House approves CARE Act to help family caregivers

The Iowa House voted 96-3 to approve the CARE Act, to send Senate File 210 to the governor.

The CARE Act outlines steps to help Iowa's more than 317,000 family caregivers when their loved one goes into the hospital and as they transition home, according to AARP, one of 15 groups that supported the legislation.

It requires that the name of the family caregiver is recorded when a person is admitted into a hospital, the designated family caregiver is notified when their loved one is to be discharged, the hospital discusses the caregivers' abilities and limitations, and the hospital discusses the patient's care needs at home.

E15 TESTIMONY: Gov. Kim Reynolds will travel to Ypsilanti, Mich., on Friday to testify in favor of E15 at the Environmental Protection Agency's public hearing on its proposed E15/RIN reform rule. Her comments will be streamed live 9 a.m. at facebook.com/IAGovernor/.

ABSENTEE BALLOT TRACKING: A Senate subcommittee has moved ahead legislation that would require absentee ballots have a bar code for local election officials to scan and determine whether a ballot was mailed by the deadline.

The House previously approved House File 692 www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ga=88&ba=hf692 on a 96-0 vote.

All three members of the Senate subcommittee voted to advance the bill, but Republicans Roby Smith of Davenport and Jake Chapman of Adel expressed some hesitation.

Smith has a separate bill on state election laws that includes a requirement that absentee ballots arrive to county auditors by Election Day. Such a requirement would negate the need for bar code legislation.

The House passed the bill after it was forced to weigh in on a closely decided statehouse election in 2018. A northeast Iowa district was decided by just nine votes, and Democrats called for the counting of roughly two dozen absentee ballots that were not counted because they did not have the appropriate bar code that would have allowed auditors to determine if they were mailed by the deadline.

The House ruled the ballots should not be counted, and the election results stood; the chamber then crafted and approved the legislation in an attempt to prevent similar cases in the future.

A representative of the Iowa Association of County Auditors told the Senate subcommittee members that auditors across the state differ on whether a bar code law or hard deadline is more appropriate.

The bill heads to the Senate State Government Committee that Smith chairs.

MENTAL HEALTH FUNDING: The regions that deliver mental health care services in Iowa would have more time to spend down from their reserve funds and would be able to keep more funding in those reserves under legislation approved by a Senate subcommittee.

Mental health care officials said they appreciate the provisions in House File 691 www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ga=88&ba=hf691, although they also said it is, at best, a short-term solution that will not help all struggling regions. They pleaded with lawmakers to devise a more sustainable, long-term funding mechanism.

The proposal heads to the Senate's Health Care Committee. It previously passed the House, 96-0.

RUNOFF ELECTIONS: Primary elections not decided on Election Day would go to a runoff instead of party convention under legislation approved unanimously by the Senate.

Iowa primary election candidates must receive at least 35 percent of the vote in order to earn the party's nomination. If no candidate reaches that threshold on Election Day, the nomination is decided by activists at a state party convention.

Under Senate File 410, www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ga=88&ba=sf410, if no primary candidate reaches the 35 percent threshold, the nomination would instead by decided by a runoff election between the top two vote-getters.

The Senate passed the proposal, 46-0. It has passed the proposal in the past, but it was not taken up in the House.

P.E./HEALTH STANDARDS: Members of the state Board of Education Thursday adopted optional physical education and health recommendations for statewide standards for Iowa students in kindergarten through high school.

The Physical Education and Health Standards Review Team of Iowa health and physical education teachers, administrators, teacher leaders and community organizations recommended that Iowa's standards come from the Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE) America standards and the National Health Education Standards. The board also received public input through public forums and an online survey.

The health and physical education standards indicate what a student should know and be able to do at each grade level. Health and physical education will join other academic disciplines that already have both voluntary and required standards. Standards are required in science, social studies, English language arts, mathematics and 21st century skills (employability and civic, financial, health and technology literacy). Voluntary standards include fine arts and computer science.