Iowa House looks at welfare reform

This week the House introduced House Study Bill 696 dealing with welfare reform. This bill aims to protect the integrity and sustainability of Iowa’s public assistance programs so it can provide proper care for the Iowans who really need it.

It does this by empowering disabled Iowans. It expands eligibility for the Medicaid for Employed Persons with Disabilities program from 250% of the Federal Poverty Limit to 300% FPL, allowing more disabled Iowans to qualify and to accept raises and promotions without fear of losing Medicaid coverage.

It also excludes pension accounts from income eligibility determinations, allowing disabled Iowans to plan for their future without becoming ineligible for coverage. It creates a website for individuals to pay premiums electronically, making the payment process easy and simple to navigate.

The bill also increases the quality of care for disabled Iowans by increasing the base reimbursement rate for Home and Community Based Services providers in rural areas to cover the travel time and expenses incurred, allowing more Iowans in rural areas to receive the care they need in their home, keeping them out of expensive institutions. There are other provisions here that I won’t comment on for brevity’s sake.

The bill also works to protect the integrity of the system. It prioritizes Iowans by requiring at least 12 months of residency in Iowa in order to qualify for public assistance. It codifies citizenship and qualified alien status as a universal requirement for all public assistance eligibility, ending welfare handouts for illegal immigrants.

It helps catch and prevent fraud by requiring the Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing to submit an annual public assistance fraud report. The bill also updates state code to ensure Iowa remains in compliance with the federal One Big Beautiful Bill.

Another issue that I am excited about outside of the legislative session is a program at Iowa State University to develop soy-based polymer that can replace petroleum based asphalt on roadways.

It reduces cracking, lowers cost, and eliminates the need for roughly 1,667 barrels of crude oil per mile of pavement, replacing that crude oil with 500-650 bushels of soybeans instead.

A few years ago during a tour of Ag related research projects at ISU I was shown a parking lot at the university that was paved with this soy-based polymer material. This past summer ISU paved a 24-mile stretch of rural and city road in Fayette and Clayton counties near the town of Volga as a further test of the material.

The soy-based polymer will allow the roadway to be more flexible, extending the life of the pavement, adding to the cost savings. Iowa has long been a leader in soybean production, but today’s soybean markets are volatile. Developing and marketing this new paving technology can go a long way toward boosting our Ag economy and preserving our family farming heritage.

As always, I look forward to seeing you at the Capitol, or in the district.