(DES MOINES, Iowa) -- Speaker of the House Pat Grassley (R-New Hartford) delivered opening remarks to the Iowa House of Representatives today.  The following are his remarks, as prepared for delivery:

"Good morning, everyone. Welcome to the magnificent House Chamber for the start of the 2025 Legislative Session.
 
As today marks the start of a new General Assembly, we also welcome 16 new members to the Iowa House of Representatives. To all of you, congratulations. It’s a brave thing to put your name on the ballot. When I did it for the first time, someone said to me, “The good news is. You might win. The bad news is you might win.”
 
I say that as a joke – kind of. This is an incredible opportunity we all have to serve our constituents and be their voice in the Statehouse. But it is not without sacrifice.
 
For many of us, that means sacrifice from our families as well.
 
That being said – I’ve got quite a few members of my family here with me today. Thank you guys very much for being here.
 
Just a couple of specific shout-outs:
 
My three kids – Indee, Reagan and Chance who put up with having me all the way in Des Moines for most of the week. Not to mention having people they know voice their opinion about their dad in the paper or on social media.
 
My mom, dad, and Holly step up with the kids and the Farm in my absence. Without their efforts, I wouldn’t be able to do this job. It just wouldn’t work.
 
Grandpa – Thank you for being here. Being sworn in as Speaker is up there with the most special moments of my lifetime, partially because of this incredible honor granted to me by this body, but also because it’s you swearing me in – making it all the more meaningful.
 
For all representatives, whether new or returning - we’ve had just enough time to recover from the slog of the campaign trail and are ready to hit the ground running to meet this moment where it is. The results of this election – both here in Iowa and nationally – served as a wake-up call for many.
 
Iowa House Republicans woke up a while ago. And as we listened to Iowans, we were confident in our agenda. When Iowans told us they needed more money in their pocket to get by, we lowered their taxes. When Iowans told us they weren’t satisfied with the education system and they wanted more choice, we gave them educational choice. And as Iowans told us they want a return to common sense on immigration and social issues, we listened.
 
Our opposition did all they could to dismiss these concerns from voters. They chalked them up as racist, sexist, or any kind of phobic you can think of. Our bills were characterized as an attack, hateful and divisive. But the reality is that while these issues are emotional, they’ve turned out to be more unifying than they ever were divisive.
 
It seems many in the media or on the other side of the aisle refuse to believe that it is anyone other than the very far right who has been begging for action on these issues.   But we knew that wasn’t an accurate reflection of the everyday Iowans we were hearing from. We knew these were real concerns, real issues, real voters. We stayed the course. And today, we return for the 2025 Legislative Session with an even greater majority of 67 seats – the largest majority in history, since the Iowa House went to 100 seats in 1971.
 
For four years, we have had to use this state legislature to protect Iowa from the terrible policies of the Biden Administration. Though I believe state governments like Iowa will always be more nimble and able to react faster than the federal government, I have much more faith in President Trump and his administration to right the ship. Or at the very least, stop standing in the way of states trying to do the right thing.
 
Now, we can be partners in combatting illegal immigration. Instead of having to get creative on how we can go it alone, we will finally have a partner in the federal government to help keep our communities safe.
 
Now, instead of having the federal government block our attempts to prioritize Iowans’ access to healthier foods maybe we’ll work together to get better food on Iowans’ plates.   
 
Now, instead of federal programs treating Iowa the same as states like California, maybe we will have more flexibility to spend federal funds in the way that is best for Iowans.  This is why we have created a new committee in the House this year called the Federal and Other Funds Committee. President Trump has expressed a willingness to grant states more flexibility with federal funds and Iowa will be one of the leaders in how best to use that flexibility.
 
This session, we have one other brand new committee, the Higher Education Committee. In the House, we have done great work to refocus our regent institutions on providing quality education and preparing our workforce. However, a comprehensive review of our entire higher education system is long overdue. Taxpayer investment must be met with taxpayer return. I look forward to this committee’s review of how state dollars can best be used to address workforce shortages and not enforce ideological agendas.
 
That is to take nothing away from the importance of continuing to support and improve our K-12 education system in Iowa. Which is why we have broken these two very important topics into two committees.
 
As Iowans felt the pain of the Biden Administration’s four years in Washington, inflation served as one of the top motivating issues this election cycle. It is clear that we need to continue to deliver economic relief for all Iowans.
 
In the past, we have delivered income tax cuts to provide direct relief to Iowans. Further reductions were just implemented on January 1^st lowering all taxpaying Iowans’ rate to 3.8%. While we continue to let those kick in, Iowans have been begging us to shift our focus to property taxes.
 
There will likely be multiple ideas brought forward this session on the best way to address property taxes. For anyone who is interested in delivering real solutions and not just trying to kill everyone else’s ideas – I’m all ears. We will do our due diligence and consider each idea. As we do so, I will encourage this chamber to prioritize certainty for the taxpayers over certainty for the taxing entities.  
 
This session, we will also be looking for additional ways to lower costs for Iowans. We will be exploring options to eliminate sales tax on everyday items for families, lower the cost of child care and energy, and expand affordable housing.
 
Immigration also proved top of mind this election. While I have significantly more confidence in President Trump’s administration to secure our border, we stand ready to partner with the federal government to help tackle this issue however we can.
 
In addition to addressing illegal immigration, we will continue to keep our communities safe by furthering our efforts to protect students and staff in schools, properly fund public safety, and root out crimes related to illegal immigration like drug and human trafficking.
 
And one final point I think we can all get behind. Every child in Iowa deserves the opportunity for a bright future. This session, we will ensure Iowa laws are protecting our youth and setting them up for success in life. We know the dangers of smartphones and social media. It’s time to take action. This can include limiting cell phone use during instructional time and putting parents in the driver’s seat of their kid’s social media accounts.
 
We must also make sure that we are supporting kids born into tough situations. A comprehensive look at improving our foster care system and adoption systems must be a priority.  We must remove the barriers currently preventing a child from a loving home.
 
A strong education system will also help set our children up for success. It is inaccurate to suggest that we cannot support both public and private education. We must continue to properly fund education and ensure our schools are sticking to the core subjects like math, science, reading and history, and staying away from social issues.
 
Now – enough from me. Time to roll up our sleeves and get to work. The people of Iowa deserve the very best. Let’s give them nothing less."