Iowa Legislative Session 2027: Jan. 11 Start, Funnel March 5

Iowa’s 2027 legislative session starts Monday, Jan. 11, 2027, and the first committee deadline, the one Iowans call the funnel, is Friday, March 5, according to the Iowa Legislative Information Office’s 2027 timetable. The Legislative Information Office, part of the Legislative Services Agency (LSA), dated the timetable for the 92nd General Assembly 06/23/2026. It says the document “is subject to change.” A free printable tracker lists the dates in order.

The official timetable never uses the word “funnel.” It is the common name for the March 5 and April 2 committee deadlines. It also sets no adjournment date. April 30 is the day per diem expenses end, not the day lawmakers must go home. The adjournment date, the opening-day hour and the schedule for that first day are not yet announced.

Iowa legislative session 2027 timetable, with weekdays

The timetable prints dates and, for some rows, the session week. Weekdays below are our computation.

Date	Weekday	Session week	What the timetable says
Jan. 11	Monday	1 (our count)	First day of session (Iowa Code Sec. 2.1)
Feb. 12	Friday	5th	Final day for individual senator and representative requests for bill and joint resolution drafts to the LSA
March 5	Friday	8th	Final date for bills to be reported out of committees of their own chamber (first funnel)
March 15-19	Monday to Friday	10th	Each chamber considers only its own bills, joint resolutions and unfinished business
March 22-April 2	Monday to Friday	11th and 12th	Debate not limited by rule
April 2	Friday	12th	Final date for bills to be reported out of committees of the other chamber (second funnel)
April 5-9	Monday to Friday	13th	Each chamber considers only the other chamber’s bills, joint resolutions and unfinished business
April 12	Monday	Start of the 14th	Only the listed bill types are eligible for consideration
April 30	Friday	Not printed	110th calendar day; per diem expenses end (Iowa Code Sec. 2.10(1))

On April 12 the timetable adds that House amendments need not be filed on the day before floor debate (House Rule 31.8).

When does the Iowa Legislature start in 2027?

Iowa Code Section 2.1 says “each annual session of the general assembly shall commence on the second Monday in January of each year.” In 2027 that is Monday, Jan. 11. The timetable lists it as the first day of session. No convening time is given in either source.

What is the Iowa funnel deadline in 2027?

The funnel has two steps, both under Joint Rule 20.

• Friday, March 5: Senate bills and joint resolutions must be reported out of Senate committees, and House bills and joint resolutions out of House committees.
• Friday, April 2: Senate bills and joint resolutions must be reported out of House committees, and House bills and joint resolutions out of Senate committees.

The weeks around them are limited by rule. During the 10th week, March 15-19, each chamber takes up only its own bills, joint resolutions and unfinished business. During the 13th week, April 5-9, it takes up only the other chamber’s. Between them, March 22 to April 2, debate is not limited by rule. Concurrent and simple resolutions are outside the week 10 and 13 limits and may be filed and considered at any time during session.

Which Iowa bills escape the funnel deadlines?

A timetable footnote says the March 5 and April 2 committee deadlines do not apply to these:

• Appropriations bills
• Ways and means bills
• Government oversight bills
• Legalizing acts
• Administrative Rules Review Committee bills
• Committee bills related to delayed or suspended administrative rules (Iowa Code Sec. 17A.8(9))
• Bills co-sponsored by the majority and minority leaders of one House
• Conference committee reports
• Companion bills sponsored by the majority leaders of both houses after consultation with the respective minority leaders
• Concurrent or simple resolutions
• Joint resolutions nullifying administrative rules

The list for April 12, the start of the 14th week, is not the same. From that day the timetable allows only these: bills passed by both houses, appropriations bills, ways and means bills, government oversight bills, legalizing acts, Administrative Rules Review Committee bills, committee bills on delayed or suspended administrative rules, bills co-sponsored by the majority and minority leaders of one house, conference committee reports, companion bills sponsored by the Senate and House majority leaders, concurrent or simple resolutions, joint resolutions nullifying administrative rules, bills on the veto calendar (Joint Rule 23) and unfinished business.

What does April 30, 2027 mean for the Iowa session?

The timetable marks Friday, April 30 as the 110th calendar day, when per diem expenses end. Iowa Code Section 2.10(1) says that if the first regular session of a general assembly “exceeds one hundred ten calendar days” and the second exceeds one hundred, payments are made only for 110 days in the first session and 100 in the second. The timetable does not call April 30 an adjournment date, and this page does not predict one.

Follow the Iowa Legislature in 2027

The Iowa Legislature has a page to find your legislator, a legislation search and live House video on its site.

Print the Iowa Legislature 2027 session tracker

The free tracker puts nine dates in order with days left to April 30 and a box to check off each. Pair it with a January 2027 calendar, a March 2027 calendar or an April 2027 calendar. Other states start on other days: see the Nebraska Legislature 2027 session, the Missouri General Assembly 2027 session and the Kentucky General Assembly 2027 session.