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It's funnel week! By the end of this week, bills have to have been voted out of BOTH House and Senate committees. That means a bill is so far along in the process it is close to becoming law. The only bills this deadline does not apply to are bills that spend money (Appropriations) or deal with taxes (Ways & Means). Next week's report will list the bills that survived the funnel, and those that didn't make the cut.
Last week, legislators heard from the Revenue Estimating Conference (REC), which said the state's doing well and collecting more money than expected from taxes. Two budget subcommittees were ready to go right after this announcement, voting out three budget bills (transportation, justice systems, and judicial branch). We hear that the House version of the Health/Human Services Budget will be out on Tuesday, so watch for social media posts for more information.
What Does This Mean to You?
- Bills that do not make it through the funnel are dead - they will not become law.
- Now is the time to let your legislators know if you want a bill to make it through:
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Check the bill tracker.
- Are there bills in there you want to see move forward?
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Contact your legislators and ask them to keep the bill moving forward.
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Local Advocacy Day
This week, nine advocates from the Spina Bifida Association of Iowa came to the Iowa Capitol to meet with their legislators. They were advocating for $130,000 in funding to help families. This would increase the association's resources that they use to support individuals with spina bifida and their families. They would be able to match these funds with private donations.
One legislator, Rep. Eddie Andrews of Johnston told one local advocate that this was the smallest request he's heard, and they should double it! Picture are of Rep. Andrews & Sen. Brad Zaun.
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Two Education Bills Moving Forward, Likely to Survive
Two bills we have talked a lot about this year look like they will make it through committee in time to stay alive. Both of these bills started with an idea - not a legislator's idea, but an advocate had an idea and shared it with their legislator. Both look like they are going to get out of committee before the deadline hits on Friday.
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Senator Carrie Koelker heard the story of a mom who was frustrated that her son had to choose between going to private school with his siblings, or getting the special education services he has the right to receive. This mom-turned-advocate sued the Area Education Association and won, as did many other families. She said "enough" and decided to stand up for other families so they would not have to hire a lawyer just to have the state follow the federal Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA). Sen. Koelker said "enough" too, and sponsored Senate File 2197, which requires the Iowa Department of Education to create a Task Force to address this and other similar issues, so that special education services follow the student, not the other way around. The bill passed the Senate (46-0) and a House subcommittee; the House Education Committee plans to vote it out on Thursday (3/17). If that happens, it will have survived the funnel.
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Representative Chad Ingels has a daughter with a developmental disability who had been through the University of Iowa's REACH program, which stands for Realizing Educational and Career Hopes. The program helps young adults ages 18-25 who have intellectual, cognitive and learning disabilities get a college experience in a supportive environment. The four-year program provides students with developmental and other disabilities focus on skill building, career development, independent living, and self-advocacy. There is also a program at Northwestern University in Orange City, called the NEXT program. Rep. Ingels had heard from other parents about the need for such programming, but it costs a lot and traditional college scholarships cannot be used to pay for the program. He thought it would be good to give more students an opportunity to access these transitional programs, so he sponsored House File 2495. This bill creates a scholarship to help pay for the program tuition, similar to other college scholarship programs. There is currently no money in the bill...yet. "I'm working on that," said Rep. Ingles at a Senate subcommittee that was held on the bill this week. The bill passed the House (99-0) and passed the Senate subcommittee. The Senate Education Committee plans to pass the bill out on Tuesday, so it too will be safe from the funnel. We got a chance to talk to Rep. Ingels about his bill on our weekly snapshot - which you can find in the following article.
You can track the progress of these and other bills in our Bill Tracker here.
What Does This Mean to You?
- Legislators listen!
- Laws - and the bills that create them - start with a story shared with a legislator.
- This summer you will have a chance to talk to your legislators. Do you have a story to share? An idea for a law? Think about contacting your legislators. You never know, you just might end up with a law!
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Capitol Snapshot
Bill and Amy needed a change in scenery so they shot their weekly Capitol Snapshot from the State Capitol. They were able to interview Rep. Chad Ingels and talk about House File 2495.
Click here to watch.
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REMINDER!
Sign up for our March 23 (11 am) Capitol Chat.
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March is Developmental Disability Awareness Month!
The Iowa DD Council wants to share your stories & talents during March. Not just advocacy stories - if you are a poet, writer, or artist, they want to show off of your talents. Click here to submit a story.
Celebrate DDAM with the Community Living Ambassadors! Join via Zoom on March 18 at 11:30 AM to discuss barriers to living in the community. Click here to sign up.
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infoNET is a disability policy newsletter of the Iowa Developmental Disabilities Council and its network of Iowans with Disabilities in Action.
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This project was supported, in part by grant number 2101IASCDD, from the U.S. Administration for Community Living, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C. 20201. Grantees undertaking projects with government sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their findings and conclusions. Points of view or opinions do not, therefore, necessarily represent official ACL policy. | | | | |
