- Today
- Holidays
- Birthdays
- Reminders
- Cities
- Atlanta
- Austin
- Baltimore
- Berwyn
- Beverly Hills
- Birmingham
- Boston
- Brooklyn
- Buffalo
- Charlotte
- Chicago
- Cincinnati
- Cleveland
- Columbus
- Dallas
- Denver
- Detroit
- Fort Worth
- Houston
- Indianapolis
- Knoxville
- Las Vegas
- Los Angeles
- Louisville
- Madison
- Memphis
- Miami
- Milwaukee
- Minneapolis
- Nashville
- New Orleans
- New York
- Omaha
- Orlando
- Philadelphia
- Phoenix
- Pittsburgh
- Portland
- Raleigh
- Richmond
- Rutherford
- Sacramento
- Salt Lake City
- San Antonio
- San Diego
- San Francisco
- San Jose
- Seattle
- Tampa
- Tucson
- Washington
New Hartford Today
By the People, for the People
Iowa Lawmakers Propose Raising Speed Limit, Expanding Farmer Repair Rights
State legislature considers measures to update highway speeds and empower farmers to fix their own equipment
Apr. 3, 2026 at 10:30pm
Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›
A dynamic visual representation of Iowa's efforts to update driving conditions and empower farmers to repair their own equipment.New Hartford TodayThe Iowa state legislature is considering two proposals that could significantly impact drivers and farmers in the state. The first measure would raise the speed limit on many two-lane highways from 55 to 60 miles per hour, while the second would give farmers more freedom to repair their own high-tech agricultural equipment.
Why it matters
The speed limit increase aims to modernize driving conditions and improve traffic flow in rural parts of the state, while the 'right-to-repair' bill could help farmers save time and money during critical planting and harvest seasons. Both proposals reflect efforts to address longstanding concerns from Iowa's agricultural and driving communities.
The details
The speed limit increase was passed 76-16 in the Iowa House and would allow local communities to raise limits on certain highways, though state officials could still lower speeds in areas of safety concern. The 'right-to-repair' bill has advanced out of subcommittee and would require manufacturers to provide farmers access to parts, tools, and diagnostic information for their equipment.
- The speed limit increase, if signed into law, would take effect on July 1.
- The 'right-to-repair' bill has cleared a subcommittee and is now headed to the Ways and Means Committee.
The players
Pat Grassley
The Speaker of the Iowa House of Representatives, who says the speed limit increase reflects modern driving conditions and could improve traffic flow in rural areas.
Iowa House
The state legislative chamber that passed the measure to raise the speed limit on many two-lane highways from 55 to 60 miles per hour.
What they’re saying
“This is my 20th legislative session. This is a question you often get, especially in our rural areas. Have you guys ever considered increasing the speed limit? We made the decision as a caucus and it was actually quite enthusiastic for a willingness. And I think many of my colleagues are hearing similar things to us as why have we never increased this? It's been in place for a long time. And so we feel that given the option for local communities to be able to increase that level within our counties is something that we at least should consider and give them that ability to do.”
— Pat Grassley, Iowa House Speaker
“We've had two different bills moving through the process this session. This one is a little bit more narrowly focused on just the issue of right to repair. I think finally we're to a point in the legislature where we've actually been able to take action on it, which would basically be looked at from the standpoint when we've talked to farmers, given them the ability to use alternative options to be able to have repairs. We get asked a lot of questions. 'What are you doing for agriculture?' This is something that continues to come up about with high parts prices, high maintenance prices and all the things and repair prices across state, that giving some flexibility to farmers to be able to decide how they best think to repair their equipment or who they want to work with in doing that.”
— Pat Grassley, Iowa House Speaker
What’s next
The 'right-to-repair' bill must next clear the Ways and Means Committee before moving to the full Iowa House for a vote.
The takeaway
These proposals demonstrate Iowa lawmakers' efforts to address longstanding concerns from the state's agricultural and driving communities, modernizing highway speeds and empowering farmers to more affordably maintain their high-tech equipment.
