ISSUE: April 27, 2024

There were 295 bills that passed through both chambers of the Capitol and have been signed by the governor or they are awaiting her signature. There were several bills that will increase the quality of health care for all Iowans. HF2402 establishes an enhanced rate for psychiatric institutions for children (PMICs) that care for children with the specialized needs.

 Another bill (HF2673) was written to transition the current county run mental health and disability services regional system to a state behavioral health service system governed by the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services. This change will combine 32 different substance-use and mental health regions together into seven new, unified behavioral health districts.  The behavioral health service system has the purpose of prevention, education, early intervention, treatment, recovery support, and crisis services for mental health, substance use, tobacco use, and problem gambling. The result will be greater investment on the ground, improved connectivity between providers, districts and the state, and faster, more efficient treatment delivered to Iowans where and when they need it most.

Senate File 477 was sent to the Governor's desk to Address the Health Care Workforce Shortage. SF 477 allows more qualified international medical graduates to practice here in Iowa by removing duplicative training and residency requirements to obtain a license. The Iowa Medical Board will evaluate and vet any applicants to ensure that they have obtained the proper knowledge and training. The bill outlines certain requirements these applicants must meet before being issued a provisional license.

House File 2489 – Breast Cancer Exams –This bill requires health insurers to cover supplemental breast examinations and diagnostic breast examinations beyond just a simple mammogram

House File 2391: Health Care Professional Recruitment

HF 2391 continues and expands legislation passed last session to retain and promote healthcare providers in high-need areas. The Iowa House created the Iowa Workforce Grant and Incentive Program to provide scholarships to students studying to fill high need jobs. It also continues the commitment to the Health Care Professional Recruitment Program that awards $50,000 toward reducing the student loan debt of a health care professional after they’ve worked in an eligible Iowa community for four years, along with monies for the Rural Iowa Primary Care Loan Repayment Program designed to recruit physicians into high-need rural areas.

There were specific funds for the Mental Health Practitioner Loan Repayment Program for individuals who provide mental health services to high-need communities.

Expanding access to mental health care has been a priority of this legislative session and several previous sessions.

Senate File 2435: Mental Health practitioner Loan Repayment

For individuals who provide mental health services to high-need communities there will be $520,000 for the Mental Health Practitioner Loan Repayment Program. It invests a continued $3.4 million for the AEAs to provide school-based mental health supports including mental health awareness training for educators to detect potential mental health issues in students and to determine appropriate follow up. There will be funds to implement a children’s grief loss rural pilot program called Every Step.

Keeping Iowans Safe in the FY 25 Budget

House File 2661: Supporting Our Law Enforcement – Sent to Governor

---The bill makes changes to IPERS for Sheriffs and Deputies. It allows them to retire at up to 80% of their salaries and includes a 1.5% cost of living adjustment.

---It ensures that a person charged with murder of a peace officer or corrections officer, or felonious assault of an officer is not eligible for bail.

---It creates a tax credit of up to $2,000 for public safety officers moving to the state of Iowa. 

House File 2652: School Safety Infrastructure – Sent to Governor

---Schools are not allowed to bond for building or renovating an athletic facility unless in compliance with new school safety standards.

---Allows districts to have mobile panic alert systems that are capable of integrating into the local public safety answering point.

---Requires schools to conduct a safety review of their ability to keep students and staff safe and share their review with law enforcement.

---Districts may use SAVE dollars for new technology to keep people safe. 

---Establishes a task force to put together a gold standard of school safety building codes. 

House File 2598: Mob Looting and House File 2594: Deterring Smash and Grab mobs – Both Signed by the Governor

 We’ve seen an increase in retail theft both nationally and here in Iowa. Smash and grab mobs have taken over cities, not just on the coasts, but here in the Midwest as well. This session, we passed HF 2598 which establishes a new crime of looting.

We also passed HF 2594 which establishes the crime of organized retail theft and lays out a tiered system of punishment depending on the value of the stolen goods.

Both bills passed unanimously through the Iowa House. 

House File 2693: Justice Systems Budget

·      Provides an $11.9 million increase to the Department of Corrections, with most going for staffing costs including raising base pay for correctional officers to $24 an hour. 

·      Provides a net increase of $5.1 million to the Department of Public Safety.

·      Picks up an additional portion of the training costs for candidates at the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy. 

·      Allocates over $2.9 million for the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy, an increase of more than $1.67 million.

House File 2691 - Rebuild Iowa Infrastructure Fund Budget

·      Allocates $2.5 million to the Public Safety Equipment fund to ensure Iowa law enforcement has the equipment they need to do their jobs as safely as possible.

·      Appropriates an additional $1,565,000 for the replacement of radios used by DNR law enforcement personnel.

Senate File 2443: Standing Appropriations

·      Provides $2 million to the Department of Public Safety for additional officers to address illegal immigration-related issues including drug and human trafficking. 

Supporting Agriculture and Rural Iowa

Senate File 574: Economic Development – Sent to the Governor

 We passed SF 574 to spur economic growth across Iowa. This bill establishes a major economic growth attraction (MEGA) program under IEDA. This program uses tax credits and a sales tax refund to incentivize major projects to come to Iowa to do business. This money must be spent on what has been coined "Freedom Sites," --- counties with a population of less than 50,000. This money can be used on two certified sites per congressional district each year, up to $30,000 each. 

House File 2649: Capital Gains Exclusion on Livestock – Sent to the Governor

This bill reinstates the capital gains tax deduction for sale of certain livestock.  It allows a taxpayer to exclude the net capital gain from the sale of cattle, horses or other livestock if held by the taxpayer for breeding, draft, dairy or sporting purposes, if the taxpayer received more than 50% of their gross income from farming or ranging operations that tax year.

 In Iowa, our tax code should promote livestock farming, which we know helps beginning farmers and lifts up rural communities.

Senate File 2421: Ag and Natural Resources Budget

We allocated more than $1.8 million for the Choose Iowa program. The Choose Iowa program is adjusted this year to combine three agricultural marketing promotional programs that were previously separate line-items.

---The Dairy Innovation and Revitalization program, Value-Added Agricultural grants and Choose Iowa programs received additional funding to continue promoting products grown, raised and made in Iowa.

----$200,000 will go toward the launch of a pilot program that helps schools and food banks purchase locally sourced foods through the Choose Iowa initiative.

---The Butchery Innovation and Revitalization program was funded with a new general fund appropriation.

---We also prioritize new money to ramp up state support to deal with animal disease concerns.

Support for Individuals with Disabilities

 In a number of ways in our state budget, we work to get Iowans with disabilities the support they need in education, to live independently, or to receive the services they need.

     A continued $2.35 investment in the Therapeutic Classroom Incentive Grant Program which provides competitive grants to school districts for the establishment of therapeutic classrooms.

Supporting our Veterans

Wright County Veterans meet every other month for fellowship, coffee and rolls. The Veterans Service Officer, Chris Oliver schedules experts in veterans support programs to speak to those gathered. Chris has earned the trust of Wright County Veterans. This year several pieces of legislation support or assist our Veterans were passed into law.

House File 2698: Appropriates $12.7 million to the Department of Veterans Affairs, a $1.36 million increase over FY 2024.

---Over $8.1 million to the Iowa Veterans home, an increase of $1.03 million.

---A continued $2.2 million investment into the Veterans Homeowner Assistance Program. A $5,000 grant is available to a service member for a down payment and closing costs toward the purchase of a new home in the state.

This will be the last weekly newsletter. We will update if new issues arise.