The Iowa Senate is shuffling some committee assignments due to Sen. Randy Feenstra (R-Hull) stepping down as chair from the Ways and Means Committee. State Senator Jake Chapman (R-Adel) is taking over as chair of the Ways and Means Committee in the Iowa Senate.
The Iowa Standard reached out to Chapman for comments on the change.
“I am very much looking forward to the opportunity to serve as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee,” he said. “We had had some great success in lowering the tax burden on the hard-working Iowans, but more is yet to come. My focus has been and will continue to be on putting more money back into the pockets of hard-working Iowans.”
Bills are filed annually that will increase taxes and fees. Chapman was asked about some of these bills.
“I wasn’t elected to raise taxes,” he said. “I intend to do everything I can to cut taxes. Bills that result in placing a heavier tax burden on Iowans will be considered a non-starter.”
Chapman has led efforts on several high-profile tax related bills the last several years, including the elimination of the death tax and ending taxpayer-funded lobbying.
Chapman has served as chair of the Commerce Committee since 2018. He will remain on the Commerce Committee, but no longer serve as chair. Sen. Dan Dawson (R-Council Bluffs) will chair the Commerce Committee.
Sen. Jim Carlin (R-Sioux City) will now serve as chair of the Veterans Affairs Committee.
Chapman was a member of the Judiciary, Legislative Council, Rules and Administration, State Government, and Ways and Means committees in 2019.
Chapman was a member of the Ways and Means Committee from 2013-15.
He was first elected to the Iowa Senate in 2012.
***Updated committee compositions are below. All changes are effective immediately and other committee assignments are unchanged.***
Ways and Means
Chapman, chair
Dawson, vice chair
Behn
Feenstra
Smith
Sweeney
Nunn
Edler
Schultz
Brown
Carlin
Commerce
Dawson, chair
Koelker, vice chair
Brown
Sinclair
Breitbach
Miller-Meeks
Feenstra
Johnson
Smith
Nunn
Chapman
Judiciary
Zaun, chair
Garrett, vice chair
Chapman
Nunn
Shipley
Sweeney
Schultz
Whiting
Sinclair
Dawson
State Government
Smith, chair
Johnson, vice chair
Chapman
Rozenboom
Feenstra
Schultz
Miller-Meeks
Whiting
Cournoyer
Zaun
Veterans Affairs
Carlin, chair
Miller-Meeks, vice chair
Koelker
Costello
Edler
Dawson
Lofgren
