Collins Capital Connection

This week at the Capitol we reached the first funnel deadline. This narrows many of the bills we can consider by forcing us to only consider bills that have made it out of committee in at least one chamber after this point. The only exception to this being tax and spending bills which are not subject to funnel deadlines.

AEA Reform, Teacher Pay, SSA

For over a month now the House has been engaging in conversations with the AEAs, superintendents, and parents to develop bills to improve special education outcomes and increase teacher pay. This week, we introduced three bills as a result of these in-depth discussions. One on AEA reform, one on increasing teacher pay, and one on a 3% SSA increase. These bills are not set in stone and discussions are ongoing. However, these will be the bills we work off of next week after the funnel deadline.

House Study Bill 714: Increasing Teacher Pay

We have taken feedback from superintendents as we crafted this legislation to responsibly raise teacher pay. Our bill increases the minimum teacher salary from the current amount of $33,500 to $47,500 beginning next year, and then bumps it up again to $50,000 the following year. This bill also increases the minimum wage for education support staff to $15/hour. Our teachers are doing essential, important work. We want our teachers to receive the compensation they deserve and incentivize more people to enter the profession. While some may say this bill may not directly address veteran teachers, our plan includes additional Teacher Salary Supplement money, coupled with a 3% increase in State Supplemental Aid.

House Study Bill 713: Improving Special Education Outcomes

While we did not advance the Governor's AEA reform bill, we have continued discussions with stakeholders to draft our own legislation to improve outcomes. The goal of our bill is to improve special education outcomes, and we believe it does this by providing accountability over the AEA’s services, creating a task force to review the current system and look for areas for improvement, and giving more flexibility to the school districts on how to spend their money.

A couple important things to note that are different about our bill from the Governor's proposal you may have heard about previously:

•The goal of our bill is for there to be no disruption to special education services.

•This bill does not terminate any employees of the AEA’s.

•This bill does not prohibit the AEAs ability to perform any of the services they do now.

Here are some bullet points of what the bill does do:

•Ties the salary of each AEA’s chief executive to the average salary of the superintendents of the districts they cover. Currently, the 9 chiefs each make around $300,000 annually.

•Puts the Department of Education in charge of professional development and gives the Department true oversight over the AEA’s budgets.

•Creates a legislative task force to review the AEA system and make recommendations.

•The money devoted to special education will stop at the school district, but school districts will be required to contract with the AEAs to provide those special education services.

•This bill gives school districts more control of media services and education services money over time. Many districts may continue to use the AEAs for all services. However, if they can provide those same services for less money, or more effectively through other means, they will have that flexibility.

oStarting in school year 2025-2026, the media services money would stop at the school district.

oBeginning in school year 2026-2027, both the media services money and the education services money would stop at the school district.

oThe school district would then have discretion over how best to spend those funds and provide the services they need to their students.

This is just a quick summary of this bill and we will continue to dig into the details as this bill works its way through the legislative process.

House Study Bill 675: Improving School Safety

This week, the House Public Safety committee passed HSB 675 which focuses on personnel able and ready to protect students in the event of an emergency. Policies in this bill include:

•Schools with enrollment over 8,000 students shall employ at least one school resource officer or private security officer.

•A grant program is created to match funds to help ALL schools pay for these positions.

•Creates a new permit that allows a school employee to carry weapons. The requirements for this permit are strictly prescribed and extensive.

Details of the new School Employee Firearm Permit:

Who can apply?

•School employees if they choose and if their employer has not opted out of this program.

What is required to obtain the permit?

•Must complete a firearm safety training course.

•Must pass a background check.

•Must complete one-time, in-person legal training.

What is required to maintain the permit?

•Annual medical training.

•Annual communication training about how to communicate effectively with local law enforcement.

•Annual live scenario training.

•Quarterly live firearm training.

Annual background check.

Iowa’s Civics and U.S. History Standards Too Vague, Lack Specifics

In 2021 the Fordham Institute released the state of state standards for civics and U.S. history. The report evaluated the K–12 civics and U.S. History standards adopted by the fifty states and the District of Columbia based on the quality, completeness, and rigor of their content and the clarity of its presentation. Reviews were conducted by a bipartisan team of veteran educators and subject-matter experts with deep knowledge of civics and U.S. History.

Iowa received a “D” in civics standards and an “F” in U.S. History standards. According to the report, “Iowa’s current civics and U.S. History standards are inadequate. Vagueness and overbreadth lead to a dearth of specific content in both disciplines, and there is no discernible coverage of U.S. History at the K–8 level. A complete revision of the standards is recommended.”

How did we get here?

Social Studies was removed from the ACT test in 1989. According to Prepscholar.com, “Social Studies was replaced with Reading. The Social Studies section had tested specific information about US History, whereas the new Reading section only tested pure reading ability and comprehension.”

Thirty years later, in 2019, Forbes.com ran an article titled "Math And Science Can't Take Priority Over History And Civics.”

The author argued, “The number of hours in the school day is finite, and we need to consider what we’re giving up if we prioritize some subjects over others. There’s no way of knowing exactly what information any given student will need to draw on in the future, but it’s possible to predict the general kind of knowledge most Americans will need to participate successfully in society and lead fulfilling lives. And the question is whether an emphasis on STEM will provide that.”

The article goes on, “But while many are pushing for a greater focus on STEM, alarm is spreading over what some have characterized as a crisis in civics education. Scores on national tests in that subject, along with history and geography, are alarmingly low, with only about a quarter of students scoring at the proficient level. Teachers in low-performing high schools have told me their students are often unclear on the differences between a city and a state, or a country and a continent. They may think London is the capital of Paris or be unable to find the United States on a map of the world. Even college students can be stumped by questions like what country we won our independence from, or who won the Civil War. One survey found that more than a third of adults were unable to name any of the rights protected by the First Amendment and only a quarter could identify the three branches of government.”

Education data suggests that the lack of specific standards and a deemphasis on civics and history is having an alarmingly negative effect on students.

According to a December 2023 Economist/YouGov poll, 20% of 18-29 year-olds believe the Holocaust is a myth. 23% believe the Holocaust has been exaggerated.

The 2022 National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP, found only 22% of eighth graders scored at or above the NAEP Proficient level in civics.

Just 13% of eighth-grade students scored at or above the NAEP Proficient level in U.S. history.

In U.S. history, 40% of eighth graders performed below NAEP Basic, meaning they likely cannot identify simple historical concepts in primary or secondary sources.

In 2022, the average civics score at eighth grade decreased by 2 points compared to 2018. The average score in 2022 was not significantly different from 1998, the first year the assessment was given.

The Institute for Citizens & Scholars conducted a study in October 2018 and found only 13% of those surveyed knew that the U.S. Constitution was ratified in 1788.

More than half of respondents (60%) didn’t know which countries (Germany, Italy, Japan) the United States fought in World War II. 57% of those surveyed did not know how many Justices actually serve on the nation’s highest court.

A September 2023 national survey of 18-24 year-olds conducted by the Institute for Citizens & Scholars found that 21% did not know what rights the First Amendment guarantees.

Their research reveals a strong correlation between increased civic knowledge and engagement in American democracy:

•66% of those who score high on civic knowledge intend to vote in the next general election versus only 44% of those who score low on civic knowledge.

•51% of those who score high on civic knowledge state that their vote matters versus only 47% of those who score low on civic knowledge.

•80% of those who score high on civic knowledge plan to engage in at least one civic activity in 2024 versus only 64% of those who score low on civic knowledge.

•62% of those who score high on civic knowledge reject violence that suppresses opposition versus only 49% of those who score low on civic knowledge.

In 2019 the American Council of Trustees and Alumni commissioned a survey of Gen Z. Fewer than half of the college graduates surveyed could identify John Roberts as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. 15% selected Brett Kavanaugh.

These findings follow a 2015 survey of college graduates by the same organization that showed nearly 10% of college grads think Judith Sheindlin—commonly known as Judge Judy—is on the Supreme Court.

On Tuesday, the Education Committee approved HSB HF 2330 which directly and specifically addresses Iowa vague and overly broad civics and history standards. The bill institutes specific U.S. civics and history content standards. The specifics are widely recognized and accepted as vital to any civics and history coursework. For example, historical figures such as George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass are included along with the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Emancipation Proclamation. The basic principles and historical context of the United States’ form of government are emphasized. Concepts such as distribution of power among the three branches of government, the system of federalism and the rule of law are stressed. Key Supreme Court cases such as Marbury v. Madison, Dred Scott v. Sandford and Brown v. Board of Education are highlighted. Important Americans such as Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Edison, Theodore Roosevelt, Jim Thorpe, Jackie Robinson, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Neil Armstrong are covered. In addition to the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, primary source documents such as the Mayflower Compact, Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense” and the Gettysburg Address are included.

HF 2330 will be eligible for debate in the Iowa House next week.

Education Committee Passes K-12 Education Standards Review

The Education Committee has prioritized a comprehensive review of Iowa’s educational standards for K-12 education. This week the committee passed House File 2329, which directs the Department of Education to conduct a comprehensive review of the graduation requirements, core curriculum, core content standards, and education standards. Recommendations must include a plan to eliminate core content standards. At least five states, including Florida and Indiana, have eliminated core content standards.

I have heard from many constituents that Iowa Core is not working. Iowa used to be a leader in education and to get back to the top a review of content standards is necessary. The review also must include a plan to eliminate the teaching of critical race theory and social emotional learning. Time devoted to these theories takes away time on actual reading, writing, math, science, and history. The recommendations of the review task force must be presented to the Legislature prior to the 2025 legislative session.

Labor and Workforce Committee Passes Work-Based Learning Bill

On Tuesday the House Labor and Workforce Committee passed House Study Bill 686, which is similar to the Governor’s proposal on work-based learning. Iowa has a workforce problem and it is not something that can just be fixed by looking at higher education. This is a way for students that are still in high school to be able to get real hands-on experience to prepare them for the workforce and see what they are interested in.

The bill allows work-based learning to count as core credit and for work-based learning programs offered during the summer months. This gives students and schools more flexibility on how they administer the program and how credits are fit in with schedules.

The bill also makes changes to the Last-Dollar Scholarship program. It adds that an eligible program of study includes a program of study or major that is jointly approved by College Student Aid Commission and Iowa Workforce Development that aligns with at least one of ten priority in-demand fields.

Lastly, the bill changes student teaching requirements. Student teaching experience can be four weeks if the following requirements are met:

•The student bears primary responsibility for planning, instruction, and assessment within the classroom for a minimum of four weeks during the student teaching experience.

•The Board of Educational Examiners has issued a substitute license, substitute authorization, or para-educator certificate to the student, and the student has prior experience working as a substitute teacher or a para-educator, including experience under the teacher and para-educator registered apprenticeship grant program.

A student may satisfy the requirements related to the student teaching experience if all the following requirements are met:

•The student teaching experience takes place in the classroom of a cooperating teacher who is appropriately licensed in the subject area and grade level endorsement for which the student is being prepared and lasts for at least one half of each school day.

•Under supervision of the cooperating teacher, and for at least one half of each school day, the student bears the primary responsibility for planning, instruction, and assessment within the classroom for a minimum of four weeks during the student teaching experience.

•The Board of Educational Examiners has issued a para-educator certificate to the student, and the student works as a para-educator for at least one half of each school day during the 14 week student teaching experience.

This bill passed committee with a vote of 15-1.

HHS Committee Advances Behavioral Health System Legislation

Over the last 15 years, Iowa’s mental health system has gone through significant changes. From 99 counties operating independently with no coordination, to counties selecting which region to join and operating independently of the state, to a state funded system with little state oversight. This week, the legislature advanced a proposal to have a state coordinated behavioral health system that gives Iowans clear access points for services.

House File 2509 passed the House Health and Human Services Committee unanimously. This bill came from the Governor to transition the current county run mental health and disability services regional system to a state behavioral health service system with state contracted administrative service organizations governed by the Department of Health and Human Services. To explain in more detail:

•The behavioral health service system has the purpose of prevention, education, early intervention, treatment, recovery support, and crisis services for mental health, substance use, tobacco use, and problem gambling.

•HHS will divide the state into behavioral health districts with ASOs to oversee each district and its behavioral health services. ASOs will be selected through RFP. Each district will have a district behavioral health advisory council.

•The bill directs the funds from the federal community health mental health services block grant and the federal substance abuse prevention and treatment block grant to HHS.

•Creates a central data repository for behavioral health data with demographic information, expenditure data, and services and supports provided to individuals.

•Establishes a behavioral health fund, with similar funding to the existing annual increases based on a state growth factor. The bill prohibits an ASO from spending more than 7% on administrative costs.

This bill also requires HHS to designate aging and disability resource centers to establish a coordinated system of aiding persons with disabilities and the elderly. The timeline outlined in the legislation is:

•September 30, 2024 – HHS must post transition plan online and update quarterly.

•April 1, 2025 – DHHS will designate the districts and their ASOs.

•July 1, 2025 – the behavioral health system and ADRCs are implemented.

The bill is now in the Appropriations Committee, and the legislature will continue to work to ensure Iowans have access to mental health services.

Local Government Committee Tackles Compensation Boards

This week the House Local Government Committee passed several pieces of good governance legislation. One piece of legislation reported by the committee was House File 2345 (renumbered HF 2514) which amends Iowa Code to restructure how county elected officials and employees of the county receive cost of living and salary increases. Currently, increases to elected official salaries are recommended by a compensation board, which is made up of appointees of every county elected office. The board is supposed to annually review the compensation and set a schedule for the compensation for the next budget year. That schedule is voted upon by the board of supervisors. However, increases recommended by the compensation board can only be adjusted evenly across all positions. This limits the flexibility supervisors can use to set the compensation for the elected officials of the county. There is also concern that a board comprised of people appointed by the officials who would receive an increase creates a possible conflict of interest or lack of fairness in the process.

HF 2345 as amended would eliminate compensation boards and instead require the base salaries of elected officials to be set by ordinance to go into effect after the next election of that office. If the supervisors provide the county employees a cost of living increase they would be authorized to provide a salary increase to the elected officials not to exceed the Consumer Price Index. The legislation aims to ensure the elected officials are considering the salaries of the county employees before being able to increase their own salary increases. Additionally, it provides open transparency to the voters about how proposed salary increases come to be for their elected officials instead of a compensation board that often used as a scapegoat for rubber stamping salary increases for themselves.

State Government Committee Approves Bill on First Responders

Last week the House State Government Committee passed a monumental piece of legislation to further protect the first responders across Iowa who protect and rescue Iowans every day. House File 2183 (now House File 2482) was reported out of State Government Committee unanimously. The bill, as amended by the Committee, changes Iowa Code to ensure that all types of cancer are covered for Iowa’s firefighters. Currently there are only 14 types of cancer that are covered under the presumption that it was contracted while on active duty as a result of the job. There are over 200 types of diagnosable cancers.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, cancer is the leading cause of death among firefighters. Research shows that due to the carcinogenic materials and the significantly greater exposure to chemicals, gases, vapors, and particles that firefighters are 9% more likely to be diagnosed with cancer than the general population and 14% higher risk of dying of cancer than the general population. If enacted, this legislation would provide coverage to all cancers and alleviate concern when a firefighter gets a life altering diagnoses that they have to wonder if their cancer treatment will be covered.

Commerce Committee Advances Energy Legislation

This week, the House Commerce Committee passed House Study Bill 658 with bipartisan support. This bill is based on some of the recommendations provided to update Iowa’s energy laws.

Over the summer, the legislature required a full review of Iowa’s utilities and ratemaking processes. The assessment the first comprehensive review done in 20 years, and much has changed in that time in the energy sector.

This bill updates Iowa’s advance ratemaking statute. Advance ratemaking is a mechanism to incentivize investing in renewable generation capacity. As the report states, “by providing certainty around recovery principles for advance ratemaking assets, rate-regulated utilities are compensated for their investment risks. This has allowed Iowa to become the top wind power producer in the nation.

House Study Bill 658 adds nuclear and energy storage to the list of facilities eligible for advance ratemaking and lowers the megawatt requirement for eligible generating facilities, making newer technologies available in Iowa. Alternatively, this bill gives the Iowa Utilities Board new authority to deny or approve advance ratemaking petitions and to require the failing of an integrated resource plan when a public utility is applying for older technologies like solar, wind, or battery storage.

This bill also requires the Iowa Utilities Board to study performance-based regulation for the future with a report due to the legislature by October 1, 2026.

Natural Resources Committee Clarifies the Right to Carry on ATVs

Last week the House Natural Resources passed House Study Bill 654 by a unanimous vote. House File 2461 updates the Code concerning conveyance of firearms by snowmobiles or ATV operators or riders to make it consistent with recent changes to state law concerning conveyance of firearms by motor vehicle operators and passengers. The bill strikes existing Code provisions that prohibits a person operating or riding a snowmobile or an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) with a loaded firearm in the person’s procession, except when the person was operating or riding on their own land (owned, rented, or possessed) and the person’s conduct is otherwise lawful, or when operating an ATV with a loaded pistol or revolver on land that is not their own. The last subsection caused lots of confusion with ATV operators and law enforcement. The bill retains existing prohibition against discharging a firearm while on a snowmobile or ATV, except by a non-ambulatory person while lawfully hunting while the snowmobile or ATV is stationary.

IRS Launches New Tool for the Employer-Provided Child-care Tax Credit

Recently the Internal Revenue Service announced the launch of a new page on IRS.gov explaining the Employer-Provided Childcare Tax Credit, an incentive for businesses to provide child-care services to their employees. The new tool was created because the IRS felt that some employers may be overlooking the credit. The information is available at IRS.gov/employerchildcare or by searching “employer child-care.

This tax credit is designed to help employers cover some of the qualified child-care facility and resource and referral expenditures associated with providing child-care services to their employees. A qualified child-care facility is one that meets the requirements of all applicable laws and regulations of the state or local government in which it is located. The credit is limited to $150,000 per year to offset 25% of qualified child-care facility expenditures and 10% of qualified child-care resource and referral expenditures.

Iowa has a corresponding credit passed in 2022’s Economic Development Budget. Beginning in tax year 2023, taxpayers who are eligible for the federal employer-provided child-care credit and who receive an award from the Iowa Economic Development Authority are eligible to claim the Iowa Employer Child Care tax credit. Taxpayers must use form 8882 to calculate their total allowable credit for this tax year. The Iowa credit program is limited to $2.0 million annually.

Staying in Touch

As always, you also can shoot me an email with any questions or concerns at taylor.collins@legis.iowa.gov or you can call the Capitol Switchboard and leave me a message at (515) 281-7340.

Sincerely, Rep. Taylor Collins.

  Buy Photo