Reichman's Remarks from Sen. Jeff Reichman

Following our first legislative deadline last week, the seventh week of session in the Iowa Senate focused on floor debate. After bills pass the Senate, they are sent to the House of Representatives for their consideration.

Today there are a host of modern conveniences that offer the consumer the benefit of saving money and time. But why is there no cost-savings entity for concerts and events? Something I learned in freshman economics is the supply and demand curve, and what that does to prices. However, in this case technology has not helped us. It has hindered the supply curve by hoarding, creating a high demand and artificially inflated ticket prices.

This is why I drafted SF 2322. This bill prohibits the use or creation of a program to purchase more than eight tickets, prohibits the use of multiple Internet Protocol addresses, and prohibits circumventing or disabling an electronic queue or another sales volume limitation system associated with internet ticket sales.

Our jobs sustain us, but arts and entertainment help fulfill us. The Iowa Hawkeyes women games were sold out since last October, however if I wanted to attend last Thursday’s game and witness history being made, the tickets available (and there were hundreds) were $300-$2,100 EACH. With this simple, but potentially very impactful legislation, my hope is that it keeps costs down, doesn’t price out eventgoers, and potentially opens up opportunities to a much broader group of Iowans.

I also supported the passage of Senate File 2251 this week, expanding Medicaid benefits to pregnant women and preserving these benefits for those who truly need them. The bill expands Medicaid coverage for pregnant mothers during their pregnancy from 60 days through 12 months postpartum. Under this legislation, benefits would be limited to a pregnant woman in a household of four with an income around $64,000. It is only one of a number of programs available to women and families supported by taxpayer dollars, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Women, Infant, and Children (WIC), Family Investment Program (FIP), and the More Opportunity for Maternal Support (MOMS) program the Legislature enacted in 2022 to help pregnant and new mothers.

Iowans support constitutional amendment protecting tax cuts

Recently, Iowans for Tax Relief released a poll showing Iowans overwhelmingly support the constitutional amendment proposed earlier this legislative session. According to the poll, over 67% of Iowans support requiring a supermajority vote by the Legislature to raise income tax rates in Iowa.

Tax reform for hardworking Iowa families has been a priority for Senate Republicans since we gained the majority in 2017. Since then, we’ve passed historic tax relief legislation again and again. In 2021, we passed a billion dollar tax cut, providing additional tax relief to small businesses, eliminating the inheritance tax, and providing both income and property tax relief to Iowans. Finally, in 2022, we passed the historic flat tax and eliminated taxes on retirement income, providing Iowans with real, permanent tax relief, makes Iowa more competitive with other states, and simplifying our tax code.

Land protections pass Iowa Senate

This week the Senate passed Senate File 2204, giving Iowans more information about who owns Iowa’s farmland and helping us protect one of our greatest resources. Senate File 2204 requires non-resident aliens, foreign businesses, and foreign governments to register their farmland with the Secretary of State. It also requires them to include their legal name, address, nationality, and authority to purchase agricultural land.

As an agricultural state, Iowans have a strong and vested interest in protecting our land and knowing who owns it. We are already known for having strong laws on land ownership specifically keeping China out, and this bill, proposed by Gov. Kim Reynolds, would strengthen them even further and increase the penalties for bad actors. It is vital for our food and national security for Iowa farmland remains in the hands of Iowans and Americans.

I had to opportunity to meet Lauren Hulsebus from Heartland Fresh Family Farms. Heartland Farms was able to take advantage of the grants available from the Butchery Bill, which assisted the expansion, renovation and establishment of butchery facilities. The Butchery Innovation and Revitalization Fund, administered by the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA), was created in 2021. The fund provides financial assistance in the form of grants to businesses for projects relating to small-scale meat processing, licensed custom lockers.