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(Editor's note: This is the first in a two-part story.)
The Iowa Legislature is nearing the second funnel deadline on March 20, which means it has officially reached its half way point.
Iowa House District 21 Representative Tom Moore said the House ran more than 100 bills since the start of its 2020 session, with just 54 of those in the past week. Moore added, of bills passed through the house, 94 were bipartisan.
Education
Iowa public schools will receive a 2.3% increase in per-pupil state aid under SF2142, which passed both chambers of the state Legislature Wednesday.
According to the bill, the state will invest $85.57 million in supplemental state aid for Iowa schools in addition to a package of more than $13 million in SF2164 that Gov. Kim Reynolds signed Feb. 25. Legislators have also agreed to adding $7.65 million for transportation equity and $5.8 million for per-pupil equity. The statewide cost per pupil will increase by $158. The FY21 state cost per pupil for the State will be $7,038.
Moore said the education budget has increased almost $1 billion over the past decade. The state’s overall K-12 education budget is nearly $3.4 billion.
“It represents about 43% of the total budget for the State of Iowa, so I think it’s just interesting to note that the legislature has prioritized K-12 education and continues to ensure that,” Moore said.
The increase in per-per pupil state aid falls below Reynolds’ original proposal for more than $103 million in new funding, including a 2.5% growth rate and the 3% increase proposed by Senate Democrats.
Child care
Moore said child care is a key issue for Iowa legislators this session.
Currently, to receive child care benefits, individuals must be at or under 144% of the federal poverty level. However, a few dollars extra can bump them to 145%, causing parents to lose benefits such as childcare or food assistance and child care tax credits.
Moore said Iowa legislators are seeking to raise the income ceiling for the child care tax credit from $45,000 to $90,000, but the additional $45,000 would be implemented as a gradually diminishing level of support as workers receive raises, work increased hours or take higher paying employment.
He added that legislators are also working to incentivize employers to offer child care assistance or expand childcare to their employees, and a new bill passed through the House that extends maternity leave benefits to adoptive parents.
“We thought that was important,” Moore said.
Broadband
“Iowa is on pace to become the first state to have broadband for everybody in the nation,” said Moore. “We are not there yet, but we are on pace to be the first.”
Moore said legislators are working to extend the Iowa Cell Sitting Act to streamline regulations and deploy 5G faster.
“It establishes broadband expansion as an economic development tool … reduces installation costs,” said Moore.
Moore added that HF772, the Empower Rural Iowa bill, provides broadband grants and authorizes more accurate mapping.
“Another bill exempts broadband grants from state income tax. Another one creates a study on internet exchange points to establish Iowa as a Silicon prairie, much like you hear of the Silicon Valley in California. If we establish these internet exchange points, those types of jobs and companies in that will come to Iowa,” said Moore.
Heath care
Moore said other items are on the calendar, such as prescription drug transparency, capping out-of-pocket insulin costs and increasing access to health care services through Telehealth.
Moore said HF2383 – Retaining Health Care Professionals in Iowa and HF2197 – a bill for an act relating to the medical residency training state matching grants program rural rotation requirement has passed through the house.