The Driscoll Dispatch

It seems like I say this every week, but it was a very busy week in the Senate!

Tuesday afternoon, we had our first Agriculture Committee meeting where we actually passed a bill out of the committee. The bill was SSB 1115, which is a bill regarding programs and regulations administered and enforced by the department of agriculture and land stewardship. This was my first time passing a bill in committee in my role as chair of the Agriculture Committee and it was definitely a learning experience! Before being a senator, I never would have imagined the preparation that goes into a committee meeting to ensure it runs smoothly. A lot of this is because there is a certain structure the meeting must follow and certain phrases a senator must say in order to comply with the Senate Rules. With it being my third year now, I certainly have a lot of these rules and phrases down, but you better believe I still learn something new every meeting!

We had many visitors from the district this week and I would like to highlight a great conversation from an Iowa State student. I am very thankful to have met Michaela Hoffman from Washington this week. She was visiting with us regarding HSB 89. This bill made it out of subcommittee and is seeking to eliminate yearly concussion training for coaches of 7-12th grade school sports. She every eloquently explained her passion and her concerns about this bill and its impact on Iowa's youth athletes.

Senate Study Bill 1105 is another bill that started going through the legislative process this week and is designed to address the issue of errors and fraud in Iowa’s public assistance programs. According to the Iowa City Press-Citizen, the total amount of unemployment insurance overpayments for 2022 was up 6,086% since 2017, costing over $129 million in unwarranted spending. Fraud payments were also up 242% last year totaling $13.8 million. This unwarranted spending takes away benefits from those who are legitimately in need. SSB 1105 works to prevent this problem by adapting a more efficient process for identifying eligibility for welfare. Efficient programs and organizations to check employment, assets, residency, and citizenship already exist. The State of Iowa simply needs to use them. SSB 1105 helps ensure these programs are available for Iowans in legitimate need and protect the taxpayer from fraud and government inefficiency.

During her Condition of the State address, Gov. Kim Reynolds shared her priority for making government “efficient, effective, and small again,” putting forward a major plan for realignment of departments this year. Last year, she merged the departments of Human Services and Public Health into the new Iowa Department of Health and Human Services. This action did not cost any employees their job nor did it downgrade any service. This action streamlined the organization and allowed for a tight-knit group to work closely together. Gov. Reynolds wants to continue with this success by streamlining Iowa’s 37 cabinet agencies to 16. She has introduced Senate Study Bill 1123 to accomplish this goal. This week, SSB 1123 continued making its way through the legislative process. It has already had several subcommittees to ensure affected parties can speak and senators can receive public input. It has been nearly 40 years since Iowa has taken a comprehensive view of its government structure and now is the time for change. The goal of this bill will be to reduce unnecessary friction among agencies, improve efficiency and collaboration, and prevent government from enlarging. Even though I am not on this committee several constituents have reached out with input in this process and I am making sure their voices are being heard.

We also had a little floor debate this week. One notable bill, Senate File 75, creates a new license for hospitals, called rural emergency hospitals (REH). A rural emergency hospital means a facility that provides rural emergency health services 24/7 and does not provide any inpatient acute care. This designation would help stabilize rural hospitals that may be struggling and help bring in more money through Medicare. This bill also included state licensure of ambulatory surgical centers to provide better transparency and enforcement of these health facilities. Health care access is a major concern in rural Iowa, and one we hear often about from constituents. Senate File 75, which passed the Senate 48-0, helps keep hospitals open in our rural communities and help ensures Iowans have access to important health care services.

Property Tax Reform Advances

This week SSB 1124, the property tax reform policy cleared its first legislative hurdle. During the subcommittee on this bill the question was asked, “What is this bill trying to accomplish?” It is a fair question. The problem is, property taxes in Iowa are too high and Iowans are deeply concerned about future increases. Iowa ranks 40th in the country in the cost of property taxes. One of most common issues Iowans bring to Senators is the high cost of property taxes. Property tax collections have increased by $3.95 billion since 2000, an increase of 145%, while the median Iowa household income has only grown by 44% over the same period.

With those hikes over the years, property taxpayers are exhausted. In the next several weeks Iowans will be getting updated assessments on the value of their property. They are expected to increase statewide by an average of 10-20%. Since property taxes are tied to assessments, Iowans are fearing a 20% increase in their property taxes and they don’t know where to turn. A city may point them to the county, who may point them to their local school, who may point them to the assessor, who may point them back to the city. And the cycle repeats. Taxpayers get frustrated by that process, and they turn to their legislators for relief. We hear about it at the coffee shop, at church, at the grocery store, and at community events. So, we decided to do something about it.

SSB 1124 simplifies and consolidates around 20 different levies. It eliminates two different levies because other revenue exists for those services. Over the years, hard caps passed by the legislature have been worked around by some local governments and this bill will reinstate those caps and put more control on spending growth. Finally, it increases voter participation and transparency in bond referenda and debt consolidation.

Some local governments have expressed alarm this law will make them raise taxes or lay off public safety personnel. Iowans understand their property taxes are already rising. It is why this bill exists. The reforms in this law require them to be transparent about it and it enforces spending restraints.

On the other hand, pro-taxpayer organizations, small businesses, employers, and pro-growth advocates voiced their strong support of these reforms. We will continue to keep their promise to defend the taxpayer and work every year so Iowans keep more of the money they earn. I believe that there will be several changes to this bill as it makes it way through the process and it is a step in the right direction in cracking the real tough issue of property tax reform.

Day in the District

Last Friday, Feb. 10, I had an awesome day out in District 46.

I started my day at a forum in Kalona hosted by the Washington Chamber of Commerce. I would like to recognize KCTC, who was the business sponsor and allowed us to use their business for the location of the forum. I was pleased with the turnout of this forum — there were many people in attendance who were passionate about and advocating for some really important topics that were introduced to the legislature this session. After the forum, Representative Hora and I went and toured the Pleasantview Home in Kalona. We met with Jeffrey Schmidt, Executive Director of the Pleasantview Home, and he gave us a tour of their facility that is currently being remodeled. I am excited to return again once the remodel is complete — it is going to look amazing! The rest of my day was spent touring Williamsburg Manufacturing and speaking with them about what legislation they would like to see come from the legislature. I was excited to hear how they are going to be expanding and how they are going to be require more workforce to fill their need, which sparked more excitement around the apprenticeship programs within the district. I was excited to end my night at the Cattlemen’s Valentines dinner and loved getting to visit with Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks.