Passing budgets and a visit from the Fairfield FFA highlight week

As session comes to a close over the next few weeks, it's finally time to put up signs for re-election.

This weekend, I went around the district hammering in signs for the spring. The ground was soft and cold, which made it easier to pound the posts and harder to tie the zipties. I'll be back to set up even more signs next weekend, and I look forward to knocking on every door in the district once the weather starts warming up.

Fairfield FFA Visit

Fairfield's FFA came to visit the State House this past Wednesday, and I was able to step out to talk to the students. Floor debate was alive and well during their visit, so the FFA members were able to see what a lively day at the legislature looks like.

We talked about the importance of agriculture in our community, especially touching on the importance of raising awareness for agricultural issues and causes. I spoke with several of these students at the Fairfield FFA pancake breakfast a few weeks ago, and I was glad to hear how they've been doing since then.

Thanks to the chapter for stopping by! As always, don't hesitate to reach out to my legislative email if you find yourself by the Capitol while we're in session.

Passing Budgets

Although it isn't always the most exciting part of the job, passing budgets is one of the most important things we do up at the State House. Instead of solely being activists or loud voices, it's our job to govern. And governance requires many small, steadfast decisions that help our state thrive.

One of these key decisions was the HHS budget, which promotes the wellbeing of all Iowans through some key funding mechanisms. Despite amendments and rhetoric that threatened to throw the vote off track, we were able to come to an agreement that we can all be proud of. Responsible, limited spending is the right way to govern. This budget was a huge step forward in that fight.

This coming week, we'll be hearing a few more important bills that protect families and freedom for all Iowans.

Interview with KILJ

I stopped by KILJ this week to talk with Theresa Rose about how things are going up at the State House.

One of the main points of our conversation was the bottle bill, which has been a recurring issue for the Iowa House ever since I first got elected in 2018. We also discussed the Health and Human Services Budget increase, which helped to raise wages for our healthcare workers.

I'll be stopping back at KILJ a couple more times before the session ends, and I always appreciate them having me!

KTVO Interview

The Christamore House has been so active in our community throughout the past few years, but this session I was asked to help solve some of the recent problems that have sprung up over the last couple months. This week, KTVO reached out to me to do an interview about the hand I've had in helping the Christamore House work through some recent challenges. I interviewed with Leslie Santibanez-Molina over Zoom, and we had a productive conversation.

I told her about my initial visit with the Christamore House folks, how we were able to increase reimbursement rates (and wages for employees to make the jobs easier to fill), and the meeting I have been setting up between the DHS director and the Christamore House administrators. We discussed some of the underlying policy issues that need to be addressed, which will hopefully be covered in the meeting later this year.

There is still a long ways to go, but I look forward to working with DHS and the Christamore administrators to find more creative solutions.

Cradle of Hope Annual Banquet

Thank you to the Cradle of Hope Banquet for having me! Such a moving message and such an important cause. As long as I'm at the State House, I'll never stop fighting to protect unborn life!