Chambers to focus on floor debate
With the passage of the first legislative deadline, the Iowa Catholic Conference turns its attention to priority items that are now eligible for debate on the floor, including:
Human smuggling bill – oppose
Burdensome changes to Medicaid/SNAP – oppose
Protect conscience rights for medical professionals and for foster/adoptive parents – support
Access to preschool by community providers – support
Addressing the black market in abortion pills - support
Reducing term of probation for those who are working or in an educational program – support
We’re also pleased to see HF 248 on today’s (Monday) debate calendar in the House. The bill requires employers to treat adoptive parents of a child the same as biological parents, up to age six.
Please look at our alerts in the ICC Action Center. We make it easy for you to contact your legislator.
Last week’s action at the State Capitol
Some good news:
HF 878, a bill to limit “payday lending” interest rates to 36%, passed out of the House Commerce Committee last week shortly after its introduction.
A “work without worry” bill, HSB 241, establishes a program to allow those who have disabilities and Medicaid coverage to work without losing health care coverage. The bill passed the House Health and Human Services Committee.
The HHS committee also advanced HF 807, which would require HHS to create a list of perinatal hospices and encourage medical professionals to inform the family that perinatal hospice services are available.
Unfortunately, bills creating additional work requirements for Medicaid and SNAP, HSB 248 and SF 363, passed a committee in both chambers. The bills also provide that if the federal government does not allow the new requirements, the Medicaid expansion program for 180,000 Iowans would end.
On a related matter, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Catholic Health Association and Catholic Charities USA have written a letter to Congress urging the protecting and strengthening of the Medicaid program, saying that “policies like work reporting requirements have shown clear evidence of creating artificial barriers to care, generating paper work and bureaucracy while doing little to support people looking for work. These requirements also fail to recognize that most people on Medicaid already work and ignore the realities of low-wage work, caregiving responsibilities, and health limitations, and studies have shown they frequently result in loss of coverage for eligible individuals, including children.”
Many bills died on last Friday’s deadline:
HSB 187 was dropped from the House Judiciary Committee agenda. The bill would have required all local law enforcement agencies to sign agreements with ICE.
SF 320, a bill to bring the death penalty back to Iowa
SSB 1195 and HSB 286, creating a state crime of unauthorized sleeping, camping or long-term shelter on public property
SJR 6, a bill proposing a constitutional amendment to repeal the Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund, did not come up for a vote in the Senate State Government Committee. We were wrong last week when we said it was “funnel-proof,” although since it relates to taxes, it could come back as a Ways and Means bill.
Education Celebration
Several nonpublic schools brought students and parents for tours at the State Capitol last Thursday for the “Education Celebration.” Thanks for Sen. Jesse Green of Boone and Rep. Bill Gustoff of Altoona for speaking at the event.
The Common Sense Institute released a report on how Education Savings Accounts are working in the state. The group says in its first two years the program has increased the number of Iowa K-12 students who have access to the school of their choice.
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