The Dickey Dispatch – March 6th 2026
by Senator Adrian Dickey
Hello SD44!
This week, we learned that two Iowans, Major Jeffrey O’Brien of Waukee and Sergeant Declan Coady of West Des Moines, were killed in action in Kuwait on March 1. They made the ultimate sacrifice while serving our country and defending our freedoms. My thoughts and prayers are with their families and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time. I am deeply grateful for their service to Iowa and to the United States, and we should all honor their sacrifice.
Thursday wrapped up the eighth week of the legislative session, and yet another week that was filled with debate as we have continued to work through legislation that has passed through committees. This week, the Senate has prioritized legislation to make housing more affordable and cut costs for Iowans.
I ran several bills on the Senate floor this week as well.
SF2400 adds public utility workers, or contractors working for public utilities, to the list of occupations for which an assault results in a higher criminal penalty. When the power is out or our utilities are being repaired, the last thing these workers need to be worried about is being harassed or threatened.
SF2089 requires Iowa Workforce Development (IWD) to establish a process in which a claimant for unemployment benefits and an employer may each provide information to IWD prior to IWD’s fact-finding process for a claim for benefits without the presence or participation by the other party. Sometimes these fact finding hearings can be contentious and the changes that will be implemented with SF2089 will provide both parties another avenue to state their position without the concern of being in a heated discussion.
SF2290 would establish the regulatory framework, and in particular the insurance requirements, for “peer-to-peer car sharing” in Iowa. This is a practice by which non-commercial owners of vehicles allow drivers to use their vehicles for compensation, think of it as Airbnb for cars.
SF487 is a bill I have worked on for the past 3 years and it is a big win for businesses. If an employer is selected for an audit by the Iowa Workforce Department, this bill will require that audit to take place at the employer’s business (if they choose). It also limits what IWD can request in the initial audit. However if IWD finds areas of concern, they then can ask for more in-depth records. This issue was brought to my attention by businesses in SD44 several years ago, where they had received notices for audits and in these notices, IWD had requested an insane amount of records that took these businesses weeks to gather. IWD then demanded that these business take all of these boxes to the IWD office for the audit to occur. This is NOT right! Iowa is a PRO-business state and if the state wants to perform audits (which they should be able to do) they should be realistic in nature and they should be as accommodating to the business as possible.
Several years ago we made dramatic improvements to Iowa’s unemployment system. Those changes resulted in Iowa becoming the 3rd best in the entire country in assisting Iowans in finding a new job. We are only behind 2 southern states that don’t have seasonal layoffs due to winter weather like we have in Iowa. A significant part in Iowa becoming the best in the country is because of the implementation of the Reemployment Case Management Program. This program helps Iowans find new jobs, build resume skills, and allows them to explore other fields of interest. Due to the GREAT success of this program, SF 2168 makes these changes permanent.
Having made it halfway through session, the Senate will soon be shifting focus towards the budget and maintaining fiscal responsibility for Iowa. I am looking forward to moving into the last half of this session as we address the state’s budget and tackle property tax and government spending issues that impact Iowans in SD 44.
