Scott Webster

Voted to Put Work Requirements on Medicaid

Webster, the Bettendorf state senator, voted Yes on SF 615 (2025), which imposes work requirements on Iowans covered by Medicaid expansion — forcing them to document 80 hours of work a month or lose their health coverage.[2]

Voted to Strip Civil-Rights Protections From Transgender Iowans

He voted Yes on SF 418 (2025), removing gender identity as a protected class from the Iowa Civil Rights Act — opening the door to legal discrimination in jobs, housing, and services.[1]

Voted for Book Restrictions and Classroom Censorship

Webster voted Yes on SF 496 (2023), which forced books off school-library shelves and banned instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation through sixth grade. It passed the Senate 34-16.[9]

Voted to Divert Public-School Funding to Private Vouchers

Webster voted Yes on HF 68 (2023), Iowa's private-school voucher / Education Savings Account law, which diverts public per-pupil funding to private-school tuition and expenses — money that would otherwise support Scott County's public districts. It passed the Senate 31-18.[6]

Voted to Overhaul the Agencies That Serve Special-Needs Students

Webster voted Yes on HF 2612 (2024), the overhaul of Iowa's Area Education Agencies — the agencies that provide special-education, speech and related services to Scott County students (Mississippi Bend AEA). The Senate passed it 30-18; three Republicans joined every Democrat present in voting no.[8]

Chairs the Committee Over the Very Sectors His Businesses Work In

Webster chairs the Iowa Senate Local Government Committee — which handles legislation affecting cities, counties, zoning, property and municipal services — while personally owning a homebuilding company, a property firm, and a waste-hauling business (Quad City Disposal), all in sectors touched by local government.[7]

An Ethics Complaint Over How He Treats Critics

A Quad Cities attorney and constituent filed an Iowa Senate ethics complaint after Webster posted a screenshot of her critical email — with her law-office contact information — on Facebook; she said it led to harassment, including a threatening call to her office. On March 31, 2026 the ethics panel deadlocked 3-3 along party lines — Democrats moved to reprimand, Republicans to dismiss — and took no action. Webster said the contact information in her email signature was already publicly available on her law firm's website.[16]

Voted for Iowa’s Six-Week Abortion Ban

In the July 2023 special session, Webster voted Yes on HF 732, which bans most abortions after roughly six weeks of pregnancy — before many women know they are pregnant.

• Banned most abortions after roughly six weeks (HF 732, 2023); passed the Senate 32-17[10]

Voted to Ban Gender-Affirming Care and Restrict Transgender Students

On a single night in 2023, Webster voted Yes on a pair of bills targeting transgender Iowans, including minors.

• Banned puberty blockers, hormone therapy and related gender-affirming care for Iowans under 18 (SF 538, 2023); passed the Senate 33-16[11]
• Required public-school students to use restrooms and changing rooms matching their sex assigned at birth (SF 482, 2023); passed the Senate 33-16 the same night as the gender-care ban[12]

Voted to Roll Back Iowa’s Child-Labor Protections

Webster voted Yes on SF 542 (2023), the child-labor law that lets teens work longer hours and in more hazardous jobs — provisions the U.S. Labor Department later warned conflict with federal law.

• Loosened youth-employment limits so teens can work longer hours and in more hazardous jobs (SF 542, 2023); passed the Senate 32-17 in an overnight session, with two Republicans (McClintock, J. Taylor) voting no — Webster did not[13]

Guns in Schools, and a State Immigration Crackdown

In 2024 Webster backed two of the session’s most contested enforcement bills — one putting guns in schools, the other later blocked in federal court.

• Created a professional permit for armed school employees and granted qualified immunity from criminal and civil liability for their use of “reasonable force” (HF 2586, 2024); passed the Senate 30-14, with Republican McClintock joining Democrats in voting no — Webster did not[15][18]
• Let Iowa police arrest and order the removal of immigrants previously denied entry or deported — a state “illegal reentry” crime; the DOJ sued and a federal court blocked it (SF 2340, 2024); passed the Senate 34-16[14]