The Dickey Dispatch – February 6th, 2026
by Senator Adrian Dickey
This week was incredibly constructive and fast paced. As funnel week approaches it is important that legislation begins moving forward and we keep making progress on the issues Iowans have brought to us over the last several months.
Monday brought the Iowa caucuses, which has historically been considered one of the most critical components in the election process. I participated with my fellow Jefferson County Republicans in a county wide caucus in Fairfield. There was a nice turnout and it gave me a GREAT mid-session opportunity to talk with constituents and to gather their thoughts on a variety of issues.
As the legislative session progresses, the Capitol continues to be busy. Throughout the week, the Senate had over 50 subcommittees scheduled, along with a full committee schedule. As our first deadline gets closer, we have been busy talking through bills and getting feedback from Iowans. This week, the Transportation Committee discussed SSB 3024, which is an excellent bill I am proud to have voted for. This bill would require the verification of citizenship and immigration status for a person who applies for or renews a driver’s license or identification card.
On Tuesday, I kicked off the week meeting with about 10 pastors from Wapello County. In the 6 years that I have been a Senator, one of the most surprising things to me has been how much of a religious presence there is in the capitol every day. In this meeting, I met with a pastor who was originally from the Marshall Islands and he said a prayer for me in his native language, Marshallese. It was pretty neat.
Wednesday was Southeast Iowa Day at the Capitol, and I was visited by the Southeast Iowa Leadership Group. This group contained about 50 people from Henry, Des Moines, and Lee counties. We discussed various economic development ideas and how they could impact their communities. It is always good to hear about the needs of our communities in Southeast Iowa!
The capitol rotunda also hosted Iowa State University on Wednesday. I had discussions with these students related to the importance of keeping students in Iowa after they graduate. I was impressed with the creative ideas these students had to help fill the workforce needs in Iowa.
Property tax relief continues to be a conversation at the Capitol. I continue to get feedback from Iowans, local governments, and other stakeholders on the best path forward. I am on the Senate Ways and Means Committee and we have proposed the largest property tax overhaul in decades. The focus of this legislation is to help Iowans achieve the American dream right here in Iowa, make homeownership more affordable, and ensure our property tax system is working for the everyday Iowan. One component of our proposal states that when you have paid your home off and if you are 60 years of age, you’re done paying involuntary property taxes and you will truly own your home. Our proposal also includes a 50% taxable discount benefit to most homeowners and automatically decreases your property tax levy when property inflation is above 2 percent.
The House has a different property tax plan as does the Governor. On Wednesday afternoon I met with Governor Reynolds to discuss her property tax proposal. In the next few months, there will be many discussions to find a blend of the GREAT parts from all 3 plans, and to deliver real property tax relief for Iowans!
Thursday I received some GREAT news from Congresswoman Miller-Meeks. For the past 5 years I have worked with her office to secure funding to get Pekin Road (AKA 110th Street) paved. This gravel road carries half of the traffic that goes to the entire Pekin K-12 school complex. I doubt there is another school in the state that has that traffic to get to their school via gravel. Well I am proud to announce that with Congresswoman Miller-Meeks’ assistance, this $3 million grant has been awarded and that road will be paved in 2027 or 2028. My assistance on this project is the same as it was with a variety of projects in Senate District 44 over the years. The Ollie-Sigourney Road in Keokuk County, bridge replacement in Henry County, Libertyville road trail in Jefferson County are to name just a few.
As we are moving more legislation forward in the Senate, I am excited to be addressing issues that hit home for Iowans across SD 44. Between addressing workforce demands across Iowa, providing property tax relief, and countless other issues, the Senate is hard at work producing real results for our communities.
