To the People of House District 95
We are now well into summer which means Independence Day celebrations and many other annual parades are right around the corner. This year I’ll be at Waylands 4th of July parade in the morning, and Morning Sun’s Mile Long parade in the afternoon. Whether I see you at Chief Wapello Days in Wapello, Crooked Creek Days in Winfield, Old Threshers in Mount Pleasant, Town & Country Days in Mediapolis, Fruitland Fun Days in Fruitland, or Columbus Days in Columbus Junction, make sure to stop me and say hello!
Iowa Supreme Court Orders District Court to Dissolve Injunction on Iowa’s Fetal Heartbeat Law
On Friday last week, the Iowa Supreme Court reversed a lower court ruling that temporarily blocked the states fetal heartbeat law. After Roe v. Wade was overturned, the Governor asked the courts to reexamine the 2018 heartbeat law due to the legal landscape changing with regard to this issue. After refusing, the legislature convened in special session last summer to pass the heartbeat bill again in order to force another review of the case.
The heartbeat bill, House File 732, prohibits an elective abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected by abdominal ultrasound, unless there is a medical emergency or a legal exception. These legal exceptions include if the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest, or if the unborn child has a fetal abnormality and will not survive outside the womb.
Since the Dobbs ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court there have been many misconceptions about laws in Iowa but also throughout the United States that seek to protect the unborn. Iowans can be assured that HF 732 does not impact care provided to women experiencing a miscarriage or having complications with her pregnancy.
Miscarriage is clearly not prohibited in anyway in this bill. The definition of abortion in the bill is “the termination of a human pregnancy with the intent other than to produce a live birth or to remove a dead fetus.” Additionally, the legal exceptions include “any spontaneous abortion, commonly known as a miscarriage, if not all of the products of conception are expelled.” Medical emergency is defined broadly to include any situation in which an abortion is performed to preserve the life of the pregnant woman whose life is endangered, and when the pregnancy creates a serious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function. Lastly, this bill does not have criminal or civil penalties against women or physicians. Rather, it leaves the rulemaking to the Iowa Board of Medicine.
The Legislature is elected by the people, and for too long, the courts have stood in the way of Iowans having their voices heard on this important issue. Voters spoke clearly through their elected representatives both in 2018 when the original heartbeat bill was passed, and again in 2023 when it passed by an even larger margin. While far-left factions of the democratic party fight for abortion up until the day of birth, I will continue to fight for common sense policies that promote and protect the sanctity of life. While litigation continues, I appreciate the clarity the Iowa Supreme Court has finally provided on this issue.
Report Finds Republican Tax Cuts in Iowa will Create Jobs and Grow the Economy
Common Sense Institute Iowa recently published a study finding that Iowa’s Republican enacted tax cuts over recent years will result in major increases in tax savings for Iowans, growth in GDP, and thousands of jobs. What does the study not show? That the sky will fall as the state fails to fulfill its promises as Democrats have wrongly suggested time and time again.
In 2022, Republicans enacted legislation that would eventually lead Iowa to a single flat individual income tax rate of 3.9% by 2026. The legislation also created a mechanism based on certain economic and revenue conditions being met to ratchet down the corporate income tax rates to a flat 5.5%. The intent was to favor individual income tax cuts over corporate tax cuts.
At the beginning of the most recent legislative session, Iowa remained on track for two individual brackets with a top rate of 4.82% in 2025 and a flat rate of 3.9% starting in 2026. These changes would move Iowa from one of the top 10 worst states for individual income tax in 2018 to one of the 10 best by 2026. With the state’s finances healthy and in order, Republicans again authored legislation this year to speed up the individual income tax rate reductions and lower flat rate again. With the passage of Senate File 2442 in April 2024, the state will move to a single flat individual income tax rate of 3.8% starting in tax year 2025.
The positive tax changes for individuals in 2018, 2022 and 2024 were all done over the vocal opposition of Democrats.
The Common Sense Institute’s report describes the conditions that have made it possible to cut income taxes without impacting the state budget and why tax policy matters. The report models the indirect or “dynamic” economic and revenue impacts using the REMI Tax-PI model.
Key Findings
Common Sense Institute’s dynamic economic simulation forecasts that over 10 years the SF 2442 income tax rate reductions will result in:
• $1.85 billion in tax savings for income-tax payers.
• $3 billion increase in after-tax income across the entire economy.
• $1.72 billion in GDP growth.
• Approximately 6,800 new jobs created in 2025.
• The economic stimulus resulting from SF 2442 cutting individual income taxes will offset $120 million of the revenue loss to the state over the first 10 years.
• In three forecasted scenarios, including two recessions of varying severity, CSI found Iowa’s recent tax reductions are sustainable over the long term.
• In all three forecasted scenarios, including a recession comparable to 2008, CSI found Iowa could sustain additional tax reductions without reducing state spending over at least the next decade if it did so judiciously.
• In 2025, SF 2442 will reduce income taxes for the typical Iowa household earning $75,000 per year by approximately $410, in addition to savings from recent reforms.
• The typical household will see a reduction in their effective tax rate from 4.71% to 3.8% for 2025 and a reduction from 3.9% to 3.8% in future years.
Iowa Republicans will continue to pass legislation that keeps more of hard-working Iowan’s money in their pockets because we know that Iowans grow the economy and create jobs – not big government.
Title IX Lawsuit Updates
Multiple lawsuits have been filed across the U.S. that would block the implementation of President Biden and the U.S. Department of Education’s new rules on Title IX that add protections for gender identity and sexual orientation into Title IX. Many of these states have laws that would directly conflict with those rules that include separate bathrooms for boys and girls, prohibiting boys from playing girls sports, not allowing instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation, etc. These cases show the beginning of the uphill battle that President Biden’s education overreach rules will have across the nation. Perhaps common sense will win out.
On June 11th, the U.S. Northern District Court of Texas ruled that the U.S. Department of Education overstepped its authority in it’s 2021 guidance that told states how to interpret Title IX and failed to give states the opportunity to provide any feedback. U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor’s order prevents the Department from expanding Title IX protections. A federal judge in Tennessee had already blocked the Department from enforcing that guidance in 20 Republican-led states in 2022, which the Biden administration is appealing. Texas filed this lawsuit in 2023, and while it is separate from the other lawsuits surrounding Title IX rules, the decision is the first round of litigation that shows the final Title IX rules could have an uphill battle.
On June 13th, a federal judge in the U.S. Western District of Louisiana issued a ruling that stops the U.S. Department of Education’s regulations that broaden what Title IX is from being implemented in Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, and Idaho. The judge stated that Title IX “was created to apply to two sexes.” On June 24th, the U.S. Department of Education filed a notice of appeal in the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The Department said that “it stands by the final Title IX regulations.”
On June 17th, a federal judge in the U.S. District Court in Eastern Kentucky issued a ruling that prevents the U.S. Department of Education from implementing the final rule on August 1st. Kentucky Republican Attorney General Russell Coleman and Attorney Generals in five other states filed the lawsuit in April arguing that the U.S. Department of Education “used rulemaking power to convert a law designed to equalize opportunities for both sexes into a far broader regime of its own making.” The Judge limited the injunction to the five states in the lawsuit: Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Virginia, and West Virginia.
Throughout these cases the Department has warned of loss of federal funding to schools if they do not comply with the new Title IX regulations that are set to be implemented on August 1st. At least 15 states have filed similar lawsuits against the new regulations and we will continue to watch how these play out across the country.
Before Congress, IWD Director Highlights Success of Reemployment Case Management Program
Iowa’s success in rapid reemployment of unemployment claimants was the subject of testimony before the U.S. House Ways and Means’ Subcommittee on Work and Welfare.
Workforce Development Director Beth Townsend testified on June 4th in front of the U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means, Subcommittee on Work and Welfare, focusing on Iowa’s innovative approach to reemployment which has emerged as a leading model for returning individuals to the workforce.
The topic of Director Townsend’s testimony was Iowa’s Reemployment Case Management (RCM) program, which Governor Reynolds directed IWD to create in response to a severe worker shortage that was intensified by the pandemic. Since its implementation in early 2022, RCM has injected new urgency and resources that have transformed the state’s unemployment process and further expanded its workforce.
The program has provided consistent value to both the state’s workforce and its employers, who still urgently need workers. RCM was built on concepts found in the federal RESEA (Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment) program. By taking RESEA’s concept of one-on-one career assistance and providing it earlier in the unemployment process, Iowa has been able to drastically shorten the length of an unemployment claim by helping claimants find new careers more quickly.
Director Townsend’s testimony served as an important example of state leadership in successfully implementing a modernized reemployment program. Roughly 2½ years after implementation, RCM already has resulted in better outcomes for Iowans and money saved for the state’s unemployment trust fund.
• The average duration of an unemployment claim in Iowa has dropped from 13 weeks at the start of RCM to 9 weeks in April 2024, the lowest figure in the 64 years that Iowa has been measuring the statistic.
• The total amount of unemployment benefits paid in 2022 and 2023 ($253 million and $260 million, respectively) represent the lowest levels for benefits paid since 2000.
• Research and analysis on the program showed a notable increase in individuals receiving one-on-one assistance and a higher participation in reemployment activities, helping Iowans become that much more prepared—and therefore, more effective—in their work search.
Excerpt – Director Townsend’s Congressional Testimony:
“RCM was launched at the beginning of 2022 as part of a fundamental reset in Iowa’s relationship with unemployment. Before the pandemic, our agency’s focus revolved around being an efficient and effective provider of unemployment assistance benefits. Assistance with reemployment was left to the individuals to seek and request it, especially early in the process.”
“In contrast, launching the Reemployment Case Management program has helped us become a true reemployment center. Through this program, Iowa Workforce Development has shortened the average time Iowans spend on unemployment by more than 30%, boosted Iowa’s available workforce, and saved employers’ unemployment taxes in the form of lower unemployment tax rates. We believe our RCM program is a national model for helping put people back to work after unemployment sooner rather than later and helps those individuals find the best possible careers and job opportunities that they not have otherwise even considered.”
Visit this link to view Director Townsend’s testimony in its entirety.
For more information on RCM and IWD’s reemployment programs, visit this link.
IUB Approves Summit Pipeline Permit
Last week, the Iowa Utilities Board approved the permit for Summit Carbon Solutions to build a 688-mile liquefied carbon dioxide pipeline through 29 Iowa counties. The 507 page decision can be found here and all documents related to this petition can be found here.
The decision goes through each section of Iowa Code 479B, which sets out the requirements for the IUB to issue a permit for an interstate hazardous liquid pipeline. Areas of interest in the opinion include:
• Other State Agency Approval – Page 65 and page 477 outline the requirements for Summit to receive agency approval in North Dakota and South Dakota, as well as approval from Minnesota and Nebraska for specific sections of the pipeline, prior to beginning construction in Iowa.
• Insurance Coverage – Pages 73-75 discuss IUB’s decision to require Summit to have at least a $100 million insurance policy to cover all damages related to the construction, operation, and maintenance of the pipeline.
• Land Restoration – Pages 94-99 outline the requirements IUB will impose over Summit for the Agricultural Impact Mitigation Plan.
• Public Convenience and Necessity – Pages 103-248 discuss the requirements of Iowa Code 479B.9 which states, “a permit shall not be granted to a pipeline company unless the board determines that the proposed services will promote the public convenience and necessity.” The IUB utilized a balancing test to determine whether public convenience and necessity are met.
o Factors the IUB weighed in favor of approving the Summit pipeline were:
Federal Tax Credits: “The fact that the federal government is incentivizing this technology, similar to the governmental incentivization of wind, solar, and ethanol, does weigh into the Board’s balancing as to whether Summit Carbon’s proposed project will provide a service that will promote the public convenience and necessity.” The Board also notes that these incentives have existed through 4 different presidents, and been expanded by the last two (Trump and Biden).
Low Carbon Fuel Markets: “The growing number of states that require or are looking at requiring low carbon fuel demonstrates a need for Summit Carbon’s proposed project in order for ethanol plants to remain competitive.
Climate Change:
“After reviewing the evidence, the Board finds the factor of climate change is one that will be weighed as part f the Board’s overall conclusion as to whether Summit Carbon should be granted a permit. While there is no official policy for the state of Iowa as it relates to climate change, there is a state policy ‘to reduce atmospheric contamination of this state’s environment form the combustion of fossil fuels.’ Iowa Code 159A.1(2). Furthermore, there is a greater acceptance and understanding of the impacts anthropogenic carbon dioxide has on the Earth’s climate.”
When it comes to climate change, the Board concludes there are sufficient indicators from governments, industries, and consumers that this important issue is unlikely to go away in the near future. While Summit Carbon was cautious to not affirmatively state its proposed project will provide a climate benefit, the Board views the anticipated outcomes of Summit Carbon’s proposed project speak for themselves. Summit Carbon is proposing to initially prevent 9.5 million metric tons of carbon dioxide per year from being released into the atmosphere, and eventually increasing to a maximum of 18 million metric tons per year. This is anthropogenic carbon dioxide that occurs outside the natural carbon dioxide cycle. This is the type of carbon dioxide emissions that governments, industries, and consumers are seeking to limit. Summit Carbon’s proposed project would provide this benefit to the public by preventing the release of millions of tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere annually.”
Ethanol: “This benefit is to not only the 12 participating ethanol plants and Summit Carbon, but the 44,0000 Iowans employed by the ethanol industry and the hundreds of thousands of Iowans who work in the agricultural field.” The opinion notes many times that 53% of Iowa’s corn crop is used for ethanol production.
Economic Impact: The IUB finds there will be a net positive benefit to Iowans. “Summit Carbon is estimating $1.9 billion will be spent in Iowa during construction, and each impacted county could receive approximately $1 million per year in additional revenue.”
o The IUB found that the factors that weighed against granting the pipeline (impact to landowners and safety) are mitigated by requirements the IUB has imposed on Summit. See pages 242-248.
Following this decision there will likely be a multi-year legal battle. Parties to the case have 20 days to request a rehearing of the IUB. The IUB then has 30 days to decide on whether to grant the rehearing. Following the IUB’s decision on rehearing, the parties have 30 days to appeal to district court. Past decisions have taken up to three years to have a final decision made by the Iowa Supreme Court.
Public Comment Sessions for New Behavioral Health Districts
The legislature passed House File 2673 this session with significant bipartisan support. This bill transitions the current county run mental health and disability services regional system to a state behavioral health service system with state contracted administrative service organizations governed by the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). The legislation states that by August 1st, DHHS must designate these new districts, that will be effective July 1st, 2025.
In order to receive feedback on how the new district map is developed, DHHS is holding four public comment sessions with information found here.
• June 13 – 5:30-6:30PM – Virtual
• July 1 – 1-3PM – Location: Polk County River Place, 2309 Euclid Ave., Des Moines
• July 8 – 12-1PM – Virtual
• July 18 – 12-2PM – Rosecrance Jackson Centers, 3200 W 4th St., Sioux City
The bill additionally does the following:
• 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.
• DHHS will divide the state into behavioral health districts with ASOs to oversee each district and its behavioral health services. ASOs will be selected through RFP. Each district will have a district behavioral health advisory council.
• The bill directs the funds from the federal community health mental health services block grant and the federal substance abuse prevention and treatment block grant to DHHS.
• Creates a central data repository for behavioral health data with demographic information, expenditure data, and services and supports provided to individuals.
• Establishes a behavioral health fund, with similar funding to the existing annual increases based on a state growth factor. The bill prohibits an ASO from spending more than 7% on administrative costs.
• Provides $3 million from the regional incentive fund for 988. On January 1st, 2024, there was $23.955 million in the incentive fund. This bill also appropriates $1 million from the regional incentive fund for DHHS administrative costs and requires DHHS to report to the legislature on administrative costs and funds for a central data repository.
• This bill requires DHHS to designate aging and disability resource centers to establish a coordinated system of providing assistance to persons with disabilities and the elderly.
• Timeline:
o August 1, 2024 – DHHS will designate the districts.
o December 31, 2024 – DHHS will designate the ASO for each district.
o July 1, 2025 – the behavioral health system and ADRCs are implemented.
Next Steps for Schools, Agencies, to Launch Statewide Special Education Portal
A new tool to improve communication and engagement with families and learners in special education is coming later this year. Iowa school districts and partner education agencies will play key roles in preparing for the launch of the new resource, known as the ACHIEVE Family Portal.
As an extension of ACHIEVE, Iowa’s online system for supporting the implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the new ACHIEVE Family Portal will provide parents, guardians and eligible learners with round-the-clock access to learner information. Portal users may also have the ability to sign documents, access records, and view real-time progress reports on outcomes and goals.
“Iowa will be the first state in the nation to offer this type of access to learners’ special education information,” said Barbara Guy, Chief of the Iowa Department of Education’s Bureau of Student and Family Special Education Services. “We are excited for the upcoming launch of the ACHIEVE Family Portal and to provide this new opportunity for families to connect with schools and Area Education Agencies to support their learner’s progress.”
To assist with the implementation and to ensure personally identifiable learner information is protected, school districts and agencies will need to confirm family contacts have met the requirements through IDEA prior to the portal’s launch. Validation of family’s contact information for each learner is critical for the success of the ACHIEVE Family Portal.
Additionally, school districts and agencies are strongly encouraged to designate a point-of-contact for training and communication updates before June 30th.
A webinar to assist school districts and agencies on the validation process for family contacts will be scheduled for late July. Appointed district and agency designees will receive webinar registration details in a forthcoming email. A recording of the webinar will also be made available after the event.
Questions regarding the ACHIEVE Family Portal can be directed to Shannon Grundmeier at shannon.grundmeier@iowa.gov.
Department Seeks Public Feedback on Rubric to Evaluate Evidence-Based Professional Development
The Iowa Department of Education is seeking public feedback on an updated draft rubric for reviewing evidence-based professional development services that AEAs provide to public schools and accredited nonpublic schools. Interested parties can provide feedback by completing the professional development rubric survey by June 20th.
HF 2612 requires the Iowa Department of Education to “develop and distribute to school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, and area education agencies a list of evidence-based professional development services that an area education agency may provide to a public school or accredited nonpublic school…” In the Department’s regular meetings with AEA leadership, developing and implementing this process in 2024 for the 2025-26 school year has been identified as a priority.
In implementing these provisions of HF 2612, the Department will develop a list of evidence-based professional development services informed by expert reviews based on a public rubric.
To inform this process and the public rubric, the Department conducted three listening sessions in May 2024, inviting 1) all AEA chiefs and AEA special education and education services leaders; 2) the Curriculum Network, including school district curriculum directors and other instructional leaders; and 3) all superintendents. The Department then updated the draft public rubric, reflecting the feedback received in these listening sessions.
State Transportation Commission Approves New Five-Year Construction Plan
The new five-year plan for road construction and other improvements to Iowa’s transportation was approved last month by the state Transportation Commission. While meeting in Council Bluffs to celebrate the completion of the rebuild of Interstate 80 in that area, the panel gave its blessing to the FY 2025-2029 plan which expects to spend $4.5 billion in state and federal funding over that time period.
Each year, the Transportation Commission and the Department of Transportation put together the plan for investing state and federal funding into Iowa’s roads, highways, airports, railroads, trails and public transit systems. The document, known as the Iowa Transportation Improvement Program, is approved by the Commission each summer as the roadmap for work to be done in the upcoming fiscal year and beyond.
The largest portion of the program deals with specific highway and bridge projects anticipated to be constructed over the next five years on the state highway system made up of all Interstate, U.S., and Iowa-signed routes. All other roads in the state are under the jurisdiction of individual cities and counties and each local jurisdiction develops its own program of highway, road, street, and bridge construction projects.
The highway and bridge projects included in this program are funded with approximately $3.9 billion of state and federal funding forecast to be available over the next five years. As it has been doing for a number of years, the DOT and the Transportation Commission have prioritized projects that improve the safety and condition of existing state highways and bridges.
Significant investments in bridges have been made since 2006, when 256 poor-condition bridges on the state highway system were identified. Since then, the state has reduced the number of poor-condition bridges down to 23. As part of the new five-year plan, more than $1.3 billion will be committed towards additional bridge investments.
The headline projects included in the plan are always those involving the state’s interstate highways. Over the next five years these projects include replacing Interstate 80’s bridge over the Mississippi River just to the north of us, completing the redo of the east mixmaster between Des Moines and Ankeny and starting to update the west mixmaster in West Des Moines, widening Interstate 35 between Ankeny and Ames and Interstate 380 between North Liberty and Cedar Rapids, and interchange improvements for Interstate 29 in Woodbury County. Providing more parking space for semis at Iowa’s rest stops is also a priority, with 50 more spots created under the plan.
The plan is posted on the Iowa DOT’s website and lists out all the road construction projects planned for each county. It can be found here.
New Special Minor’s Driving License Prompts Questions About How It Can Be Used
With the creation of a new Special Minor’s Restricted Driver’s License, questions are likely to come up as to what can and cannot be done under the new license. Below are two questions that are likely to be asked in various parts of the state.
A provision of the law is that a minor licensee can have up to three residences from which they can drive. This was created to account for joint custody situations and other instances where the limits under the current law do not address. It was asked what happens when a minor spends their summer at a farm with a parent.
Can the minor use the restricted driver’s license to drive to do farm work while at that residence?
The Department of Transportation says they can. The restricted license allows a minor living or working on a farm to drive up to 25 miles from their residence to do farm work. This would apply to the situation above as long as the minor’s summer residence is one of the three residences they have listed.
Another question deals with extracurricular activities. What is considered to be an “extracurricular activity” that a minor can drive to with the new special minor’s restricted license? Some parents have asked if non-school sanctioned teams like club volleyball, and USSSA baseball teams are considered to be an “extracurricular activity”. The Department says no.
According to the DOT, an extracurricular activity must be affiliated with the school that the minor attends. They point to language in the bill, which requires a minor seeking the new license to have certification from their school that the minor is enrolled for courses of instruction or extracurricular activities before they can get the license. The Department has interpreted this to mean the extracurricular activity must be offered by the school for the minor to be allowed to use their license to drive to it.
As the new license goes into effect this summer, there will be more questions on what the license can be used for, and I’m happy to help folks navigate them as they come up.
New Consumable Hemp Rules Proposed
During the 2024 session, the legislature took a careful look at the current consumable hemp laws. After meetings with growers, distributors, consumers, agencies, and law enforcement, it was determined critical changes needed to be made to the current law. The new law, House File 2605 sets clear standards for consumable hemp products, THC potency, serving limits, and age restrictions on consumers.
The bill, as signed by the Governor, only impacts the Iowa Hemp Act and does not make any changes to Iowa’s Medical Cannabis Program. HF 2605 made the following significant changes:
• THC is capped at 4mg per serving and 10mg max per container.
• Consumable hemp products cannot be sold to those under 21 years of age
• Safety labels, similar to those found on alcohol, will be placed on consumable hemp products.
• Synthetic THC cannot be sold or produced in the state.
• Changes to enforcement so those who illegally produce or sell consumable hemp can be appropriately prosecuted.
• Prohibits alcoholic beverages from being mixed with hemp products in a licensed facility.
The Department of Health and Human Services oversees writing the rules to enforce HF 2605. The rules are extensive and provide guidance to growers, producers, and distributors. One key part of the rules is the definition of a serving size. A liquid serving is defined as 12oz, meaning a 12oz drink is limited to 4mg THC, and a 24oz drink is limited to 8mg of THC. Individuals working in the consumable hemp industry are encouraged to carefully review the rules and provide DHHS with feedback.
A complete copy of the rules can be found here. and an FAQ page can be found here. During the month of July DHHS will be holding meetings to discuss the rules with interested parties.
Deadline for RAGBRAI Food Vender Licenses Approaching
RAGBRAI 2024 will begin on July 20th, and will be making its way through not only Henry County but will also end in Des Moines County this year. The annual bike ride across Iowa will travel across 14 counties, 40 cities, and stay overnight in seven of those cities. Along the route it’s common to see local food vendors selling local food and fare either from a business in town or local nonprofit hoping to raise funds for their cause. The Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing regulates food safety across the state and requires licensure for certain vendors that require temperature control for food safety.
While RAGBRAI is a week long event, each city is it’s own event when it comes to vendor licenses. With that many cities and potential temporary licenses DIAL recommends that all applications must be submitted 30 Days before the event. There are several types of food vendors and organizations and not all require licensure.
When is a license required?
Some examples of when a temporary food license may be required are when serving unpackaged food or beverages (hamburgers, fresh squeezed lemonade), cut fruits, and commercially prepared food that requires temperature control (ice cream, milk).
When is a license not required?
Some examples of food vendors that do not need a temporary food license include serving commercially prepared pre-packaged food or beverages (cans of soda and bags of chips), selling whole uncut fruits and vegetables, or selling cottage foods (home-processed food that does not require temperature control).
Knowing when a vendor, whether for profit or nonprofit, needs a temporary food license can be confusing. A guide for potential vendors has been provided by DIAL here.
Staying in Touch
Now that the legislative session has ended, I’m back to my monthly newsletters that will be sent out on the first of each month. As always, you can 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