Former Senator Craig Williams of Manning begins his first term in the Iowa House of Representatives on Monday. Williams served in the Senate for the 6th District from 2021 to 2023 but chose not to seek reelection following the redistricting in 2021 that would have forced him to primary Senator Jason Schultz of Schleswig, who currently serves as the district’s senator. Williams cruised to an easy win in November for the District 11 House seat and is ready to get to work immediately. He says his previous experience at the statehouse means he’s familiar with how things operate in the Iowa Legislature.
Your browser doesn’t support HTML5 audio
Williams’ experience helped him become one of only a few freshmen representatives to land a leadership role on House committees. He will serve as vice-chair of the House Local Government Committee and was also named to the Environmental Protection, Transportation, and Judiciary Committees. Williams says it isn’t always clear what the big topics of the session will be until it begins, but he suspects Iowans will be familiar with 2025’s likely sticking points.
Your browser doesn’t support HTML5 audio
Williams adds he has a few topics that he hopes to bring to legislators’ attention more prominently, primarily Iowa’s dwindling property insurers and closing nursing homes.
Your browser doesn’t support HTML5 audio
According to Williams, close to 2,000 bills are introduced each session, but only around 200 actually become law. Not every piece of legislation can cross the finish line, so he has a broader definition of a successful session.
Your browser doesn’t support HTML5 audio
Williams adds that it is critical for constituents to stay in touch with their senators and representatives because they can’t try to address a problem if they don’t know it exists. House District 11 encompasses all of Carroll and Audubon Counties, the southeast half of Shelby County, and a small section of northeast Pottawattamie County.