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NOW. FIRST AT 6:00. THE IOWA STATE HOUSE IS STARTING TO QUIET DOWN AFTER A BUSY DAY INSIDE THE CHAMBERS. LAWMAKERS FROM ACROSS THE STATE ARRIVED IN DES MOINES FOR THE FIRST DAY OF THE 2025 LEGISLATIVE SESSION. THEY BEGAN SETTLING IN THIS MORNING BEFORE BOTH THE HOUSE AND SENATE. GAVELED IN ����vlog, CHIEF POLITICAL REPORTER AMANDA ROOKER WAS THERE FOR SOME OF THE FIRST DISCUSSIONS ABOUT POLICY TODAY. AMANDA, WHAT IS AT THE TOP OF THE AGENDA FOR IOWA’S LAWMAKERS? WELL, STACY AND BEN, TOP OF THE AGENDA, PROPERTY TAXES. THAT IS WHAT HOUSE AND SENATE REPUBLICANS WHO DO HAVE THE MAJORITIES IN BOTH OF THOSE CHAMBERS, SAY IS THEIR NUMBER ONE PRIORITY TO ACCOMPLISH THIS LEGISLATIVE SESSION. WE HEARD ABOUT THAT IN SOME OF THEIR SPEECHES TODAY. THOSE SPEECHES FROM LEADERS SETTING THE TONE FOR THE YEAR. THE BANG OF THE GAVEL AND THE SOUND OF STATE LAWMAKERS SWEARING IN REPRESENTATIVE MARKS THE START OF A NEW LEGISLATIVE SESSION. IT’S TIME TO GET TO WORK, DOING THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE. REPUBLICANS TOUTING THEIR PAST WORK, INCLUDING ACTION ON IMMIGRATION, TAX CUTS AND PRIVATE SCHOOL SCHOLARSHIPS. OUR BILLS WERE CHARACTERIZED AS AN ATTACK, HATEFUL AND DIVISIVE. BUT THE REALITY IS THAT WE LEARNED THIS ELECTION, THAT THESE ISSUES, WHILE EMOTIONAL, HAVE TURNED OUT TO BE MORE UNIFYING THAN EVER BASED ON THE ELECTION RESULTS. CONSERVATIVES ALSO PROMISING COLLABORATION ACROSS THE AISLE. I’VE GOT AN OPEN DOOR POLICY THAT GOES FROM MY COLLEAGUES, AND THAT’S NOT JUST REPUBLICANS. IT’S ALSO THE MINORITY. PLEASE. IF WE CAN WORK TOGETHER AND YOU’VE GOT A GOOD IDEA, COME TALK. AND DEMOCRATS VOWING TO HOLD THEM TO IT. WILL WE WORK TOGETHER TO MAKE LIFE BETTER, OR WILL DIVISION RULE THE DAY? FRANKLY, I DON’T HAVE A LOT OF CONFIDENCE ALREADY THIS MORNING. I HOPE WE CAN DO BETTER. SENATE DEMOCRATS HAVE NEW LEADERSHIP. SENATOR JANICE WEINER LAYING OUT THEIR PRIORITIES, SERVING ON BEHALF OF ALL IOWANS MEANS ENSURING THAT EVERY IOWAN CAN WORK A GOOD JOB, FIND AFFORDABLE HOUSING, EDUCATE THEIR KIDS, AND HAVE A SEAT AT THE BARGAINING TABLE. MONDAY ALSO MARKED THE FIRST PUBLIC REMARKS FROM SENATE MAJORITY LEADER JACK WHITVER SINCE HIS BRAIN TUMOR DIAGNOSIS LAST YEAR. THE TUMOR IS GETTING SMALLER. I STILL HAVE A LONG WAYS TO GO BEFORE THE TUMOR IS BEHIND ME, BUT I WILL CONTINUE TO BATTLE IT WITH EVERYTHING I HAVE. HIS SPEECH, INTERRUPTED BY BIPARTISAN APPLAUSE AS WHITVER THANKED HIS FAMILY FOR THEIR SUPPORT. NOW, IN ADDITION TO PROPERTY TAXES, REPUBLICANS SAY THEY WANT TO ALSO IMPROVE THE STATE’S FOSTER CARE AND ADOPTION SYSTEM. THIS SESSION. THEY ALSO WANT TO ADDRESS CELL PHONE USE IN THE CLASSROOM, IMPROVE SCHOOL SAFETY, AND SET NEW WORK REQUIREMENTS FOR MEDICAID. DEMOCRATS, ON THE OTHER HAND, SAY THEY WANT TO EXPAND ACCESS TO AND LOWER THE COST OF CHILD CARE. MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES, HEALTH CARE IN GENERAL, AND HOUSING. LIVE FROM THE STATEHOUSE AMANDA ROOKER ����vlog EIGHT NEWS. IOWA’S NEWS LEADER. ALL RIGHT. TH