This week in the senate

Editor’s note: this article is an abridged version of Sen. Lofgren’s weekly newsletter.

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This Week in the Senate

Since this is the second year of the 90th General Assembly, our timeline is a little shorter and deadlines will be coming up on us quicker. This will make our work a little more fast paced this year. We covered a variety of topics in subcommittees and committees this week, ranging from education standards and student driving permits to "left lane camping" or staying in the left lane too long

Strong Support for Life

The Iowa Prayer Rally for Life was held on Monday to celebrate the successes of the pro-life movement and the achievements we have made in Iowa to protect life. You may recall that last summer a special legislative session was called just to address this important issue because of an unexpected ruling by the Iowa Supreme Court. We passed the Heartbeat Bill once again to make clear our support for the start of life at the sound of a heartbeat. Gov. Kim Reynolds and Attorney General Brenna Bird also spoke at the rally, discussing their commitment to life and to protecting it.

More Consistency Needed in Driving Violations

The Senate Transportation Committee discussed several bills this week. Senate File 16 is one that I have been involved with for the past two years and was responsible for running in committee this week. This bill determines that if a driver drives too close to a bicyclist and causes a serious injury or death, the driver is subject to a simple misdemeanor resulting in either a $500 fine and/or a possible license suspension for 90 days if a serious injury occurs, or a $1,000 fine and/or a possible license suspension for 180 days if a death occurs.

Under current law, driving too close to a bicyclist — a current traffic violation — is not included in the list of violations (321.482A) that have enhanced penalties if a serious injury or death occurs. Among those currently listed include current hands-free laws, running stop signs and stop lights, improper passing, and driving too close to a pedestrian or another vehicle. There are 29 Code sections currently referenced in this list.

Driving too close to a bicyclist is currently a primary offense, meaning an offender can be pulled over for it. This does not change under the bill. This violation goes against a driver’s record and is subject to habitual offender considerations (321.555). SF 16 would provide more consistency with driving violations.

Improving Student Literacy in Iowa

During her Condition of the State speech, Gov. Reynolds discussed the need to improve student literacy. This week the Senate began work on Senate Study Bill 3069

SSB 3069 directs Iowa schools to implement evidence-based reading curriculum to teach elementary school students. It requires kindergarten through third grade students be taught using evidence-based instruction, including phonics, and prevents instruction which teaches kids how to read based on context, visual cues, or memory, including an instructional model known as the three-cueing system. It also requires teacher preparation programs to focus on evidence-based practices for literacy instruction

Reading scores of Iowa students are near the national average. However, when students fall behind after third grade, most do not recover. Limited literacy skills decrease career opportunities, reduce income potential, and have other negative consequences. Many studies have clearly demonstrated the success of phonics instruction for more than 50 years.

Phonics is how reading was taught for decades. There are many methods out there that are simply not evidence based and we want students in Iowa to be given the best start possible. Phonics and evidence-based reading programs best equip Iowa children to become readers and prepare themselves for career success.

The goal of SSB 3069 is to improve student achievement. It is the same goal as the review of Area Education Agencies, passage of school choice, sustainable and reliable increases in education funding, empowering parents in the education of their children, and every other education policy passed in the Iowa Senate. High student achievement is critical to the success of Iowa children and to the future growth of our state.

National School Choice Week

This week was National School Choice Week, a time to celebrate educational choice and a quality education for all students, a time to discuss all the options available to students to ensure the best education for them, and a reminder of our accomplishments as a state. One year ago, Gov. Kim Reynolds signed into law House File 68, the school choice bill passed by the Iowa Senate and House.

Prior to its passing, it was estimated the state would receive about 14,000 applications for an education savings account. However, we saw overwhelming demand with over 29,000 applications submitted for the program. Of the 29,000 applications received, almost 19,000 were approved. We are still waiting on updated numbers on how many of these families were able to use the accounts and get their child into the school of their choice.

House File 68, also called the Students First Act, gives all parents more options for K-12 education, helps improve achievement for all students, and provides more flexibility to school districts when it comes to funding. The bill as signed into law phases in over three years, and we are only into the first year of enactment.

In previous years we provided more choice for parents and students by ensuring open enrollment was available for all, allowing students to go to different public schools out of their resident district if they thought it would be a better fit. We are constantly striving to ensure the best education possible for Iowa students.

Even with the higher than expected demand for educational scholarships, we know that a vast majority of Iowa students will continue to attend public schools. Education remains a focus at the Capitol and improving student achievement is the goal, whether in public, private, charter, or any other type of school.