Author: Yorke Prough

The City of Mount Pleasant offices will be closed on Monday, February 19th, 2024, in observance of Presidents’ Day. Garbage will be collected one day later the week of February 19th, 2024 – February 23rd, 2024.

This Week in the Senate

Week Six of the legislative session is now in the books and, we have passed the first deadline for the year. The week also included visitors representing the Iowa Association of School Boards, Eastern Iowa Light and Power, Area Education Agencies, and many others.

Patient’s Right to Save Act Advances

The Patient’s Right to Save Act, Senate File 431, passed out of Health and Human Services Committee this week with unanimous consent. This bill addresses the rising cost of health care by rewarding patients who shop for more affordable care. The bill requires cash rate disclosures from all providers, offering deductible credit for lower-cost cash care, and letting patients share in insurance company savings post-deductible. Lower health care costs are consistently one of the top issues of Iowans and the goal of this bill is to lower costs, reduce premiums, and empower patients.

Increased Regulation and Oversight Needed for Consumable Hemp Products

Also passed out of committee this week with a unanimous vote is Senate Study Bill 3159. The intent of this Judiciary Committee bill is to increase regulation and oversight of Iowa’s consumable hemp law. I received several emails on this bill, and I know other Senators did as well, but many constituents seemed to be confusing it with Iowa’s medical cannabis law. SSB 3159 only affects Iowa’s hemp law, which passed several years ago after Congress passed their own hemp law in the Farm Bill. This legislation is in response to concerns we’ve received on THC-infused beverages and food. It authorizes the Health and Human Services department to regulate the sale of consumable hemp products. This regulation includes setting a THC potency level per serving and also makes it a crime to sell consumable hemp products to someone under the age of 21.

Assault On a Sports Official Not Tolerated in Iowa

Another Judiciary bill that passed out of committee unanimously this week is SF 521. This bill, passed by a voice vote, adds “sports officials” to the list of protected occupations in the Code for which an assault enhances penalties. These range from an aggravated misdemeanor to a class “D” felony. The penalties are tied to conduct and results and are listed in the current Code section on protected occupations. Assault on individuals just for carrying out the jobs they are hired to do should not be allowed in our Iowa sports.

Regulating BOT Purchasing of Event Tickets on the Internet

SF 2269 passed unanimously on a voice vote during the Senate Technology Committee meeting this week. This bill addresses the use or creation of bots to purchase event tickets on the internet. The bill defines “Bot”, “Event”, and “Ticket”, and makes it clear that circumventing limits and controls for online event ticket purchasing will not be tolerated in Iowa.

The bill prohibits the use or creation of a bot to:
• Purchase more than eight (8) tickets, or posted limit if less than eight (8), for any internet ticket sale.
• Use multiple internet protocol addresses, purchaser accounts, or electronic mail addresses to purchase more than eight (8) tickets, or posted limit if less than eight (8), for any internet ticket sale.
• Circumvent or disable an electronic queue, waiting period, presale code, or other sales volume limitation system associated with internet ticket sale.
• Circumvent or disable a security measure, access control system, or other control or measure that is used to facilitate authorized entry to an event.
The bill provides the Attorney General with exclusive authority to enforce the bill’s provisions through civil action. The following remedies may be granted:
• Enjoinment of further violations by the person.
• Enforcement of compliance.
• Civil penalties of not more than $10,000 per violation.
• Other remedies permitted by law.
If the Attorney General has a reasonable belief that an injunction is being violated, the Attorney General may bring civil action to up to $100,000 in civil penalties.

The Senate Education Committee Advances AEA Reforms

This week the Senate Education Committee advanced Senate Study Bill 3073, the bill to reform Iowa’s Area Education Agencies (AEAs). Although I’m not on this committee, I have received a lot of emails with comments, questions and feedback. I have met with stakeholders and concerned citizens and shared their feedback with members of the Senate Education Committee, and a number of changes have been made to the original bill that was put forth by Governor Reynolds. The information that follows is currently where the committee in the Senate is at as of today. This is not a final overall Senate decision, nor does it include input from the Iowa House.

Under the bill, as amended in the Senate Education Committee, AEAs will still be able to provide schools with the same services they do now. Since funding is determined on a per pupil basis, if large schools decide not to contract with the AEA, the impact to the pool of AEA funds would be proportional to the number of students with disabilities the AEA would no longer serve. Per pupil amounts are the same within each AEA regardless of school size.

The bill also requires the Department of Education’s special education division to oversee AEA operations and ensure compliance with all applicable federal and state laws related to special education and provide guidance and standards. Each AEA must also submit a report to the Department of Education director and the General Assembly containing the progress the AEA has made in its goal to reduce expenses associated with executive administration by at least 30 percent. It also requires proposals by the AEAs regarding the reorganization of their services, provided they centralize some services while creating centers of excellence for others.

For next school year, AEAs will retain all teacher development and special education funding currently allocated to them. They will keep a portion of media and educational services. After next school year most of the funding for special education, media, and educational services will be directed to local school districts. Districts then can contract with the AEA or another entity to provide those services. This funding formula provides more flexibility to local school districts to best meet their needs for these services, while also ensuring AEAs will have enough resources to continue to offer those services.

It is my hope that we will continue listening to Iowans as we work through this bill, and we will work with our colleagues in the House to find a solution on this issue. Helping to ensure success for our Iowa students with disabilities should always be at the forefront of our decision making on this issue.

Full-Day Preschool Could Become a Reality

SF 2075 also passed out of the Senate Education Committee this week with an almost unanimous vote. This bill gives schools the option under the current statewide voluntary preschool program to phase in full-day preschool for students whose household income is at or below 185 percent of the federal poverty level.

For the school year beginning July 1, 2024 (year 1), schools will be able to include 75 percent of the actual enrollment of income-eligible students toward their total preschool budget enrollment. Students in the category must receive at least 15 hours of instruction weekly.

For school years beginning July 1, 2025, and succeeding years (year 2 and beyond), schools will be able to include 100 percent of the actual enrollment of income-eligible students toward their total preschool budget enrollment. Students in this category must receive at least 20 hours of instruction weekly.

A school may choose to continue providing only 10 hours weekly instruction to preschool students as they do now, or they can choose to provide additional weekly instruction (and receive the corresponding funding) to students who meet the income eligibility. If a school chooses to offer additional instruction, families who meet the income eligibility can still choose whether or not to participate in the additional instruction hours (and the student will only receive additional funding if opting to additional hours).

A Legislative Breakfast took place at Mount Pleasant City Hall on Friday morning. On the panel were Iowa Representative Collins, Representative Shipley, Iowa Senator Dickey, and Senator Lofgren.

A big discussion point was hands-free driving. Currently, a bill regarding hands-free and traffic enforcement cameras has been proposed. According to Senator Dickey, most traffic cameras are “revenue generators”, though he did say that some places certainly do need cameras. He also mentioned how he is a big supporter of the hands-free driving bill, but it should not be limited to just phones. There are many other distractions that people give into while driving, such as eating and smoking. If the bill were to fail, either of the two proposed components could pass on their own eventually, since they both have separate bills.

A major issue in Iowa right now is the Governor’s AEA bill. According to the legislators, the bill did not pass through the house on the original proposal. They are working on their own proposal and are making progress. All of the legislators gave their input on the bill, with Senator Dickey mentioning how 72 people at our regional AEA make a package of over $100,000 a year. He believes the funds need to be better allocated, such as to para educators in the classroom.

It seems impossible to go a day in Henry County right now without hearing about wind energy. Recently, the Senate looked over a new bill, Senate Study bill 3169. This bill proposed letting the State set the guidelines for wind energy ordinances. Meaning, if the county proposed a change to the setback length of the wind turbines, it would have to adhere to the same standards that the State laid out. Representative Taylor Collins said he was happy that the bill died, as he believes everyone agrees that it should be up to the county, not the state.

Last night, a second town hall was held for a question-and-answer session with RWE representatives regarding the potential wind farm project. Once again, they spoke about the benefits of this potential project. 68 million dollars would go to Henry County over the course of the contract, with 57 million dollars to be split between WACO, WMU, and Mt. Pleasant school districts. The district with the most infrastructure related to the project would receive the biggest portion of those dollars.

During the forum, a citizen asked if pacemakers are affected by wind turbines. An RWE representative responded that there is no effect on those. A few wondered if oil will drip off the side and contaminate the soil, however, they were told that the new turbines have a drip pan in place which catches every drop. If the turbine were to detect a leak, it would automatically shut down.

Many people don’t want turbines in their back yards, and RWE revealed that they plan to place 1 or 2 turbines per section. A section was defined last night as 640 acres, or 1 square mile.

Regarding the tour that RWE has offered to landowners, this tour would be to a wind farm of 139 turbines standing at 495 ft each.

A constituent asked the Henry County Board of Supervisors a simple question, “what is the purpose of these meetings.” An answer provided by a supervisor seemed to suit the people, saying that these are a public forum and a way for the public to make their voices heard. Another citizen encouraged the supervisors to reach out to other county supervisors with wind turbines in their county for more information.

An observation of the room showed that many concerned citizens have done their own research on wind turbines. One man asked the question “what’s a sunset cost?”

Keeping students safe in schools is a top priority for House Republicans for all Iowans. That’s why the Public Safety Committee advanced House Study Bill 675 to ensure students have the protection they deserve all day. HSB 675 has two parts, the first addresses the need for school resources officers inside buildings and the second creates a professional weapons permit and with extensive training for school employees.

School resource officers (SRO) are an asset to schools and the community seeking better security and safety in their schools. The SRO’s connection with students and staff allows them to see problems developing before they get out of hand. The officers bring a sense of safety and security to a sometimes chaotic place. Unfortunately, some schools have removed school resources officers from their buildings, and others either can’t afford their services or their community does not have enough peace officers to serve as SRO’s.

HSB 675 is working to change that. The bill requires school districts with more than 8,000 students to have an SRO in schools with grades 9-12. These large school districts can opt out of the requirement, but that will require a vote of the school board to reject this important security. Parents deserve to know if their school boards are against SRO’s. Smaller schools are encouraged to have SRO’s and both small and large schools can apply for school security personnel grants that will provide up to $50,000 of matching state funds to each school district who wishes to have school security personnel. In addition to law enforcement officers, schools can also hire private school security officers who meet the background checks and training standards.

While school security officers serve an important function, they cannot be in two places at once. HSB 675 also gives schools the option of allowing employees to qualify for a special professional permit for school employees. This is a completely optional program for the schools and their employees. If a school chooses to move forward with this program, staff can volunteer to join. A school employee must pass a standard weapons permit background check every year and complete extensive specialized training. The training includes;
– Prescribed firearm safety training course
– One time in person legal training, including training on qualified immunity
– Annual emergency medical training
– Annual communications training
– Yearly live scenario training
– Quarterly live firearms training

A school employee who meets all these qualifications shall be entitled to qualified immunity from criminal or civil liability for damages when reasonable force is used in the school.

House Study Bill 675 provides two different ways for schools to protect their students, both with school security officers, and well-trained armed school employees. This bill has advanced out of the Public Safety committee and will be ready for floor debate soon.

State Government Approves Bill on First Responders

Last week the State Government Committee passed a monumental piece of legislation to further protect the first responders across Iowa who protect and rescue Iowans every day. House File 2183 (now House File 2482) was reported out of State Government Committee unanimously. The bill, as amended by the Committee, changes Iowa Code to ensure that all types of cancer are covered for Iowa’s firefighters. Currently there are only 14 types of cancer that are covered under the presumption that it was contracted while on active duty as a result of the job. There are over 200 types of diagnosable cancers.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, cancer is the leading cause of death among firefighters. Research shows that due to the carcinogenic materials and the significantly greater exposure to chemicals, gases, vapors, and particles that firefighters are 9% more likely to be diagnosed with cancer than the general population and 14% higher risk of dying of cancer than the general population. If enacted this legislation would provide coverage to all cancers and alleviate concern when a firefighter gets a life altering diagnoses that they have to wonder if their cancer treatment will be covered.

House File 2183 will move to the House floor for the consideration of the full legislative body. House Republicans have over the past several legislative sessions strongly supported legislative efforts in the House to provide expanded coverage for firefighters’ pension funds.