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Collins Capital Connection
Week 4 (Jan. 29-Feb. 2)
Editor’s note: this is an abridged version of Rep. Collins’ weekly newsletter.
To the People of House District 95
We are now a month into the legislative session and the pace is quickly picking up. Between both the House and Senate over the last two weeks there have been over 100 subcommittee meetings considering different pieces of legislation. The first funnel is quickly approaching, so if we do not get a bill out of subcommittee and committee soon, it cannot be considered again this legislative session.
Governor's AEA Bill Will Not Advance in House
I appreciated the emails over the last month voicing support for or opposition to the Governor's education bill. Since the original bill was introduced, it significantly changed — specifically based off of the feedback I received from many of you.
This week, Rep. Wheeler and I held a subcommittee on the bill and decided not to advance the bill to the full committee.
It has become clear that after taking feedback from Iowans, there is not the support in the House to move this bill forward in its current form. I share the Governor’s goal of improving special education outcomes in Iowa, and as I’ve learned more about this topic, it is clear some improvements can be made to our current system.
We will continue to work with stakeholders and get feedback from Iowans to ensure that anything we pass in the House will truly help improve special education in our state.
Certified Enrollment for 2023-24 Holds Steady; 16,757 ESA Participants Enrolled at Accredited Nonpublic Schools
Last week the Department of Education announced the 2023 fall certified enrollment numbers for public school districts, accredited non-public schools, and certified participation in the Students First Education Savings Account program for the 2023-24 school year.
Public school district certified enrollment was 483,699, down only approximately one-half percent (0.57%) from last year, as projected from population patterns. Certified enrollment at Iowa accredited non-public schools was 36,195, up from 33,692 last year, an increase of 7.4%. A total of 16,757 participants used their Students First Education Savings Account (ESA) at an accredited non-public school as of the Oct. 1 certified enrollment date.
Certified enrollment count is a snapshot in time, taken on the first day of October every year or the following Monday if the first falls on a weekend. Certified enrollment is used to determine funding for public schools and differs slightly from the actual head count of students enrolled. Certified enrollment in October of any given year drives funding for the next fiscal year. Fall 2023 numbers will be used to determine public school funding for the 2024-25 school year.
Approximately 33.7% of the 16,757 student participants who used an ESA at an Iowa accredited non-public school for the 2023-24 school year did not previously attend a non-public school. About 12.7% of the student ESA participants previously attended a public school. Close to 21% of the student ESA participants were entering kindergarten students.
Bills Advance on Child Care, Maternal Health, and Parent Access to Medical Records
This week, the House Health and Human Services committee passed six bills with bipartisan support to address a variety of issues affecting Iowans. Below are some of the bills:
- Parent Access to Child’s Medical Record — House File 2064 requires health care providers to give parents access to their children’s health care information through electronic health records or printing the record at no cost to the parent. Minors are able to consent to very few health care services under the law, and based on those few exceptions, some health care providers were cutting off parents entirely from their child’s health information.
- Child Care Flexibility — House File 2056 allows for additional workers to be able to assist during nap times and breaks. In 2022, the legislature allowed 16 and 17-year-olds to work in child care centers with children 5 years and older. This bill allows those workers to assist with younger children during naps and brief periods.
- Maternal Health — House File 2057 makes updates to the More Options for Maternal Support program. This bill allows the state to contract directly with pregnancy resource centers, allows for the 3rd party administrator to be based in Iowa, and allows for additional services to be provided to pregnant women.
- Nursing Home Cameras — House File 537 allows for livestreamed cameras in nursing home and clearly outlines processes for residents or their legal representatives to request a camera in their room. The bill includes protections for shared rooms and gives roommates the authority to determine whether a camera is in their room.
Democrats Remain Soft on Crime in House Judiciary Committee
Democrats in Illinois, California, New York, Minnesota, and other liberal states have taken a soft on crime approach. They have, at various times, voted to defund the police, eliminate cash bail, shorten sentences for violent crimes, and do whatever they can to help the criminal and not the victim. Democrats in the Iowa House appear to be following in those same footsteps by voting against some crime initiatives coming from the House Judiciary Committee which I sit on. The following bills passed with full support from House Republicans, and were rejected by House Democrats.
- House Study Bill 503 — Statute of Limitations on Robbery
- House Study Bill 506 — Jury and Witness Tampering
- House Study Bill 506 — Mandatory Minimum Sentences
Democrats Unanimously Oppose Maternity Home Legislation
This week, the House Commerce Committee passed House Study Bill 516 on a vote of 15 to 8, with all Democrat members voting no. This bill prohibits cities from restricting maternity group homes in residential areas
A maternity group home is a community-based residential home that provides room and board, personal care, supervision, training, support and education in a family environment for women who are pregnant or have given birth in the last two years. This legislation is modeled after protections that already are in place for homes for those with developmental disabilities and brain injury in Iowa Code Section 414.22.
These homes help women in need of housing that want to bring their children in to this world in a stable and healthy home. The state has made clear that maternity homes, as well as homes for disabled Iowans, are important for the state, and that local governments cannot block them based on a “not in my backyard” mentality. It makes you wonder why the Democrats would vote no.
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.
Sincerely, Rep. Taylor Collins
