Week sees debate start full time

Debate Post Funnel

This week we started Debate full time. That means we are taking a break from Committee work and looking to pass the legislation we've been working on for the past few weeks. Here are a few bills we passed this week.

House File 2488: Targeting DEI Offices at Private Colleges

This week, we passed HF 2488 through the Iowa House to further our efforts to ensure tax dollars are not going to misguided Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion efforts.

House File 2488 says that private colleges are not eligible to receive taxpayer-funded Iowa Tuition Grant money if they establish, sustain, support, or staff an office of DEI.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is defined as all of the following:

Any effort to manipulate or otherwise influence the composition of the faculty or student body with reference to race, sex, color, or ethnicity, apart from ensuring colorblind and sex-neutral admissions and hiring in accordance with state and federal anti-discrimination laws.

Any effort to promote differential treatment of or provide special benefits to individuals on the basis of race, color, or ethnicity.

Any effort to promote or promulgate policies and procedures designed or implemented with reference to race, color, or ethnicity.

Any effort to promote or promulgate training, programming, or activities designed or implemented with reference to race, color, ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation.

It is important that we ensure that taxpayer money supports a fair system based on merit, not immutable characteristics beyond our control.

All DEI has proven to do is add more discrimination in the name of stopping discrimination.

House File 2514: Expanding Access to Quality Affordable Child Care

We often hear from our constituents about the need to expand access to quality, affordable child care.

This week, we passed House File 2514 as one of the many things we can do to help address this.

HF 2514 makes children of child care workers in this state eligible for the state child care assistance program.

Giving child care workers this benefit will help recruit and retain the staff needed to keep child care centers open and operating at full capacity. This, in turn, will create more open slots.

For a child care employee to be eligible, they must work at least 32 hours a week and have children enrolled in child care.

The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services has been providing this coverage through a pilot program since July 2023. In that time, 2105 families have been served by the program. HF 2514 codifies the pilot program.

House File 2519: Supporting Single Mothers

This week, we passed House File 2519 to make it easier for parents and children, particularly single mothers, to get the child support payments they deserve.

HF 2519 requires unpaid child support to collect interest automatically. Current law already sets the interest rate for child support debts at 10%, but requires a court order for the parent to receive it.

By making interest collection automatic, we are holding individuals accountable and removing an unnecessary barrier preventing Iowa mothers from getting the interest payment they deserve.

This is a win for Iowa families, particularly single mothers and their children.

These are some bills I had the pleasure to vote for but did not run. I got to run four bills off of the floor this week. The bills I ran include

House File 2502:

Corrects language enacted in last year’s parental leave bill by striking the requirement that state employees qualify for FMLA leave to receive paid parental leave.

House File 2509:

Excludes licensed retailers at a commercial airport from the 2:00 to 6:00 am prohibition to sell and dispense alcoholic beverages if it is an hour before a flight at a commercial airport.

House File 2330:

Iowa Public Information Board bill to create more direct acknowledgement and provide estimated times and costs for fulfilling a public records request.

House File 2615:

Current law requires for agreement between the two groups of racing horses for the annual racing schedules in Iowa. Unfortunately, an agreement cannot always be reached and this bill provides for a “base method” for scheduling in lieu of agreement.

Visits to the Capitol

We had a couple of visitors this week including the Pork Producers and their Queen! As a member of the Education Appropriations Subcommittee we also  had the Best Buddies Program come visit us!