Tim Kapucian

Tim L. Kapucian (born August 2, 1967) is the Iowa State Senator from the 20th District. A Republican, he has served in the Iowa Senate since 2009. He received his B.A. in Animal Science from Iowa State University, has been a farmer for the past 27 years, and is a past president of the Iowa Pork Producers.

Kapucian currently serves on several committees in the Iowa Senate – the Agriculture committee; the Appropriations committee; the Economic Growth committee; the Local Government committee; and the Transportation committee. He also serves as the ranking member of the Economic Development Appropriations Subcommittee.

Kapucian was elected in 2008 with 15,527 votes, defeating Democratic opponent Randy Braden.

Voters' rights

During the 2017 legislative session, Kapucian voted to shorten both the amount of time one may cast an absentee ballot and the number of days one can vote at satellite polling sites, and he voted to require all voters to present a state-issued ID. Though he voted for the measure, the bill was opposed by the Iowa State Association of Counties, an advocacy group for Iowa's disabled, and Iowa's Department on Aging opposed the bill.

Workers' Rights

During the 2017 legislative session, Kapucian voted for House File 295 which eliminates local control in municipalities that voted to increase their own minimum wage locally. Kapucian's vote will cause the minimum wage to be lowered in four counties which had already voted to raise their minimum wage (Johnson, Linn, Wapello, and Polk). Estimates show that at least 64,300 residents of Iowa will have their wages effectively lowered, including 35,800 to 36,000 in Polk County, 10,100 in Johnson County, and 18,400 in Linn County.

Healthcare

Kapucian voted in support of House File 625, which eliminated the requirement that parents report on their state taxes whether or not they have healthcare for their children. In this bill, Kapucian also voted to eliminate the requirement that parents apply for healthcare coverage, such as Hawk-i or Medicaid, for their children.

Immigration

Kapucian voted for an amended form of Senate File 481. This bill eliminated elements of local control by requiring a local officer to comply and detain an immigrant who is guilty of three misdemeanors, non-violent felonies, and felonies until ICE arrives. This bill was opposed by a number of organizations in Iowa, including the Iowa Police Chief Association, the Iowa Catholic Conference, the Iowa Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, the Episcopal Diocese of Iowa, the Iowa Coalition against Sexual Assault, and the Iowa State Bar Association.