Collins Capital Connection

Editor’s note: this is an abridged version of Rep. Collins’ weekly newsletter.

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To the People of House District 95

Week three of the legislative session has come and gone. While it may only be the end of January, we are already quickly approaching the sessions first funnel deadline — February 15th. If a bill has not made it out of committee in at least one chamber at that point, the bill can no longer be considered that session. The only exception to that being tax and appropriations bills

Commerce Committee Advances PBM Legislation

Recently, the House Commerce Committee unanimously passed House File 2099. The bill comes from the Iowa Department of Insurance and Financial Services regarding Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs). PBMs are generally the middlemen between health insurers and drug manufacturers, who process prescription medication claims on behalf of the insurer or employer. In 2022, the Legislature brought PBM oversight under the Department of Insurance and this bill comes based on a year and a half of industry regulation. The bill expands PBM’s duty of good faith and fair dealing to pharmacies and prohibits retaliation against pharmacies that file complaints against PBMs. The bill now is able to be considered on the House Floor.

Iowa’s Unemployment Rate Decreases to 3.2% in December

Iowa’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased slightly to 3.2% in December amid hiring gains in both construction and manufacturing. The state’s jobless rate was 3.3% last month and 3.0% one year ago. The U.S. unemployment rate remained at 3.7%.

Iowa’s labor force participation rate dropped to 67.7% in December, down 0.4% from last month, as 8,500 Iowans left the workforce. The national labor force participation rate is 62.5%.

December’s report shows job growth in construction and manufacturing, adding 1,400 and 1,100 jobs respectively, which is always a very good sign for Iowa’s economy,” said Beth Townsend, Executive Director of Iowa Workforce Development. “On the other side of the equation, we saw a reduction in the number of Iowans in the labor force, with most indicating that they left the workforce voluntarily. IowaWORKS.gov currently has nearly 58,000 open job postings, so there are plenty of good jobs available for any Iowan who is unemployed or wants to return to the workforce. We can help

The number of unemployed Iowans declined in December to 55,800 from 57,200 in November. The total number of working Iowans also declined in December to 1,665,000. This figure is 7,100 lower than November and 5,400 lower than one year ago.

Legislature Continues to Sift Through Governor's Education Bill

As a result of the Governor’s proposed reforms to the state's Area Education Agencies, the AEAs have been a very hot topic so far this session. At this point, the Governor’s office has stated that an amendment to the original bill is being proposed that shifts the control of state and federal special education funding from the AEA’s to local public school districts. It also allows schools to retain their share of the AEA funding for general education services. The AEAs would continue to provide all special education services they do now, including Child Find and Early Access for children birth to three. AEAs would also provide general education services and media services if requested by schools and approved by the Department of Education. Under the Governor’s revised plan, special education oversight will shift to the Iowa Department of Education for accountability, transparency, and improved outcomes of students with disabilities.

What is a Woman?

On Tuesday, House Republicans led a subcommittee on House Study Bill 588 which sets a definition of “woman” in Iowa code. The definition reads that a “woman means an adult female human. The bill advanced out of subcommittee 2-0. During the meeting, One Iowa handed out an infographic reflecting the various decision points one supposedly has to contemplate if they are, indeed, a woman. Ironically, the chart begs the question that with so many decision points related to deciding if one is a woman, that an actual definition of “woman” is needed to help along the way. After all, it would only be helpful if a definition existed to help with any confusion.

Your Children Still have the Right to Privacy

Last year House Republicans worked hard to ensure students in schools were not indoctrinated with destructive gender ideology without the knowledge of parents. One of the bills signed by the Gov., Senate File 482, is important to keep in mind as the far-left tries to fight back against common sense.

Before this bill was signed into law, many parents reached out with concerns for the privacy of their children in school. There were reports of biological males using female changing rooms, bathrooms and instances of female students forced to share a hotel room with a biological male on a school trip. Violating the privacy of these boys and girls is wrong and places them in a position that no child should have to navigate.

Senate File 482 took a simple and straightforward approach. The bill required schools to designate bathrooms and changing rooms for either boys or girls. Girls are now required to use a girl’s bathroom or changing room, and boys are required to use a boy’s bathroom or changing room. If there is any conflict or confusion, the sex listed on the child’s original birth certificate clarifies what facility the child shall use. These requirements also apply when there are extracurricular activities outside of the school building. This ensures girls and boys each have the privacy they should expect in a school.

If a child wants greater privacy than provided by law, their parent can send a letter to the school requesting reasonable accommodations. A reasonable accommodation does not allow a boy to use a girl’s bathroom or vice versa but does allow the child access to a single occupancy restroom or changing area. The bill does make exceptions for a parent assisting a child, maintenance staff, and emergency situations.

Protecting the privacy of children should be a priority for all adults — children shouldn’t be subjected to woke and destructive gender ideology and should have their privacy protected in their school setting.

USDA to Reopen Signup for CRP

This month the United States Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency (USDA-FSA) announced the agency will begin accepting applications for the Continuous Conservation Reserve Program (Continuous CRP) sign-up on January 12th. USDA-FSA encourages agricultural producers and landowners interested in conservation opportunities for their land in exchange for yearly rental payments to consider the enrollment options available through Continuous CRP, which also includes the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) offered by FSA partners. Additionally, producers participating in CRP can apply to re-enroll beginning January 12th if their contracts will expire this year.

Staying in Touch

As always, you also can shoot me an email with any questions or concerns at taylor.collins@legis.iowa.gov or you can call the Capitol Switchboard and leave me a message at (515) 281-7340.