Confidence grows at county fair

It’s county fair time!

The Iowa County Fair kicked off last Wednesday. Our family enjoyed watching the peewee sheep and goat show in Marengo. The kids and animals are incredibly cute, but what I appreciated most about the event is the way families came together to support their kids and each other.

It is so good to see parents encourage girls and boys to “get in the arena” and compete. It takes courage to show animals. It’s stressful for a child to handle an uncooperative animal in front of the grandstand, and to top it off they must do an interview in front of the crowd.

You can see the kids grow in confidence over the years, and that growth is a result of adults like you shepherding them (pun intended) and challenging them.

Here’s another opportunity for young people: each year, the Iowa Legislature selects high-achieving students to serve as Pages during the legislative session. This full-time position offers hands-on experience in state government, professional development, and one-half unit of social studies credit, all while working at the Capitol in Des Moines.

• Eligibility: Juniors and seniors (must be at least 16 by Jan. 2, 2026)

• Schedule: Jan. 12 — April 15, 2026 (Monday — Thursday, ~7 a.m. — 5 p.m.)

• Compensation: Approx. $10.78/hour

• Deadline to Apply: Friday, Oct. 17, 2025

• Apply at legis.iowa.gov/careers

Student duties may include: delivering messages and materials to legislators and staff; supporting committee meetings and livestream technology; assisting in the offices of the Speaker, Majority or Minority Leader; and serving in a nonpartisan role with professional expectations

The program requires students to live in Des Moines during the session, and applicants must arrange their own housing and transportation. They are excused from PE and may receive school credit per Iowa Code 256.11 (18). A school administrator’s approval is required as part of the application.

I encourage you to share this opportunity with students, parents, and school administrators. Being a Page is an exceptional way for students to immerse themselves in the legislative process, build confidence, and develop real-world skills.

If you or your staff have questions, please feel free to reach out to the Chief Clerk of the House, Meghan Nelson, at 515-281-5383 or Meghan.Nelson@legis.iowa.gov.

Or, as always, contact me.

Education

I previously summarized the laws we passed out of the House Judiciary Committee, so I will not rehash those. Today, I’m highlighting what I consider to be the most consequential education and health care legislation that was signed into law by the governor this year.

Over half of our state budget goes to education. It is far and away the largest part of our budget.

• State funding to K-12 Schools increased by $105 Million this year. House Republicans secured more than $4.7 million in additional investments for public schools through negotiation.

• The No Phones During Instructional Time bill requires school districts to implement a policy that, at a minimum, prohibits the use of cellphones during instructional time.

• The Civics Test For All High School Graduates bill requires high school students to pass the same text that new citizens must pass.

• The School Safety Threat Assessment Teams bill requires schools to create a threat assessment team to intervene when a student is exhibiting threatening behaviors.

• The Fetal Development Instruction bill requires human growth and development curriculum in 5th-12th grades to include instruction related to human development inside the womb. This is also known as the “Baby Olivia” bill.

• The Center for Intellectual Freedom Act establishes a Center for Intellectual Freedom at the University of Iowa to conduct teaching and research in the historical ideas, traditions and texts that have shaped the American constitutional order and society.

• The College Affordability Act contains several provisions to control the cost of college for students.

• The Taxpayers Don’t Fund DEI bill prohibits state entities and community colleges from using any funds to establish or support DEI offices.

Health care

About one-fourth of our state budget goes to health care. It is our second largest set of expenses.

• The More Birthing Centers in Iowa bill removes the requirement that birthing centers must obtain a certificate of need prior to opening or expanding their services.

• The Health & Human Services Budget increased over $250 million this year. Virtually all of that increase comes from Medicaid. The bill fully funds Medicaid and HAWK-i with an additional 2% growth trend.

• The HHS budget also includes the following provider rate changes: $20 million for nursing facility rebasing; $3,050,000 for disability providers through an increase to intermittent community-based services; $2,136,304 to increase dental rate; $420,000 to increase rates for prenatal, delivery, and postnatal care; $100,000 to increase rates for prosthetics and orthotics; increases foster care and adoption subsidy rates by about 5%; increases the personal needs allowance for nursing home residents enrolled in Medicated to $55/month.

• The Medical Prior Authorization Reform bill sets up deadlines for prior authorizations, requires insurers to review health care services that require prior authorizations, and establishes reporting requirements.

• The Autism Coverage bill strikes age and benefit limits from the autism coverage requirements of health plans in Iowa.

• The Dental Insurance Reform bill prohibits denial of claims that received prior authorization and establishes an appeal process related to overpayment by an insurer.

• The Doctor Credentialing bill provides a timeline for an insurer to respond to a provider seeking to be credentialed in-network and to provide a reason for any denial.