Angel Ramirez is a Democratic state representative from Iowa House District 78 who took office in May 2025 after winning a special election and is seeking a full term on November 3, 2026.[1][2]Ballotpedia lists her profession as nonprofit executive.[1]
Angel Ramirez earned a bachelor's degree from Coe College.[1]Her career experience includes working as a nonprofit executive director and co-founder, and she has been affiliated with Kids First Law Center.[1]
Ramirez defeated Bernie Hayes in the April 29, 2025 special general election for Iowa House District 78, succeeding Sami Scheetz, and she assumed office on May 13, 2025.[1]She advanced from the June 2, 2026 Democratic primary and is listed as the candidate in the general election.[1]
Their recorded votes on bills that divided the chamber (unanimous votes left out), grouped by topic. A bill can sit under more than one topic. "With" and "against" compare each vote with how most Democrats voted. How topics are assigned
Bars licensing boards from requiring continuing education unrelated to the licensed profession, and directs the Iowa Supreme Court to do the same for attorneys and to drop the requirement of an ABA-accredited law school to sit for the bar exam.
On the version voted Mar 24, 2026: Replaces the premium tax on health maintenance organizations with a new health care-related tax, transfers about $347 million from the taxpayer relief fund to the general fund, and adds $89 million to Medicaid for the fiscal year ending June 2026.
Defines "major rules" (including those costing $1 million or more a year), expands the Administrative Rules Review Committee from 10 to 16 members and lets it delay rules for legislative approval, requires legislative ratification of Clean Air Act plan amendments, and changes some board terms.
Bars private colleges in the Iowa tuition grant program from operating a diversity, equity and inclusion office; violations are reported to the attorney general, and colleges that neither correct nor rebut a report within 30 days lose tuition grant eligibility.
On the version voted Feb 23, 2026: Sets the school funding growth percent at 2 percent for the budget year starting July 1, 2026, caps transportation equity aid at $1 million per district, appropriates $7 million for education support personnel pay, and adds a January adjusted-enrollment count.
On the version voted Apr 27, 2026: Changes charter school approval, funding and operations, covers charter school employees under IPERS, creates a charter school facilities loan program, adds a semester application window for education savings accounts, lets charter and nonpublic students join public school activities, and changes preschool and accreditation rules.
Adds kratom, including its plant parts, synthetic equivalents and compounds such as mitragynine, to the state's list of schedule I controlled substances, making possession a serious misdemeanor for a first offense, with harsher penalties for repeat offenses.
Bars private colleges in the Iowa tuition grant program from operating a diversity, equity and inclusion office; violations are reported to the attorney general, and colleges that neither correct nor rebut a report within 30 days lose tuition grant eligibility.
On the version voted Mar 18, 2025: Bars state entities, including local governments and community colleges, from spending money on diversity, equity, and inclusion offices or officers, and bars private colleges from having such offices or lose tuition grant eligibility; lets the attorney general, students, alumni, or employees seek enforcement.
Adds kratom, including its plant parts, synthetic equivalents and compounds such as mitragynine, to the state's list of schedule I controlled substances, making possession a serious misdemeanor for a first offense, with harsher penalties for repeat offenses.
On the version voted Mar 24, 2026: Replaces the premium tax on health maintenance organizations with a new health care-related tax, transfers about $347 million from the taxpayer relief fund to the general fund, and adds $89 million to Medicaid for the fiscal year ending June 2026.
On the version voted Apr 27, 2026: Requires nutrition continuing education for certain physicians and, from 2028, 40 hours of nutrition coursework in medical school; allows over-the-counter ivermectin; bans listed dyes and additives in school meals; limits K-5 digital instruction to 60 minutes daily; changes school physical activity and SNAP rules.
Sets fiscal 2026 budgets for the state agriculture and natural resources departments and related programs from the general fund and other state funds, including animal disease preparedness, water quality and state park upkeep, and keeps money from selling state park land for that park.
Prohibits releasing chemicals, substances, or apparatus into the atmosphere to affect temperature, weather, climate, or sunlight, or for any purpose not otherwise regulated by law. Makes it a class D felony, each day a separate offense, and exempts licensed aerial application of agricultural inputs.
On the version voted May 2, 2026: Sets fiscal 2027 budgets for the state agriculture and natural resources departments and related programs, adds $18 million from the infrastructure fund for water treatment aid and a new rural infrastructure bank loan fund, and raises the maximum water treatment grant to $1 million.
On the version voted Apr 15, 2026: Requires commercial driver's license applicants to pass a state English proficiency test starting by March 2027, makes driving a commercial vehicle without sufficient English a serious misdemeanor with a $1,000 fine, and fines carriers $10,000 per such driver they use.
Bars the Department of Transportation and third-party testers from using any language other than English to examine driver's license applicants, and removes driver's license examinations from the exceptions to Iowa's English-only rule for official documents.
On the version voted Mar 31, 2026: Creates a statewide urban design and specifications board, coordinated by the Department of Transportation and Iowa State University, to publish design and specifications manuals. Requires a report on added costs before a city council approves a street project that departs from state standards.
Appropriates FY 2026-27 money to the Economic Development Authority, Finance Authority, Workforce Development, and regents universities, and codifies the housing renewal program, with repayments retained by the nonprofit Iowa affiliate for new awards.
Creates a crime of selling or transferring controlled substances within 300 feet of a homeless shelter or housing facility, adding a year to the sentence and barring probation. Makes it an aggravated misdemeanor for an operator to knowingly allow drug possession or use there.
As introduced, repeals the Iowa smart planning principles and the requirement that cities and counties consider them when developing or amending comprehensive plans and land development regulations.
Lets members of Congress, statewide elected officials and state legislators ask county assessors and recorders to redact their names from public documents, and directs the secretary of state to recommend by November 1, 2026, how to protect candidates' home addresses.
On the version voted Apr 30, 2026: Requires a local ordinance before automatic license plate readers are used, limits use to state-approved readers, bans facial recognition with them, requires logged searches tied to a case number, limits data sharing, and requires deleting images within 30 days unless relevant to a criminal case.
Requires websites and apps where a third or more of content is pornographic for minors to verify users' ages, bars keeping or sharing verification data, and lets the attorney general seek fines of up to $1,000 per violation, capped at $10,000 a day.
Requires community college boards and the Board of Regents to adopt policies barring, and bars other Iowa degree-granting colleges from, new employment contracts starting July 1, 2026, with H-1B visa holders who are citizens of federally designated foreign adversary nations or state sponsors of terrorism.
Lets Iowa residents who are current or former members of the Iowa National Guard or an Iowa reserve unit, with satisfactory or honorable service, serve on county veteran affairs commissions; executive directors must still be veterans.
Voted against most of their party on 1 of 208 party-divided votes on file.
Relating to the exercise of eminent domain for carbon oxide pipelines, and including applicability and effective date provisions
What it does: Bars anyone from using eminent domain to acquire land for, build or operate a pipeline primarily for carrying carbon dioxide or other carbon oxides, effective immediately for condemnation cases filed on or after that…
Voted yes · most Democrats voted no · Democrats 10–20, Republicans 54–8
Substantive votes concern legislation or nominations; procedural votes concern how the chamber considers them. A Yes vote applies to the motion shown, which may not be final passage.
HF 2801 · IA HOUSE
Modifying the major economic growth attraction program, and including effective date provisions
NoVOTED
Motion: Shall the bill pass?
Lets the state award one business a tax credit of up to 10% of its investment, paid over ten years, for a major project in a county of 50,000 people or fewer, instead of up to 5% credits for two businesses; credits are refundable and transferable.
Relating to state and local government taxes, fees, financial authority, and budgets, by modifying property assessment provisions, divisions of revenue, and funding from the secure an advanced vision for education fund, establishing a program for first-time homebuyers, modifying and making appropriations, and including effective date, applicability, and retroactive applicability provisions
NoVOTED
Motion: Shall the bill pass?
On the version voted May 3, 2026: Replaces most homeowners' homestead property tax credit with an exemption of 10% of taxable value, from $5,500 to $20,000, starting in 2026, limits county and city general levies and other rate-limited levies to 2% yearly growth, and creates FirstHome Iowa savings accounts.
Relating to state and local government and finances, including by making, modifying, limiting, or reducing appropriations, distributions, or transfers, authorizing expenditure of unappropriated moneys in special funds, making corrections, and providing for properly related matters including the national electrical code, local civil rights laws, political party state central committees, noxious weeds, nonresident deer hunting licenses, proprietary treatment systems, poultry associations, tax c...
NoVOTED
Motion: Shall the bill pass?
On the version voted May 3, 2026: Makes wide-ranging changes to state law and budgets, including corrections to 2026 acts, limits on standing appropriations, an insurer tax credit for health care access, a civil litigation abuse lawsuit, required American history and government courses at state universities, and judicial salary changes.
Relating to state government and finances, including by making corrections, and including effective date and retroactive applicability provisions
YesVOTED
Motion: Shall amendment H–8494, to amendment H–8491, be adopted?
Amends the bill to remove its division that changes the 2023 National Electrical Code for Iowa homes (such as dropping arc-fault interrupter requirements) and bars local electrical codes stricter than the national code. (AI-written)
On the version voted May 3, 2026: Makes wide-ranging changes to state law and budgets, including corrections to 2026 acts, limits on standing appropriations, an insurer tax credit for health care access, a civil litigation abuse lawsuit, required American history and government courses at state universities, and judicial salary changes.
Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the State of Iowa relating to requirements for certain state tax law changes
YesVOTED
Motion: Shall amendment H–8490 be adopted?
On the version voted Apr 15, 2025: Proposes a state constitutional amendment requiring a two-thirds vote of each legislative chamber to raise income tax rates or create a new state income-based tax; it goes to voters in November 2026.
Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the State of Iowa relating to requirements for certain state tax law changes
YesVOTED
Motion: Shall the rules be suspended to consider amendment H–8488?
On the version voted Apr 15, 2025: Proposes a state constitutional amendment requiring a two-thirds vote of each legislative chamber to raise income tax rates or create a new state income-based tax; it goes to voters in November 2026.
Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the State of Iowa relating to requirements for certain state tax law changes
YesVOTED
Motion: Shall amendment H–8487 be adopted?
On the version voted Apr 15, 2025: Proposes a state constitutional amendment requiring a two-thirds vote of each legislative chamber to raise income tax rates or create a new state income-based tax; it goes to voters in November 2026.
Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the State of Iowa relating to requirements for certain state tax law changes
YesVOTED
Motion: Shall the rules be suspended to consider amendment H–8486?
On the version voted Apr 15, 2025: Proposes a state constitutional amendment requiring a two-thirds vote of each legislative chamber to raise income tax rates or create a new state income-based tax; it goes to voters in November 2026.
Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the State of Iowa relating to requirements for certain state tax law changes
YesVOTED
Motion: Shall the rules be suspended to consider amendment H–8485?
On the version voted Apr 15, 2025: Proposes a state constitutional amendment requiring a two-thirds vote of each legislative chamber to raise income tax rates or create a new state income-based tax; it goes to voters in November 2026.
Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the State of Iowa relating to requirements for certain state tax law changes
YesVOTED
Motion: Shall the rules be suspended to consider amendment H–8484?
On the version voted Apr 15, 2025: Proposes a state constitutional amendment requiring a two-thirds vote of each legislative chamber to raise income tax rates or create a new state income-based tax; it goes to voters in November 2026.