It is absolutely critical this session that ILA members are engaging with their legislators. A number of discussions are taking place at the Iowa Statehouse about policy changes that would be detrimental to ILA members and Iowa's libraries. Some of these proposals include:

• Requiring a student to get written parental consent to check out a book that has been removed from ANY SCHOOL DISTRICT IN IOWA.
• Allowing school districts to place anyone who has served as a public librarian into the role of teacher librarian in a district with no additional training.
• Eliminating the local library property tax levy of 6-3/4 to 27 cents in favor of consolidating all city and county property tax levies.
• Eliminating the Master's degree requirement for K-12 Teacher Librarians.
• Restricting city and county property tax revenues in a way that could cause cuts in service for Iowa's libraries.
• Eliminating the Commission on Libraries' ability to appoint a State Librarian and instead having the position appointed by the Governor.

These bills and others become much harder for a legislator to support if that legislator has a relationship with their library and the staff that work there. Be active in your advocacy and be sure to spread the word to friends, co-workers, family and others that can advocate. (And before you ask - Don't worry about the bill numbers! In Iowa, bill numbers change often. The message is what's important!)

In the days and weeks ahead, you will see messages from the Government Affairs Committee (GAC), the ILA Board, and others in ILA, urging you to engage. Be sure to take action! If every member focuses on their local legislators, we can have a profound result.

AND Come Join Us at the Capitol on March 7th from Noon to 2pm in the Law Library! Before you come, contact your legislators to let them know to expect you, and then recruit a few more people from your library. Let's have a huge turnout and show the Iowa Legislature that we turn out for libraries!

This week began with a Monday second House Oversight Committee meeting to talk about book removals. This one focused on hearing from school superintendents and board members about their processes.

The First Funnel Is Upon Us

We have reached the end of Week 7 of the legislative session. Monday, February 27th, will mark Session Day 50 of the 110-day scheduled session. As of Friday, February 24, legislators have introduced 1,299 bills, ranging from short one-liners to the 1,569-page government reorganization bill.

Monday will also mark the first day of the First Funnel Week. By close of business Friday, policy bills will need to have been passed by the committee to which they were assigned in order to stay alive for the session. This means the introduction of new bills is about to taper off dramatically and the intense number of subcommittee meetings over the last few weeks will taper off and be replaced by full committee meetings. 

After the first funnel, activity will switch to floor debate as both chambers try to move bills to the other chamber in preparation for the Second Funnel deadline on March 31st. 

The passage of the First Funnel usually also marks the beginning of the budget work for the session. The Revenue Estimating Conference (REC) has set their March meeting for March 10th where they will set new revenue projections. The Legislature is required to assemble a budget using the LOWER of the two projections that come out of the December and March REC projections.

Forums List

Remember that every one of these updates contains a forums list link at the bottom. This is a service we subscribe to and provide to you in the hopes that you show up to local legislative forums and weigh in on issues. If you are unsure who represents you at the Statehouse, you can go HERE and put in your home address.

Property Tax Reform

In the previous updates this session, we summarized four of the main property tax bills that are being discussed at this still-early part of the session. Typically, discussion around tax reform does not start until after the first funnel. This early head start should indicate to everyone that the Legislature is serious about reaching consensus on this issue this year. Advocates need to be active and assertive, not just with legislators, but also in spreading the word locally with other concerned citizens that might want to weigh in about the pros and cons of some of the proposals on the table. 

With the rollback recalculation bill (SF 181) signed into law, focus will now shift toward revenue limitations that can lower the growth of property taxes. The Senate’s SF 356 (formerly SSB 1124) and the House’s HF 1 are very different bills, but they both contain provisions that would cap local government revenues and only allow them to rise by a set percentage per year. The Senate’s bill also would eliminate a number of individual levies, like the local library levy, in favor of consolidating all city and county levies into one. We anticipate the Senate wanting to pass SF 356 in order to keep the conversation with House moving forward.

The Senate’s other big tax bill, SSB 1125, was passed by subcommittee this week and will likely be approved by the full Senate Ways & Means Committee this week or next. SSB 1125 was summarized in the last edition, but briefly, it would eliminate the Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) and replace it with a state sales tax increase that would trigger funds flowing into the Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund. The bill contains several other provisions.

If you have thoughts about tax reform, NOW is the time to be engaging with your legislators! Once things heat up on this issue, it will be harder to make your voice heard!

Governor's Government Reorganization Bill

ILA President Sam Helmick testifies before the House subcommittee on the Governor's Government Reorganization Bill. The 1569-page bill makes many changes in Iowa government, including moving the State Library and related programs over the Dept. of Administrative Services.

Due to the size of the Reorganization bill (HSB126/SSB1123-Summary), the Senate held four subcommittee meetings and the House will hold their fifth subcommittee meeting on Monday. Both chambers are likely to pass it out of committee this week.

Governor's Education Reform Bill

On Thursday, ILA Board member and IASL Past President Michelle Kruse testified at a subcommittee on SSB 1045, the Governor's Education Reform bill. The bill contains a provision that would require written parental approval if a student wanted to access a book that had been restricted by ANY school district in Iowa.