy at work getting policy bills passed out of committee to beat the first funnel deadline. In addition to more than 150 subcommittee meetings, there were dozens of committee meetings. Meaning long days at the Capitol, with some committees getting done early in the week while others raced to the finish at the end.
Bills passed out of a committee are now safe from the funnel and eligible for debate by either the House or Senate. Whereas bills that didn’t make it out of committee are no longer eligible for consideration or are “dead” for the remainder of session. This helps the chambers prioritize their time and energy on policy issues that have a greater chance of becoming law. An exception to the funnel exists for bills that are introduced or sent to the Appropriations or Ways and Means Committees, making these bills "funnel-proof".
With more than 2,500 bills introduced, here are some highlights of what did and didn’t make it through the funnel. To see the full list of what we’re tracking that’s still active, check out the online bill tracker!
Survived Funnel
Community College Baccalaureate Programs (HF 2649) - allow a limited and targeted pilot program for community colleges to offer baccalaureate programs. Colleges can offer up to three degrees only if the degree is not already offered within fifty miles of the main campus and falls within eight specified fields. These include education, nursing, information technology, public safety, business, health care management, agriculture, and dental hygiene. [Registered For]
***The Iowa House is scheduled to debate the community college baccalaureate degree pilot program (HF 2649) today, February 26. While the bill is scheduled for debate, this can still change and does not guarantee that it will. Interested advocates can watch the live debate here***.
Iowa Skilled Workforce Act (HF 2466) - Updates to the Last Dollar Scholarship high-demand jobs list are made every five years in collaboration with community colleges, college student aid commission sets “financial need”, creates career training physical expansion program open to community colleges and apprenticeship providers, among other changes to apprenticeship training and IWD. [Registered For]
IEDA Omnibus Bill (SF 2301) - Division VI eliminates funding for the 260E new jobs training program. [Registered Against]
American history and government curricula (SF 2232 and HF 2361) - requires a state university to include American history and American government in core curricula requirements. [Registered Undecided]
Did not survive funnel
Bond Elections (SSB 3026) - Allows for bonds to be held on the day of a June primary in even-numbered years. [Registered For]
State Health Insurance (HF 2006) - allows the employees and official of non-state public employers who contribute to IPERS to enroll in the state health insurance plan. [Registered Undecided]
Make sure you’re signed up for Quorum to receive weekly legislative updates about important bill movement, proposed changes, and issues that we need you to take action on! Now that we’re past the first funnel deadline, we’ll see more floor action in either chamber, so don’t miss out on these important updates.
Federal Update
Workforce Pell Projected Shortfall
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released new baseline projections for the Pell Grant program. According to its estimates, the program is expected to face a $5.45 billion shortfall by the end of Fiscal Year 2026 (FY 26). That shortfall is expected to grow to $11.5 billion by FY 27.
Despite the maximum Pell Grant award remaining flat for several years, program costs have increased significantly. The FAFSA Simplification Act – signed into law as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 – expanded eligibility and increased the number of students eligible for the maximum award amount. The new, simplified FAFSA has also led to more students successfully filing, further increasing participation in the program.
While Congress infused $10.5B to shore up the Pell Grant program as part of July’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, that funding has not been sufficient to put the program back on safe financial footing. As Congress begins the FY 27 budget and appropriations process, we’ve asked our congressional offices to advocate for this critical program for our students
Strengthening Community College Training Grant
The sixth cycle of the strengthening community college training grant (SCCTG) was recently made available by the Department of Labor, along with $65 million worth of funding. The objective of this round is to fund community colleges aiming to build “program and system capacity for implementing and scaling access to short-term training opportunities through Workforce Pell Grants – i.e. promoting industry-driven strategies, worker mobility, and integration with the larger state workforce system (e.g., Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) partners) for statewide impact.” The deadline for applying is May 20, 2026. More information about the opportunity can be found here.