State Legislatures Move to Curb Governors' Powers in Iowa and North Carolina

In Iowa, Senate Republicans advanced legislation during a legislative 'funnel' deadline period that would restrict the governor's public health emergency powers and establish a continuing-resolution mechanism for use if budget negotiations stall, according to The Gazette. Separately, in North Carolina, the Republican-controlled legislature fast-tracked and passed a bill stripping powers from the governor's office, including authority over appointments to the state elections board, following Democrat Josh Stein's 2024 election victory, according to ProPublica. The Iowa measures remained in the legislative process as of the report, having cleared a key procedural deadline but not final passage. The North Carolina bill has already become law, per ProPublica's account, and includes provisions removing the governor's control over elections board appointments. The two actions have drawn criticism along partisan and, in North Carolina's case, some bipartisan lines. In Iowa, Senate Minority Leader Janice Weiner characterized the legislation as a political maneuver intended to limit the powers of a potential future Democratic governor. In North Carolina, Governor Stein and living former governors from both parties criticized the law as a violation of the state's separation of powers. The ultimate fate of Iowa's bills, including whether they will pass the full legislature and be signed into law, remains unresolved.