Reichman’s Remarks

Week 15 was exceptionally busy as we work towards completing the agenda for the year. The Senate passed legislation regarding several important priorities for Iowans.

In an effort to give more flexibility to Iowa’s education system, we passed SF 391. The bill makes a number of changes to help districts best meet the needs of their specific schools, like making the required courses for students more flexible, allowing for students to opt out of physical education if they are involved in a work-based learning program or other physical activities. It will also make school district agreements with community colleges more flexible.

Fentanyl abuse is a terrible problem, affecting Iowa and the United States as a whole. Since 2019, opioid-related deaths have increased by 45% in Iowa. Fentanyl is deadly, even in very small doses. It is why Governor Reynolds called for increasing the sentences for fentanyl-related crimes at her Condition of the State address this year. In response, I was personally asked to run HF 595 to increase the penalties for the sale, distribution, or possession of fentanyl. Penalties would be further increased if the violation involved sale to a minor or the death of another person. With the opioid crisis running rampant, and fentanyl flowing across the southern border, we are proud to take these steps to protect Iowans.

Also this week, the Senate passed SF 542, giving more opportunities to Iowa teenagers to learn responsibility and the dignity of work. First, the bill makes changes to the hours 14- and 15-year-olds can work. Currently, this age group can work up to 8 hours in a day and up to 40 hours in a week when school is not in session and up to 4 hours a day and up to 28 hours in a week when school is in session. The bill would make it so they could work up to 6 hours in a day during the school year, but they are still capped at 28 hours for the week. This change will be especially helpful because it would give this age group the ability to work more on weekends versus school nights.

Welfare Reform Advances to Governor Reynolds

Late last week, the Iowa House passed SF 494, the welfare reform bill the Senate approved last month. This policy has been a priority for Senate Republicans for several years. This bill directs the executive branch to uses technology and private sector tools to verify the people receiving benefits are citizens, residents of Iowa, and meet other federal and state requirements to receive benefits.

The bill also implements an asset test in coordination with federal guidelines with exceptions for up to two vehicles. These changes ensure the program is protected for the Iowans who legitimately need these public assistance programs.

Real, Permanent Property Tax Relief Passes Iowa Senate

In Iowa, property taxes are levied by more than 2,000 local taxing districts. Counties, cities, townships, school districts, and special districts, like community college districts, hospital districts, and sanitation districts, all have taxing authority. While Iowa places limits on property tax rates per $1,000 of assessed value, counties and cities can have supplemental levy rates for certain services.

In 2021, the Legislature passed property tax relief for Iowans, eliminating a property tax levy, which should have saved taxpayers $100 million. However, most counties in the state did not pass those savings onto the property taxpayer. Now, amid rapidly increasing assessments, fears on the tax burden to come, and confusion about where to turn, Iowans turned to their legislators.

SF 569 provides over $100 million in relief to Iowa property taxpayers and is aimed at controlling the growth of property taxes and increasing transparency in property taxes and local government spending, and eliminates loopholes abused by local governments to exceed limits set by law, and simplifies and consolidates 17 levies.

Iowans all across the state have been looking for property tax relief, especially with the arrival of new assessments over the last few weeks. This bill gets at the core of rising property taxes and offers property taxpayers real, permanent relief.