Legislators focus on AEA reform

EDITOR’S NOTE: this is an abridged copy of Sen. Mark Lofgren’s weekly newsletter.

This week, the Senate passed over 30 bills, covering a range of issues including railroad safety, the duties and compositions of state departments, emergency medical services, organized crime and public safety, and immigration. As always, some bills passed unanimously, while others were split among party lines, and still others garnered votes for and against by members of both parties. I know that the House worked just as hard debating and moving legislation on their side of the Capitol as well

House and Senate Both Look at Ways to Improve AEA Services in Iowa

We know that our Area Education Agencies are doing critical work for our schools, and we know that school districts desire to continue accessing those services. We also know that there are changes that can be made to improve the system and give our school districts more flexibility, while at the same time provide more accountability in our AEA system.

Both the Senate and the House debated this issue this week and have come up with different versions of how this improvement should look. It appears that a final version by the House will be coming back to the Senate for a vote next week. I thank my colleague from the House, Taylor Collins, for some of the important insightful points I'm including in this week's newsletter.

This bill has undergone many significant changes as it has moved through the legislative process and bounced back and forth between the chambers of the legislature. It has been confusing and there have been parts of it that I was not willing to support. This final version from the House, House File 2612, has many good parts to it that I believe will benefit our Iowa schools. Some of these include:

Many concerns have been voiced about the proposals brought forward this session. Some of those concerns can be dispelled by the following points:

Of utmost importance to note, this bill sets the Supplemental State Aid increase at 2.5% for this fiscal year. The House originally passed 3% SSA which would have been a preferred amount. However, as Rep. Collins states, "The silver lining is that with a 2.5% SSA increase, the little over $110 Million increase to put toward salaries, and new funds we plan to allocate toward school safety, the new money for Iowa schools equates to the equivalent of more than 5% SSA for this fiscal year.

Flat Tax Amendment to the Iowa Constitution Moves Forward

Senate Study Bill 3189 (now numbered SJR 2004) went through the Ways and Means Committee this week. This bill proposes an amendment to put the flat tax into the Iowa Constitution. Earlier in session, another proposal was introduced that included both the flat tax and a requirement for a two-thirds supermajority to increase tax rates in Iowa. We believe strongly in both ideas, and want to put each of them separately before the people of Iowa. These proposals are part of our goal to ensure tax relief for Iowans and protect the pro-taxpayer measures put in place over the last several years. The conversation at these subcommittees clearly demonstrates just why these measures are so important and critical to ensuring Iowans keep more of their money. There are so many groups who attend these meetings advocating for the government to take more money from Iowans. Senate Republicans are here to stand up for taxpayers and hardworking Iowans, because we know that Iowans are smarter with their money than the government.

Penalties Set for Illegally Crossing Railroad Quiet Zones

HF 204 passed unanimously out of the Senate this week and prescribes a $520 fine for illegally crossing railroad tracks that have a median between lanes and are located within a designated quiet zone under federal regulations. In lieu of this fine, this bill determines that the offender may elect to complete a driver improvement program. If the offender fails to notify their intention to attend the program, does not complete the program, or does not notify the clerk of court of their completion within 90 days of their violation, they will be fined $520. The current fine for illegally crossing a railroad track is $260. This fine does not change under this bill

State Enforcement of Immigration Advances

Every day headlines and news clips are full of the reality and consequences of an uncontrolled southern border. Americans are reminded daily of the failures of the Biden Administration to fix this problem. However, two significant developments occurred this week with promise to help curb the immigration crisis in Iowa.

First, the Iowa House of Representatives passed SF 2340 on Tuesday this week. Recently the Senate passed this bill as one possible method for the state of Iowa to fill the void in enforcement of immigration policy left by the irresponsible policies of the Biden Administration. SF 2340 empowers Iowa law enforcement and the judicial system to enforce immigration law and authorize the deportation of people who are in Iowa illegally.

Second, this week, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed a similar law in Texas to go into effect while litigation continued in lower courts. Since the Supreme Court’s decision, a lower court has put a hold on the Texas law. Litigation is likely to continue.

In arguing against the Texas law before the Supreme Court, one of Biden’s lawyers said, “Authority to admit and remove noncitizens is a core responsibility of the National Government.” If the Biden Administration would use its authority to remove noncitizens, laws like the one in Texas and that passed the Iowa Legislature would not be necessary. However, because of their wanton and utter disregard for their duty to secure the border and stop the flood of illegal immigration, states are forced to act.

I'm thankful for the foresight of our Founding Fathers and their brilliant design in setting up our state government system. This week’s developments are a timely reminder of this. States, frequently described as the laboratories of democracy, develop solutions to problems, in this case a problem created by our own federal government. The U.S. Supreme Court empowered the states to protect the culture and institutions that make the United States of America the greatest country in the world.

Best regards, Mark.