Legislature starts winding down

We are rapidly winding up the business of the Iowa Legislature for this year. With only five more days remaining until the target end of session, this was a fast-paced week once again. Both houses were busy debating the issues at hand, and the governor was busy signing the newly passed bills into law.

Governor Signs More Legislation

Several bills were signed into law by Gov. Kim Reynolds this week, including a few important ones focused on national security, protecting Iowans, and guarding our citizens against the numerous threats currently facing us. On Tuesday the governor signed SF 2204. As I mentioned in a previous newsletter, this legislation serves to strengthen Iowa’s foreign land ownership laws to further protect our state’s greatest resource. It tightens those rules, and provides us with more information about foreign entities owning Iowa land and the reason they own it.

The governor also signed SF 2340, making it a crime to be an illegal alien in Iowa and giving law enforcement additional authority to protect our state amid the ongoing crisis at the southern border.

Finding Fixes for our Workforce Challenges

One of the many bills the Senate debated this week was Senate File 2411. This bill was proposed by the governor as a way we can continue to address the workforce challenges in Iowa. It creates a new Workforce Opportunity Fund, makes changes to work-based learning experiences, expands student teaching pathways, and modifies the last-dollar scholarship program. This bill will now need to be brought before the Iowa House.

Truth About Meat and Eggs

We also passed Senate File 2391, which will provide more truth in labeling for meat and egg products. The bill says food products made from cell-cultivated, insect, or plant protein, cannot be sold as meat products without proper labeling. It also says fabricated egg products, which are derived from plant protein and not produced from a hen, cannot be sold as egg products without proper labeling. Meat and egg producers are both very important industries in our agricultural state, and this truth-in-labeling bill ensures they are protected and gives consumers more accurate information about the food they are eating.

Continuing to Make our State Government More Efficient

Last year the legislature passed a major overhaul of state government. Part of that law established a boards and commissions review committee. The committee met multiple times over the summer and fall and took a good look at our boards and commissions in our state government. The committee identified dozens of boards that could be eliminated and/or consolidated to make our government operate more efficiently.

This week the Senate passed Senate File 2385. This legislation recommends eliminating, consolidating and reforming many of our boards and commissions across state government. Many of these boards and commissions had not been reviewed in decades. Others had long outlived their purpose or found difficulty in finding Iowans willing to serve on them.

A consistent priority for Senate Republicans has been eliminating portions of state government that inhibited economic growth or expanded the role of government beyond a reasonable and appropriate regulation of commerce. We do not wish to cling to the status quo nor defend excess and unnecessary parts of government. State government has been growing for decades and new boards and commissions were established regularly. This bill provides more freedom to Iowans and small businesses by reducing the size and scope of state government.

School Safety Measure: An Option for Iowa Schools

This week the Senate passed HF 2586 in an effort to bolster school security across Iowa. The unfortunate events in Perry this winter were one more call to change and improve school security in our state.

Under this proposal, school staff may choose to obtain a professional permit to carry. As it should, the process for school staff to become approved to have a concealed weapon is extensive and requires a high level of training. The bill provides approved staff with immunity from civil and criminal liability for damages caused by the application of reasonable force at the place of employment if they have completed the prescribed training.

Staff carrying concealed weapons to protect their students is completely voluntary, both for the school district and any staff member interested in participating. No school or school employee will be required to have armed staff or carry a weapon.

Iowans are rightly concerned about school security. In moments of a school shooting, every second matters. Having trained, prepared personnel on-location to protect the vulnerable is an option school districts may now choose.

The response by law enforcement to the Perry shooting was extraordinary. They responded in moments to keep a bad situation from getting worse. However, many schools in more rural parts of the state do not have law enforcement always nearby like schools in larger population areas. This bill, along with other provisions passed by the legislature in recent years, and a major school safety funding program established with federal money from Gov. Reynolds a couple of years ago, show our commitment to making our schools a safe place to learn.

Amending Cause of Death on Iowa Death Certificates

I may have mentioned in an earlier newsletter that it was brought to my attention earlier this year that we have instances with inaccuracies being made in listing the cause of death on death certificates. This week, we passed Senate File 2430 in hopes of correcting this problem. Senate File 2430 extends the time frame that is available to provide for the correction to the medical certification related to the cause of death and provide for a substitute death certificate. The time frame is extended from the current 90 days to 12 months. The bill requires that evidence substantiating the correction or substitution be presented to the state registrar. A fee shall not be charged.

After 12 months the amendment shall be made by order of a court. This bill passed the Senate with a vote of 46-0 and will now go to the House for consideration. This may seem like a silly thing to be worried about when a loved one is already gone, however when it causes a loss of benefits for a surviving loved one because of such an inaccuracy, we need to make sure that a correct cause of death can be entered and that an ample amount of time to rectify the inaccuracy is provided.

Improving Safety for Bicyclists and Users of Pedestrian Conveyance

House File 2568 passed out of the Senate this week with 44 Yeas and 0 Nays. This bill attempts to ensure more safety at our crosswalks and intersections and to clarify some definitions in Iowa Code. It first defines “pedestrian conveyance as human-powered devices that a person uses to move, such as strollers, wheelchairs, skateboards, or scooters — including electric devices producing no more than 750 watts.” This change provides for a consistent definition in Code.

This bill then clarifies the definition of “pedestrian” to include pedestrian conveyances as well as those afoot, which, again, provide consistent right of way protections for those afoot and those using human-powered devices to move.

Finally, the bill determines that drivers must yield to bicyclists who are in a marked or unmarked crosswalk at intersections that do not have traffic-control signals. Current law only determines that drivers must yield to pedestrians in these types of intersections. This bill has now been sent to the governor.

Faces Around the Capitol This Week

This week brought visitors celebrating Religious Freedom Day, The Orange City Tulip Festival Court, University of Northern Iowa Wrestling, and a few members of my family. We also celebrated the upcoming retirement of Sen. Jeff Edler from Marshalltown on Tuesday evening with a dinner on his behalf.

Best regards, Mark.