To the People of House District 95

This week we also hosted the SE Iowa Delegation in Des Moines. This annual trip of leaders from Des Moines, Henry, Lee, and Louisa Counties is a great opportunity to for local leaders to connect with leadership in Des Moines. I especially enjoy visiting with SCC’s ‘M-Power-U’ students who attend the trip annually.

Also today, I’ll be a guest on Iowa Press to discuss my committees work to reform higher education in the state. The episode will be recorded in studio at Iowa PBS this afternoon, and should be posted online here shortly after.

Just like home mortgages, payments on bonds issued by the state seem to go on forever. While the state of Iowa has a significantly lower amount of outstanding bond debt when compared to other states, the cost of these bonds still has a big impact on what can be done to address state infrastructure needs of today and tomorrow.

In 2009, Governor Chet Culver and legislative Democrats believed it was wise fiscal policy for the state to borrow $800 million for a variety of state and local infrastructure projects. The I-Jobs program, as it was called, ended up primarily financing the repairs to the University of Iowa in the aftermath of the floods of 2008.

Perhaps the biggest ongoing impact of the I-Jobs program is the continual debt service payments for this ill-fated scheme. The state issued $695 million of bonds backed by the state’s gaming tax revenue. At the end of the Fiscal Year 2024, the state still owed $421 million in principal and interest on these bonds. The state will pay approximately $45 million this year from state gaming tax collections to the holders of these bonds, instead of using the funds for needed repairs and new construction at state facilities. The payments on all the I-Jobs bonds will not end until Fiscal year 2034.

Another portion of the I-Jobs program was the issuance of $115 million academic building revenue bonds by the Iowa Board of Regents. The Legislature authorized this series of bonds to fund construction projects at the three state universities. While the bonds are backed by tuition revenue from each school, the state actually makes the payment via the Tuition Replacement line item in the Rebuild Iowa Infrastructure Fund (RIIF).

The I-Jobs bond and other previous academic building revenue bonds are still being paid off today. At the end of Fiscal Year 2024, the state still owes $232.2 million in principal and interest on these bonds. In Fiscal Year 2026, the state will appropriate $25.6 million from RIIF for the year’s payment on these bonds. These payments will not be finished until Fiscal Year 2036.

The state has two other buildings where bonds were issued to finance their construction.  In 2007, the Democrat-led Legislature authorized the selling of bonds to finance the construction of a new Iowa State Penitentiary at Fort Madison. Today, the state is still making annual payments on the 20-year bonds. In Fiscal Year 2026, the state will pay $13.8 million of judicial revenue for this bond. At the end of Fiscal Year 2024, the state still owed $37.55 million in principle on the bonds that will finally be paid off in 2027.

The other building financed by bonds is the curious-looking headquarters of the Iowa Utilities Commission. Financing of that project comes through fees charged to utilities regulated by the IUC. At the end of Fiscal Year 2025, the state still owed $4.2 million on the bond which will be paid off in Fiscal Year 2029. The state will pay nearly $900,000 on this bond in Fiscal Year 2026.

This week the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) issued a press release in which Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced that his state agency is encouraging Iowa corn growers to leverage the new Nitrogen Fertilizer Application Consultation Tool (N-FACT) to inform nutrient application decisions this growing season. The N-FACT tool takes multiple field-level production variables into account, then recommends an optimal nitrogen application rate to help farmers balance productivity, environmental stewardship and input costs. The Iowa Nitrogen Initiative, led by Iowa State University (ISU) will debut the N-FACT tool today at the Iowa Ag Expo.

The N-FACT tool leverages thousands of data points from hundreds of field trials conducted by ISU. Data inputs include field location, weather, residual soil nitrogen, estimated planting dates and input and commodity prices. Field trials were conducted in each region of the state, yielding more than 21,000 possible optimal nitrogen rate scenarios. The N-FACT tool is a free resource available to all Iowa farmers at n-fact.ag.

This week, the House Commerce Committee introduced House Study Bill 99, a bill to address harmful practices that Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) have put in place impacting Iowans and pharmacies. PBMs are the entity between health insurers and drug manufacturers, who process prescription medication claims on behalf of the insurer or employer.

This bill includes the following additional regulations of PBMs in Iowa:

• Prohibits a PBM or insurer from discriminating against a pharmacy if the pharmacy is acting within its license and all laws
• Prohibits the removal of pharmacy choice or imposing any monetary advantages or penalties that result in removing pharmacy choice (including unnecessary specialty drug designations and requiring use of mail order pharmacies)
• Prohibits additional cost-sharing on the insured based on where they choose to have their prescription filled
• Requires all rebates to benefit the insured
• Requires any amount paid by the insured for the prescription drug to be applied to their deductible
• Requires PBMs to reimburse pharmacies based on acquisition cost
• Prohibits spread pricing unless all cost differential is provided to the insured
• Requires pharmacies have an appeals process if not reimbursed at acquisition cost

In 2022, the legislature brought PBM oversight under the Iowa Insurance Division. The division will be releasing their investigation into Iowa’s PBMs this spring after 2.5 years of scrutiny.

These bills support Iowa’s pharmacies. 29 pharmacies closed in 2024, which is a 52% increase from 2024. More than 150 pharmacies have closed over the past decade, impacting Iowans access to care.

This week the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) awarded $93,846 in Certified Local Government (CLG) grants to historic preservation projects in Des Moines, Mount Pleasant, and Red Oak, as well as Benton, Louisa, Madison and Muscatine counties. Also, the city of Keokuk will receive a $13,460 grant to plan for future historic preservation. Funding for the selected CLG projects will be distributed in the form of matching grants.

The CLG program encourages governmental partnerships, provides training, and technical assistance and supports preservation of historic resources at the local level. Iowa’s CLG program is one of the largest in the nation and is administered by IEDA’s State Historic Preservation Office in conjunction with the National Park Service. Funding comes from the Historic Preservation Fund administered by the National Park Service.

The latest awards will support CLG projects that include:

• The nomination of two downtown districts — Earlham & Mount Pleasant — to the National Register of Historic Places, the official list of the nation’s historic places worthy of preservation.
• A plan for a comprehensive citywide historic survey in Des Moines.
• A survey of Red Oak’s historic East Hill district, which features many homes that were constructed for the city’s founders.
• Additionally, Keokuk received a Planning for Preservation grant, which aims to help Iowa communities establish a strong foundation for future historic preservation efforts in their community.

The 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress results released by the U.S. Department of Education show encouraging gains with Iowa in the top 10 of all states for eighth grade reading scores, as Iowa continues to invest in proven practices grounded in an evidence-based approach known as the “Science of Reading.”

Mathematics scores for both fourth and eighth graders decreased by 3 points and 2 points, respectively, while Iowa’s math rankings fell significantly to 30th and 23rd in the nation. The significant drop in Iowa’s latest mathematics rankings is in part driven by other states rebounding from their lower 2022 scores while Iowa ensured consistent access to in-person instruction throughout the 2020-21 and 2021-22 school years. However, Iowa’s mathematics results underscore the need for statewide investment in evidence-based mathematics instruction.

“As we continue to build upon Iowa’s comprehensive investments in evidence-based reading instruction, we celebrate the hard work of students, families, and educators that resulted in Iowa’s top 10 national ranking in eighth grade reading,” said Iowa Department of Education Director McKenzie Snow. “At the same time, Iowa’s concerning mathematics rankings underscore the critical need to support evidence-based mathematics instruction statewide, as proposed by Governor Reynolds and the Department in the Math Counts Act. Iowa’s students with disabilities and students who are English learners also experienced some of the largest achievement gaps in the nation. Together with educators and families, Iowa will continue to invest in instruction and interventions that empower all students to meet high expectations and realize their incredible potential.”

Commonly referred to as “The Nation’s Report Card,” the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is congressionally mandated to be administered every two years to students in grades 4 and 8 to measure achievement in reading and math. NAEP is the only nationally representative assessment allowing for comparison of student achievement across all 50 states using a robust sampling methodology.

National average scores for public school students across all tested grades and content areas show the nation as a whole has not returned to pre-pandemic achievement levels. Nationally, mathematics scores fell by 3 points for fourth grade and 9 points for eighth grade. National reading scores in both fourth and eighth grade fell 5 points from 2019 scores.

Iowa’s NAEP data demonstrate significant achievement gaps between overall student results and those of certain student groups. Reading and mathematics rankings comparing the achievement of Iowa’s students with disabilities to students with disabilities across the nation show Iowa has some of the largest achievement gaps nationwide. While Iowa ranked 10th in eighth grade reading, Iowa ranked 41st in the achievement of students with disabilities. NAEP achievement is also used in the U.S. Department of Education’s designations for state special education systems under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Rankings comparing the achievement of students who are English learners to students who are English learners across the nation also demonstrate significant achievement gaps. While Iowa ranked 23rd in eighth grade math, Iowa ranked 37th in the nation in the achievement of students who are English learners.

NAEP is overseen and administered by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) within the U.S. Department of Education and the Institute of Education Sciences. More information on the 2024 NAEP results is available on the Nation’s Report Card website at https://www.nationsreportcard.gov/.

This week, the Department of Health and Human Services presented on Iowa’s child welfare system to the House Health and Human Services Budget subcommittee. DHHS presented some important data that shows improvements in care for Iowa’s children through difficult times. Much of these improvements are based on the dedicated work of Iowa’s social workers and foster parents, and investments from the legislature into foster care rates, field worker training, and youth support initiatives.

The below charts show how the number of children in foster care has decreased over the years, how social workers are spending more time with Iowa’s kids removed from their home, how CINA cases for behavioral health needs are decreasing, and how overall caseloads are decreasing.

The House Judiciary Committee has begun work on multiple bills to protect children from obscene material both online and in person. These bills focus on the online world of pornography, AI created images, and strong penalties for those who prey on children.

House File 62 establishes liability for a commercial entity that publishes or distributes pornography on the internet, if a minor gets access to the material. The bill is not intended to target internet providers, instead it is focused on the websites and companies that produce and distribute the pornographic materials. As of now, 19 states have laws requiring some type of age verification before an individual can view a pornographic site. The language of the bill is being carefully evaluated and will be up for a vote in the Judiciary Committee in the next several weeks.

HF 62 tackles artificially created pornography. Under current law, pornography featuring someone under the age of 18 is already illegal. But what if the person portrayed wasn’t a real person? HF 62 makes it a crime to use AI to create a child and use that child in a pornographic way. This prevents pornographic companies from trying to avoid the law on child pornography by “creating” the image of a fake child and using the image in obscene ways.

Representatives are currenting working on the language of the bill to prevent loopholes as technology advances. HF 64 increases the penalties for individuals who knowingly share or display obscene material to minors, excluding parents or guardians. Currently this crime classified as a serious misdemeanor, the bill would increase the crime to a class “D” felony. A class “D” felony carries a potential prison sentence of up to five years and requires offenders to register as sex offenders for ten years.

Last week House Natural Resources Committee heard a presentation concerning Iowa’s deer herd that was prepared and funded by legislation enacted in 2022. That legislation asked for a report that determines the estimated deer population in each county in this state which should include historical population number and population trends along with historical records dating back to 1970 if available, The report was prepared by cooperation of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Iowa State University (ISU) Natural Resources Ecology and Management. While the report provided estimated county deer density in nonurban area/agland, it did not calculate the county deer population and excluded deer inhabiting urban areas.

The gist of the report is that deer density across much Iowa has stabilized to slightly declined in recent years as disease epidemics of Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) and chronic wasting disease (CWD) has gripped certain areas and enhance hunting pressure in other areas cut the deer reproducing herd. A copy of the full report can be accessed here.

In 2018, the Governor signed SF 481 to require local entities to follow federal immigration laws. Specifically, the law mandates law enforcement and others to comply with a written federal detainer request for an illegal immigrant in their custody.

The law was passed to protect Iowa communities by requiring local entities to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. A city, county, city attorney, county attorney, sheriff, or local police department cannot refuse to honor an ICE detainer request on a person in custody. Additionally, local entities cannot adopt or enforce a policy that would prohibit or discourage the enforcement of federal immigration laws. A law enforcement agency who has an illegal immigrant in custody for a crime, is required to hold the person for up to 48 hours for immigration enforcement agents to pick up.

Since President Trump’s inauguration and the significant shift in federal immigration enforcement, some local law enforcement officials (even in Iowa) have said they will not cooperate with immigration enforcement. In Iowa, and local entity who does not cooperate under SF 481 risks the loss of state funding. Law enforcement officers in Iowa are expected to enforce immigration law.

As President Trump continues to uphold his promises of enforcing our immigration laws, Iowa stands strong with him and law enforcement officials upholding our state and federal laws.

This week the State Government Committee unanimously reported two pieces of legislation to provide leave for new parents in the state of Iowa. House Study Bill 78 is a bill that provides state employees paid parental leave under the Federal Family and Medical Leave Act following the birth or adoption of a child. Birth mothers would be entitled to take up to four weeks paid leave the twelve months following birth and the parent who did not give birth is entitled to one week of paid leave the following twelve months. HSB 78 also provides state employees who place an adopted child in their home with four weeks of paid leave to provide time to acclimate and bond with the child. The leave provided by this legislation would not need to be used all at once and could be used partially spread out over the year to provide these state employees flexibility to create work/life balance.

Another bill that the committee unanimously approved this week provides adoptive parental leave protections for private employees. House File 26 directs employers to treat adoptive parents of children up to age six the same as birth parents according to their employee leave policies. Both bills will move to the full House of Representatives for consideration. These proposals provide additional support for Iowans who are planning to build or grow their family and create more flexibility for those Iowans to be at home with their children during crucial developmental stage.

Last week President Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Transportation, Sean Duffy, was confirmed by the US Senate.  His tenure running the nation’s transportation systems went from 0 to 100 in hours, as he led the administration’s response to the air traffic accident at Reagan National Airport in DC. But another action is likely to help millions of Americans reduce their future transportation costs.

During the previous administration, DOT’s main mission was to force Americans to give up gas-fueled vehicles and convert to using electric vehicles. One of the ways consumers were going to be compelled to do this was through fuel efficiency standards. These onerous standards were set on light-duty vehicles and medium-duty work trucks.

As Secretary Duffy wrote in a memorandum to the Department:
Artificially high fuel economy standards designed to meet non-statutory policy goals, such as those NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) has promulgated in recent years, impose large costs that render many new vehicle models unaffordable for the average American family and small business owner. They also put coercive pressure on automakers to phase out of production various models of popular ICE (internal-combustion engine) vehicles and reengineer their fleets in a way that reduces dramatically the power and durability of ICE models they are able to offer, thereby fundamentally distorting the market and destroying consumer choice at the dealership. In doing so, the existing standards will also inevitably kill thousands of jobs for America’s autoworkers- valuable jobs that Congress and the President mean to preserve.

The Secretary noted that the onerous fuel standards would force Americans to drive older, less safe cars.  This would likely increase the number of accidents and fatalities on roads. Secretary Duffy directed the NHTSA to immediately undergo a review of the fuel economy standards for all motor vehicles from the model year 2022 forward. Duffy also directed NHTSA to bring forward new standards to replace those that are found to not be following Trump administration policy.

While the full result will take some time to go into effect, Americans should soon see their options for new vehicles start to expand while prices start to decline as auto manufacturers get back to doing what they do best – making cars and trucks that Americans want to drive.

Recently, the Iowa House passed two bills to honor and improve the lives of our National Guard members.

House File 117 creates the National Guard Service Professional Qualification Scholarship Program. This scholarship would cover the cost of certain educational programs approved by the adjutant general and administered by a community college, regent university or private institution. This could include programs leading to certifications in cyber security, IT, emergency medical services or others relevant to their service in the National Guard.

House File 118 makes improvements to the National Guard Service Scholarship Program by allowing the amount to be calculated on the actual tuition costs and the financial aid received. This will improve efficiency in the distribution of funds and potentially free up dollars for more recipients.

Both of these bills passed the House unanimously and are now in the Iowa Senate.

Additionally, the House Veterans Committee recently passed House File 175. This bill opens in-state tuition at Iowa’s community colleges and regent universities to all veterans, their spouses, and their dependents. Veterans often do not have a single place of residency, and this bill helps support those veterans and their loved ones seeking an education and attracting high quality individuals to Iowa.

Tax time is here, and the Iowa Department of Revenue wants Iowans to know about the many resources available that can assist taxpayers with filing their tax return. The Department will begin processing individual income returns at the same time as the IRS on January 27. Iowa taxpayers are required to provide their federal return with their Iowa return. Iowa income tax returns are due on April 30.

Updated in July 2024, the Department website (revenue.iowa.gov) is a good starting point to find tax forms and answers to all kinds of tax questions. The Tax Guidance section has been improved to allow taxpayers and tax professionals the ability to easily search for tax guidance in a single location. The Expanded Instructions provides line by line details to help complete the IA 1040.

The Department is committed to helping Iowans understand and comply with their tax obligations. Last year, refund processing averaged 30 days or less throughout the tax season. The Kernel, GovConnectIowa’s virtual assistant is available 24/7, including holidays. The Kernel can answer general tax and licensing questions. For more details or to experience The Kernel, visit govconnect.iowa.gov.

Des Moines County:

• Greater Burlington Partnership Forum: Friday, February 21st from 8 – 9AM at the Greater Burlington Partnership in the Winegard Board Room.
• Greater Burlington Partnership Forum: Friday, March 21st from 8 – 9AM at the Greater Burlington Partnership in the Winegard Board Room.
• Greater Burlington Partnership Forum: Friday, April 18th from 8 – 9AM at the Greater Burlington Partnership in the Winegard Board Room.

Henry County:

• Mount Pleasant Area Chamber Alliance Forum: Saturday, February 22nd time and place TBD.
• Mount Pleasant Area Chamber Alliance Forum: Friday, March 14th time and place TBD.

Louisa County:

• Self Organized Forum: Saturday, March 1st from 11AM – 12PM at Wapello City Hall in the City Council Chambers.

Muscatine County:

• Self Organized Forum: Saturday, March 1st from 9 – 10AM at Wilton City Hall in the Community Room.

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