April is Child Abuse Prevention Month

Henry County Child Advocacy met with the Henry County Supervisors on Thursday morning. Here, they made a proclamation recognizing April as Child Abuse Prevention Month. Erin Jones, with Henry County Extension and Outreach, spoke about the importance of bringing awareness to the issue. If you see blue pinwheels on the courthouse lawn in April, it is because pinwheels symbolize a carefree childhood, which every child should have. April 5th is national wear blue day, where people are encouraged to wear their favorite blue in honor of their commitment to preventing child abuse.

IowaWINs “Welcome Home Center” Opening Next Week

IowaWINs is pleased to announce the opening of the Welcome Home Center in Mount Pleasant IA.  The Welcome Home Center is available to all local residents seeking connection to community services.  The center offers bilingual services for Spanish speakers.

IowaWINs conducted an outreach program in 2023 to learn about the needs of the immigrant community in Mount Pleasant.  The greatest need was the creation of a trusted bilingual organization to provide advice, information, and support for the community.

The center will connect people with resources in our community and facilitate relationship development to benefit everyone in the community.  They plan to host outreach sessions and workshops on a variety of important issues including skill building, literacy, cultural education, mental health services, immigration, financial literacy, and building new businesses. They also look forward to hosting community celebrations.

The Welcome Home Center is located at 217 W. Washington in Mount Pleasant.  A grand opening is scheduled for April 4, from 11:00 to 6:00.  Office hours are: Monday through Friday, 9:00-12:00 and 2:00-5:00.

The Welcome Home Center is open to all local residents regardless of where they are coming from.  Please feel free to stop in during office hours.  You can also follow up on our Facebook page. Search for “Welcome Home Center.”

The Welcome Home Center is possible in part through a grant from Enhance Henry County Foundation.

IowaWINs (Iowa Welcomes its Immigrant Neighbors) was originally established in the fall of 2015 in Mt. Pleasant in response to the global refugee crisis. Since its formation, the Commission expanded the Vision and Mission to include immigrants living in our community.  The Commission is open to all community members.

RAGBRAI News On the Way: Upcoming Townhall

Mount Pleasant RAGBRAI Planning Committee is hosting a community town hall on April 8, 2024 at 6 PM, Heatilator Performing Art Center.

The community will be given updates and provide information for the July 26th overnight.  Topics will include; food and non-food vendors, camping, festival, route, volunteer opportunities and what to expect.

The public is invited to attend.

For additional information, please contact the Mount Pleasant Area Chamber Alliance at 319-385-3101.

Collins Capitol Connection

The budget season of the Iowa Legislature has started as House Republicans have released our budget targets for each of the seven budget bills that the legislature will pass over the next month. This years state budget will see an increase of about $400 Million more than last year, for a total of about $8.954 Billion to be spent this coming fiscal year. As Vice-Chair of the House Appropriations Committee, this is a busy time of year for me since our committee crafts these budgets before they reach the House floor.
Revenue Forecasts in Other States

How does Iowa’s new revenue forecast compare to changes seen in surrounding states? Not every state has a revenue forecasting process, but those that have recently released new data have some similar issues to those faced here. The state to the north has a much bigger problem looming ahead.

In Minnesota, the revenue forecasting process is controlled entirely by the Governor through that state’s budget office, with key forecasts released in November and late February. On February 29th, The Minnesota Management and Budget Office released their latest forecast showing that state revenue is increasing in the current budget period. Minnesota is now expecting to have enough tax revenue to finish the current budget for Fiscal Year 2024 & 2025 (they have a two-year budget) with an ending balance of $3.7 billion. This is an increase in their expected ending balance of $1.3 billion from what was projected last November. The state’s budget commissioner said the new figure was due to higher than projected tax receipts, with the growth being driven by corporate tax payments.

The potentially higher ending balance is important up north because they are staring down the barrel of budget trouble. Minnesota’s budget law requires their projections to go out a bit further than what is required of Iowa’s Revenue Estimating Conference. The out-year projection runs through Fiscal Year 2027 and shows anticipated state spending in Minnesota will exceed anticipated tax revenues in the next budget cycle. The forecast shows Minnesota having a “structural deficit” of $1.5 billion in the budget cycle of FY 2026 and 2027.

Governor Wahls tried to do his best Chip Diller from Animal House impression by telling Minnesotans “Remain calm, all is well!” by saying that the projected ending balance to the current budget will solve any issue being predicted in future years. What the Governor glosses over is the fact that his budget office is projecting a structural imbalance even after assuming that state spending in Minnesota will go down by $4 billion in the next budget. That’s highly unlikely after the current budget increased expenditures by $19 billion by the Democrat-controlled legislature.

In Nebraska, the nine-member Economic Forecasting Advisory Board met in late February to adjust their revenue projections. Their state also operates with a biennial budget that currently runs through June 30, 2025. The latest forecast in Nebraska has found an additional $50 million of revenue expected to be collected, thanks a new tax that will sound familiar to those following Iowa’s REC.

The new revenue in Nebraska is the result of that state’s implementation of the Pass-Through Entity Tax. The new tax for certain types of businesses will produce a whipsaw effect in the Cornhusker State, with revenue increasing in Fiscal Year 2024 by $575 million but declining by $525 million in FY 2025 as refunds are paid out. The ebb and flow of this new tax is so great in Nebraska that the state saw an 875% increase in corporate income tax payments in January of 2024, while corporate tax refunds were 2,249% higher. That detail shows the difficulty in predicting the impact of this new tax.

Texas-Style Crackdown on Illegal Immigration Heads to Governor’s Desk

Until the Biden Administration does its job to protect our nation’s borders, states are stepping up to the challenge. Border states, like Texas, have passed legislation to permit the arrest of those who enter the state when they are not legally allowed to be in the country. While Iowa may not be a border state, the lack of border enforcement affects Iowans. That’s why both House and Senate Republicans and even some Democrats agreed on Senate File 2340, a bill to allow the arrest of illegal immigrants in certain situations.

Contrary to what some Democrats said on the House Floor, SF 2340 is not anti-immigrant. Instead it is pro legal immigration, pro law and order, and focused solely on illegal immigration. The bill is modeled after Texas Senate Bill 4 – it’s straightforward and makes clear that illegal immigrants face consequences for breaking the law.

Under the bill, if a person has previously been caught in the country illegally and they later enter Iowa they are guilty of the crime of reentry into the state. A person who has previously been deported, or denied admission into the United States, who re enters the country and Iowa, is guilty of an aggravated misdemeanor. The penalty increases to a class “D” felony if the person was previously convicted of certain misdemeanor crimes or removed from the country as part of the alien terrorist removal proceedings. Finally, a person previously removed from the country after a felony conviction is guilty of a class “C” felony if they come back illegally to Iowa.

The bill prohibits arresting or detaining anyone under this chapter of the law if they are at a:

  • School for educational purposes.
  • Church or other established place of religious worship.
  • Health care facility to receive medical treatment.
  • A facility that provides forensic medical examinations to sexual assault survivors if the person is there to obtain a forensic medical examination and treatment.

Once a person is arrested for any of the reentry crimes, they can agree to leave the country and return to their home country or the country where they entered the United States illegally. If they refuse and are convicted under this new code section, they can be imprisoned and then be ordered to return to the foreign nation where they entered. The bill prohibits any deferred judgment or sentence. Additionally, state and local officials who enforce the law are provided civil immunity and indemnification for their actions.

The goal of Senate File 2340 is not to scare or intimidate those who follow the process and come here legally, but rather to discourage those who enter the country illegally from coming to Iowa.

House Passes Bill to Expand Tax Deductions for 529 Contributions

This week, the House passed House File 2667 which, if enacted, increases the income deduction limit on contributions to College Savings Iowa accounts by almost $1,500. Additionally, the bill amends Iowa Code to match recent changes to federal tax code to allow tax free transfers from an Iowa College Savings Account to a qualified Roth Individual Retirement Account. Beyond increasing the tax deduction of eligible 529 contributions, HF 2667 ties the deduction limit to the Higher Education Price Index to keep up with the inflating cost of higher education.

Commonly referred to as 529 plans, Iowa College Savings Accounts are plans that allow parents, family members, and others contribute to a child’s college savings account that grows in value without federal and state income taxes to provide tax free growth for future higher educational expenses. Qualified expenses that can be paid for by these plans include tuition, certain room and board, books, supplies, fees, equipment, certified apprenticeship programs, and postsecondary trade and vocational schools.

Recent changes to Federal tax policies have made contributing to these 529 plans even more attractive. Newly effective federal law now allows the transfer of unused 529 funds to the beneficiary’s qualified Roth IRA without tax implications. HF 2667 mirrors this change and would not impose a tax on such transfers. If enacted, HF 2667 would continue to encourage Iowans to save and invest in their children’s educational future while providing tax relief for contributions.

House Advances Child Care Legislation with $43 Million Impact

This week, the House passed House File 2658 to increase child care rates for the Child Care Assistance Program by $15.2 million. Last year, the legislature increased these rates by $10.8 million, and this bill continues the work of providing significant resources to Iowa’s child care centers and homes.

This bill also extends the child care workforce pilot program for an additional year to collect data on recruiting and retaining child care employees. This pilot program provides the children of child care workers with Child Care Assistance.

The House also sent House File 319 to the Senate this week. This bill removes unnecessary regulations for child care workers and allows for additional flexibility during nap time and 5-min breaks for staffing. Additionally, the House also recently passed House File 2655. This bill provides child care centers a residential rollback (instead of commercial) for property tax purposes, which is estimated to provide $17.7 million in reduced property taxes for child care facilities statewide. These bills now await action in the Senate.

Legislation Advances to Improve Access to Veterans Benefits

This week, the House passed House File 2663 unanimously. This bill transfers $300,000 from the Lottery fund to provide each county with funds to be used for national training for veteran service officers. $2.5 million is annually allocated to the Veterans Trust Fund from the lottery. This bill will allow $300,000 of that to be used for VSO training. $500,000 will continue to be allowed to be spent annually by the Commission on Veterans Affairs. There is currently $40.5 million in the Veterans Trust Fund, with interest deposits over $100,000 per month.

The House also sent House File 259 to the Governor. This bill includes provisions to ensure that Iowa’s veterans service officers are certified and have access to the veterans benefits management system within a year of being hired. Iowa’s veteran service officers are the first stop for any Iowa veteran that is seeking the benefits owed to them for their service. Obviously then, we should do everything we can to support them.

Changes to Minor Driving Privileges Move Forward

Changes in how Iowa allows underage drivers to go to school and to work took a major step towards being implemented into law Tuesday when the Senate passed its version of the bill.

Senate File 2109 would change the school permit and the farm work permit into essentially one permit – the special minor’s driving license. Under the bill, a student who not 16 years old but has completed driver’s education could get a permit that would allow them to drive in certain circumstances:

  • To and from school;
  • To and from extracurricular activities they are participating in;
  • To and from their work;
  • And to and from a service station.

A student with this license would be limited in how far they could drive, which would be 25 miles and must be the most direct route. The driving would have to take place one hour before or after these events. The 25-mile limit is a change from the current farm work permit and for those students who drive to a private school.  Current law allows these students to drive up to 50 miles one way, and to drive at any time between 5AM and 10PM.

The biggest change allows these students to drive to any job, not just work on the farm. Currently that is not allowed under the current school permit. The bill sets conditions that would have to be met before this would be allowed. The parent or guardian of the student would have to submit written consent to the Department of Transportation before they could start driving to work.

Another change is who qualifies for the new license. Current law prevents students who live within one mile of their school from getting a school permit. That exclusion is removed by the committee’s recommendations. Current law also limits a student to one residence to travel to and from. The committee’s recommendations would now allow a student to have 3 residences, which would have to be consented to by the parent or guardian, and the new license allows students to travel through a contiguous school district to attend their school, if they are using open enrollment. They would still have to be within 25 miles of their residence.

On the Senate Floor, language was added to ensure that these driving privileges were also available to those students who are home-schooled. With home-schooled students taking some classes at schools participating in extracurricular activities, or having a part-time job, it was only fair that home-school students have the same ability to get a special minor’s driver’s license as do those students attending public or private schools.

The Senate also made changes to the language on driving to work. Those changes have caused some heartburn amongst various groups interested in the bill, and these will get a thorough vetting before the bill hits the House floor. Also, to be examined is some of the administrative processes under the bill, as they may create some unintended issues in DOT driver’s license stations.

House Passes Modernization of Public Notice Requirements

This week the House passed Senate File 2331, which amends current code on public notice requirements for governmental bodies. This bill will help bridge the gap between where and how public notices are published. Currently public notices are required to be published in an official newspaper of record. These requirements were in place before the mass expansion of the internet in the daily lives of Iowans. This issue has been discussed for a while as there are many Iowans who prefer to read the notices in their local newspapers and Iowans who want to use the internet to get their information.

SF 2331 aims to be the compromise and solution for these issues. It would codify the creation of a free to the public statewide public notice website that is managed by an organization that represents most Iowa’s newspapers. Newspapers and governmental bodies are required to submit the notices to the state-wide website. This will provide the notice both electronically and in the official newspapers. The statewide website is required to provide access to all public notices for one year from the publication date, to provide subscription alerts for notices by email, and to provide a searchable database of the notices to allow for searching by criteria.

ATV Operations on State Park Road System Approved

On Monday, the Senate passed House File 2237 by a bipartisan 45-aye to 2-nay vote. HF 2237 explicitly allows the operation of registered ATV (All-Terrain Vehicle) and registered Off Road Utility Vehicles (that are included in the pertinent ATV definition) on state park road system where other motor vehicles registered under Code chapter 321 are allowed to operate. Existing law concerning ATV operation in state park significantly restricts the operation of ATV’s to certain rule specified areas and does not explicitly allow ATV operations on state park road systems. This change makes sense since Iowa has already expanded where registered ATV’s can operate on state primary road systems and the maximum speed in state parks is 35-mph or less. Senator Lofgren and I introduced a similar bill earlier this session after hearing from a constituent in New London who simply wanted to be able to drive his UTV over to Geode State Park but could not under current law.

Staying in Touch
As always, you also can shoot me an email with any questions or concerns at taylor.collins@legis.iowa.gov or you can call the Capitol Switchboard and leave me a message at (515) 281-7340.
Sincerely,

Rep. Taylor Collins

Sports, March 29th

High School Track and Field

The Mediapolis girls’ team hosted the Bullette Invitational yesterday with Fort Madison winning as a team followed by Danville. Mediapolis took fourth place, Van Buren County grabbed 10th place, and WACO finished in 11th place. 

For Danville, Kenna Furnald won the 200 meter dash with a time of 27.85 seconds and the long jump with a leap of 16 feet and 10 inches. The 800 Medley Relay team took the win with a time of 1 minute and 56 seconds. Abby Arnett grabbed the win in the 3000 meter run with a time of 11 minutes and 50 seconds. Mediapolis will host a meet on Tuesday, April 2nd, with Danville and Winfield-Mt. Union also in attendance. 

The Mt. Pleasant boys’ and girls’ teams had their Invitational yesterday and here’s the results. 

For the Panthers, the top finish was the girls’ 4×200 meter relay team of Kiyah Sanders, Alex Scott, Andi Scott, and Kynlee White as they grabbed the gold with a time of 1 minute and 51 seconds. Savannah Slobodnik took first in the discus with a toss of 116 feet and 7inches. For the boys’, Avin Truong took first place in the long jump with a leap of 21 feet and 9 inches. 

For the West Burlington girls’, the team of Ady Lamm, Logan Kelley, Hadley Augustine, and Kaitlyn Kipp finished in second place for the Distance Medley.

The Mediapolis boys’ team was led by the 4×200 meter relay team of Aedin Nelson, Henry Luttenegger, Noah Schmidgall, and Kyler Crow as they took first in the 4×200 meter relay. Logan Rosas also grabbed the gold in the 800 meter run with a time of 1 minute and 56 seconds.

Mt. Pleasant will travel to Williamsburg for a meet on Tuesday, April 2nd. 

The Van Buren County girls’ and boys’ teams will participate in a meet on April 2nd hosted by WACO.

The Central Lee girls’ team will travel to Fairfield for a meet on April 2nd. 

The Winfield-Mt. Union boys team will participate in a relay at Mediapolis on April 2nd.  

The New London girls’ team will travel to WACO for a meet on April 2nd. 

High School Soccer

The WACO boys’ team was tied with Fairfield after a half of play, but the Trojans netted three second half goals to win 4-1. The Warriors will face off against Burlington Notre Dame on the road on Monday, April 1st, at 5 pm.

The Columbus/Winfield-Mt. Union girls’ team took down Wapello last night 4-0 for their first win of the season. Iris Garza, Yaileen Miranda, Abby Acosta, and Lecet Quiroz each scored a goal. The Wildcats will take on Mt. Pleasant on April 1st at home with the girls’ playing first at 5 pm.

The Mt. Pleasant boys’ team played strong defense for 60 minutes but as Head Coach Rocco Russo talked about after the game the Panthers ran out of steam, losing 4-0. Zach LeBlanc totaled 10 saves in the loss. The girls’ team struggled on the road against the Clippers, falling 8-0. 

The Mediapolis boys’ team snuck past Keokuk 2-1 in a road win last night. The Mediapolis girls’ team fell 4-0 to Fort Madison last night. The Bulldogs will take on Wapello on April 1st in a road matchup with the girls’ playing first at 5 pm. 

The Central Lee boys’ team will host Centerville on April 2nd and the girls’ team will travel to Mid-Prairie on the same day with both games starting at 5 pm.

The Danville boys’ team will battle Mediapolis in a road matchup on April 4th at 5 pm.

High School Tennis

The Mt. Pleasant boys’ team dominated in their road matchup with Davis County last night, sweeping the Mustangs 9-0. Sawyer Fulton won his singles match 8-1, Phoenix Watson picked up an 8-2 singles victory, Elijah Rynders won 8-3, Dane Cook and Zach Johnson grabbed 8-4 wins, while Gavin Ross took his match 8-6. Watson and Ross teamed up for an 8-4 win in doubles, Fulton and Cook won 8-1, and Johnson and Rynders took their doubles match 8-6. 

After the growing pains of last year, the Mt. Pleasant girls’ team picked up their first since 2022 in 7-2 fashion over Davis County in front of the home crowd. Picking up wins in the singles was Jana Isanta, Ellie Situmeang, Bethany Drury, Victoria Smith, and Audrey Richmond. The team of Isanta and Situmeang and Drury and Richmond each won their doubles match 8-4. Head Coach Martha Peterson was proud not only of their physical play, but their mental game. 

Mt. Pleasant will take on Keokuk on Monday, April 1st, with the boys’ hosting the Chiefs and the girls’ hitting the road. 

High School Golf

The Central Lee boys’ team will take on Holy Trinity Catholic on April 4th.

The WACO boys’ and girls’ teams will compete in a meet hosted by New London on April 2nd. 

The Winfield-Mt. Union boys’ and girls’ teams will travel to Columbus to participate in a meet on April 4th. 

The Mt. Pleasant girls’ team will travel to Washington Golf and Country Club on April 1st and the boys’ team will participate in a conference match at Fairfield Golf and Country Club on the same day. 

Southeastern Community College

In baseball, SCC split their doubleheader against Des Moines Area Community College yesterday, losing game one 5-2 and smacking the Bears 10-1 in game two. Caleb Wulf and Kooper Schulte led the offensive onslaught in game two as they each registered a double and three RBIs. The Blackhawks will host Southwestern Community College in a three-game series starting tomorrow, March 30th. 

The SCC softball team will face off against Iowa Western Community College today at home in a doubleheader.

College Basketball

The #1-seed Iowa women’s team will battle with the #5-seed Colorado in the Sweet 16 tomorrow, March 30th, with tipoff at 2:30 pm. 

The #2-seed Iowa State men’s team’s title hopes were dashed last night in the Sweet 16 by #3 Illinois 72-69. The Cyclone’s uncharacteristic defensive play in the first half allowed the Fighting Illini to put up 51 points and the comeback wasn’t able to surmount the deficit. Curtis Jones led the team with 26 points off the bench. The Cyclones finished the season with a 30-7 record. 

March Madness

The KILJ bracket challenge, sponsored by The Press Box and Wiley’s Interior Furnishings and Design, is officially underway with over 30 brackets submitted with the top three set to receive prizes.

Standings will be updated on Monday, April 1st. 

This Day in Sports History

1976 – 38th NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship: Indiana beats Michigan, 86-68; first time 2 teams from same conference (Big Ten) play in title game.

1984 – NFL Baltimore Colts move to Indianapolis.

1996 – The Cleveland Browns choose new name for their relocated team – the Baltimore Ravens.

In Case of a Tornado – DUCK!

With Severe Weather Awareness week in full swing, now’s a good time to remember what to do during a tornado. Now, we know most Iowans like to sit on the porch and watch it go by, but we don’t condone that. Instead, we recommend that you DUCK. That’s right. DUCK. Go DOWNSTAIRS UNDER something at the CENTER of the building and KEEP AWAY from windows. Surely you won’t forget to DUCK during a storm.

2nd Reading of Moratorium for Wind Energy Discussion

The 2nd Reading of the Resolution to Establish a Temporary Moratorium on the Rezoning of Land to the Alternative Energy Overlay District was read on Thursday’s Henry County Supervisor meeting.

With a smaller crowd than last time, but still a sizable 20, citizens listened as Supervisor White read the resolution. According to the supervisors, this moratorium allows the Planning and Zoning Commission time to do their “due diligence” and make a comprehensive plan.

A citizen thanked the supervisors for slowing this process down. Supervisor Lindeen said that the moratorium is to make sure the facts are presented, not just speculation.

Currently, a solar energy resolution is being looked at as well by the County Attorney’s Office, which is responsible for the language in the moratorium regarding Wind Energy.

When it comes to citizen comments, the best way to communicate is still through the supervisors email supervisors@henrycountyiowa.us They read through these emails and send them along to the Planning and Zoning Director, who then sends them to the commission.

The 3rd, and final reading, will take place on Tuesday, April 2nd, at 10:00am.

Councilman and Fire Chief Last City Council Meeting

Two men sat through their final City Council meeting on Wednesday evening after years of service to our community. Jeff Batty, councilman, resigned effective immediately last night as he plans to retire soon.

Drew Schumacher, Fire Chief until the end of March, submitted his letter of resignation in January and will be transferring command in a formal ceremony to Anthony Blint on April 10th. He mentioned the upcoming Fire Department pancake and sausage breakfast this Saturday, from 6-10am. This is a free will donation and the public is invited. Maybe you will even get to see a firetruck up close!