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House Sends Reorganization Bill to Governor
The House finished work on the 1,512-page bill that reorganizes state government. Five Republicans joined Democrats in voting against the bill (Rep. Mark Cisneros of Muscatine, Rep. Zach Dieken of Granville, Rep. Mike Sexton of Rockwell City, Rep. Mark Thompson of Clarion, and Rep. Charley Thomson of Charles City). The bill is now headed to the Governor to be signed into law. Governor Reynolds praised the bill’s passage, saying “We are making government smaller, more efficient, and more effective. We are saving taxpayer dollars and putting Iowans' needs first. This transformational legislation will put Iowa in the best position to help our state thrive.”
Democrats offered 17 amendments during debate, all of which failed. They said that the bill was rushed through the legislative process, done without talking to Iowans, and gives the Governor too much power. Three of these amendments tried to fix concerns the disability community had brought up in subcommittee:
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Rep. Josh Turek (D-Council Bluffs) offered an amendment to keep Vocational Rehabilitation Services in the Department of Education. Legislators said school districts work closely with vocational rehabilitation, and that relationship could become more distant when it moves to the Department of Workforce Development. The amendment did not pass.
- Rep. Turek followed up with another amendment that would have waited a year to move Vocational Rehabilitation Services to the Department of Workforce Development. This would give them time to get the required federal approval and not risk losing any federal funds in the move. That amendment also did not pass.
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Rep. Amy Nielsen (D-North Liberty) offered an amendment to keep the independence of the Iowa Department for the Blind. Under this amendment, the Iowa Commission for the Blind would continue to hire the department director. The bill gives the Governor the ability to hire and fire the department director. Advocates worry that will weaken what is seen as one of the best programs for the blind in the country. One legislator even remarked that they heard over and over in subcommittee, “If you’re going to be blind, be blind in Iowa.” Rep. Bob Kressig (D-Waterloo) told an emotional story of when his father became blind, and the importance of the department to the survival of his family. Many other legislators read emails from constituents who are blind.
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Rep. Jane Bloomingdale (R-Northwood), the bill’s floor manager, said that the only thing the bill changed was who appoints the director, and this department director is currently the only one that is not appointed by the Governor. She also said that she’d been personally contacted by the Governor who had promised she would keep Emily Wharton on as director.
You can watch the full debate on this bill here. If you want to watch debate on the amendments noted above, you will need to forward it to the following timestamps:
You can also read the full script of Rep. Turek's comments here.
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