It is officially Week 11! These weeks are flying by and if you don’t keep your eyes out for the bills being passed, you will miss the bills that will directly affect you. It is important that you remain educated on which bills are being passed or not on the House floor. You can do this by visiting the Iowa Legislature website and viewing the floor action taken on both the House and Senate floor. It provides links to each bill being debated on a daily basis and helps you to know what bills will be debated on and when. You can even look ahead by clicking on the “Tentative House Debate Calendar” to see when bills will be debated in the future. Feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions regarding bill tracking or the Iowa Legislature website!
During debate Thursday, HF 851 regarding changes to nutrition within schools, was brought to the floor. From the outside, this bill seems great, but in reality, it does nothing to help Iowa’s children. While the idea of instructing children on nutrition and helping to improve their food is a great idea, it should not be a higher priority than feeding the hungry children of Iowa. A lot of students within these schools can’t even afford to eat a school lunch in the first place, let alone consider its nutritional value. I had a chance to bring this up when I spoke on the floor. I am passionate about feeding Iowa! That’s why we need to stand up against bills like this that make it even harder for students to leave with full stomachs.\
Debate today, will include a bill that will directly impact the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP). One of the major issues is the work requirement to receive Snap benefits. This requirement will delay SNAP benefits because of the increased administrative burden and therefore leave children hungry. The second major issue is the limits on the variety of food options available to those receiving benefits. When you restrict the type of food individuals can buy, you make it even harder for kids and families to get food in the first place. The language doesn’t leave room for religious or medical dietary requirements, it is unclear what is defined as “healthy,” and will leave 2/3s of a grocery store ineligible to be purchased through SNAP. The majority party is prioritizing the wrong things. Iowa needs to be healthier, I agree with that, but not at the expense of families.
In the newsletter, you will find topics that are important to Iowans. Please share your comments.
Supporting Iowa’s Working Families
Increased Wages & Worker Rights
Affordable Childcare
Access to Housing
School Funding Remains Undecided
Capitol and Community Updates
Going forward, I will be listening and working closely with local leaders and community members to ensure the state is partnering with those in our community who need help and assistance. I’m available by email, phone, and social media, to answer questions and listen to your concerns. You can always reach me by email or call me at home at 319-266-9021. We can also stay connected through social media, including Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. I appreciate hearing from you and I thank you for your continued support.
Thank you for taking the time to read the Statehouse News. Please keep in touch!
Iowa families continue to face challenges such as inadequate wages, unaffordable childcare, health care costs, and inaccessibility to housing. Families should not be forced to choose between earning a livelihood and caring for their children or loved ones.
House Democrats have introduced dozens of proposals to invest in working families, legislation that not only supports individual households but also strengthens the broader economy.
Increased Wages & Worker Rights
Raising the minimum wage is a crucial step toward improving the economic stability of many Iowa workers. Higher wages help workers with basic needs like food, housing, healthcare, and transportation without relying on government assistance or falling deeper into debt. Other bills to protect workers include expanding rights and benefits for workers hurt on the job and restoring collective bargaining for public employees.
Affordable Childcare
House Democrats introduced a legislative package to make childcare more affordable and accessible. With so many families struggling to find quality childcare and monthly costs topping $800 per month or more, it’s a crisis we can’t afford to ignore any longer.
Currently, Iowa is short 163,000 childcare slots. Improving access to affordable childcare is essential for supporting working families, strengthening our economy, and ensuring every child has the opportunity to thrive.
Access to Housing
House Democrats also introduced a legislative package that would help Iowans access more affordable housing and lower costs. While Iowa has long ranked highly among other states in housing affordability, weak supply has contributed to making Iowans’ housing more costly. Nearly 40% of Iowa renters and 16% of Iowa homeowners spend more than 30% of their income on housing. According to the Iowa Finance Authority, Iowa needs an additional 25,000 homes by 2030 to keep up with demand and a quarter of Iowa households struggle to pay for housing.
Iowa House Democrats’ legislative proposals have been referred to various House Committees but are prevented from being raised for full consideration by Republican lawmakers.
School Funding Remains Undecided
We’re now 11 weeks into the legislative session, and majority party lawmakers still haven’t finalized funding for our public schools for the next school year.
Despite passing two different versions of a school funding bill, Iowa House and Senate GOP leaders remain at odds. Senate Republicans are pushing for a 2% increase, while House Republicans are slightly higher at 2.25%. Meanwhile, Democrats in both chambers have proposed a modest 5% increase in school funding.
Schools need stable budgets to plan for the upcoming year, but troubling signs are already emerging. Waterloo recently announced $10 million in budget cuts, resulting in 60 staff positions being eliminated. Cedar Rapids is grappling with a $12 million deficit due to insufficient state funding and is cutting 6% of its workforce. In Dubuque, an elementary school is closing, all while property taxes continue to rise due to low funding from previous years.
Looking ahead, private school vouchers pose the biggest threat to quality public education. With the income cap set to be lifted next year, projections show over $1 billion will shift from public to private schools in just four years. It’s staggering, especially since two-thirds of the vouchers benefit students already attending private schools.
To make matters worse, private schools plan to raise tuition again next year. Catholic schools announced a 10% tuition hike, and more increases are expected. A study last year found that kindergarten tuition at private schools had already jumped by over 21%. This proves that vouchers were never about making private schools more affordable—they’re simply a way to funnel public money to private institutions.
Iowa public schools were once the best in the nation, and they’ve always been a source of pride for the state. However, after a decade of low funding and the shift of public money to vouchers, we need to make our public schools a priority once more.
Capitol and Community Updates
PROHIBITING LEARNING OR CELEBRATING DIVERSITY: Iowa has a deep-rooted tradition of embracing diversity and advancing progress. Iowa Republican lawmakers are trying to dismantle that by censoring universities and prohibiting learning about race and gender. House Democrats will always fight to protect and celebrate our history, diversity, and culture.
PUBLIC LIBRARIES UNDER ATTACK: A new bill makes librarians subject to a serious misdemeanor, punishable by a fine and up to one year in jail if a child checks out a book that a parent considers inappropriate. We stand with our librarians and the right to access information. Sign the petition to show your support for our public libraries.
BUDGET TROUBLE HITS IOWA: Reckless tax breaks for millionaires and corporations are draining resources from public schools and driving up costs and property taxes for Iowa families. Iowa Republican lawmakers are overspending, putting the state’s finances at risk. With revenue projections showing Iowa will bring in about $400 million less next year than it spent this year, lawmakers will need to dip into the state’s savings to cover part of the budget in the upcoming fiscal year.
FEDERAL CUTS IMPACT LOCAL FOOD AND FARMERS: The Trump Administration has cut $11.3 million in federal funding that provides thousands of Iowa children with locally produced meat, dairy, fruits, and vegetables at schools, daycares, and food banks across the state.
CELL PHONE BAN IN SCHOOLS: The Iowa House has approved a ban on cell phone use during school instructional time, aiming to minimize distractions and help students stay focused in the classroom. However, opponents of the bill argue that school safety should be prioritized before restricting cell phone access.
SUPPORT IOWA WORKERS & AMERICAN STEEL: While Iowa Republican lawmakers approved a bill making it easier for out-of-state workers to enter Iowa and drive down wages, Democrats took a stand by voting to prioritize American steel and supporting Iowa workers.
PAID LEAVE FOR STATE WORKERS PASSES HOUSE: New parents will now be granted four weeks of paid leave for state employees under a new bill in the Iowa House. Despite some Republican opposition, a parent who gives birth would be entitled to four weeks of paid leave. A parent who did not give birth would be entitled to one week. Parents who adopt a child will now be entitled to four weeks of paid leave.
EXPANDING SERVICES FOR CHILDREN WITH AUTISM: Children under the Hawki program will be able to get services for autism under a bill that passed the Iowa House.
HOUSE ALLOWS SUPPLEMENTS, LIGHT THERAPY & PROTEIN TO STUDENTS WITHOUT PARENTAL APPROVAL: On a party-line vote, the Iowa House has allowed schools, without parent permission, to provide vitamins and other “supports” to students in a therapeutic classroom. Other “supports” included providing protein foods such as eggs, beef, and bacon and exposing kids to full spectrum light therapy.
NEW PROTECTIONS FROM GIFT CARD FRAUD: Additional protections from theft, forgery, or fraud involving gift cards could become law soon. The bill targets fraudsters who steal gift card information or tamper with gift cards. Penalties can range up to a felony offense that can include up to 10 years in prison, depending on how much is taken.
OPEN CONTAINER CHARGES ON THC BEVERAGES: Drivers will soon be prohibited from having open THC-infused beverages in their vehicles. Under a bill awaiting the Governor’s signature, open THC drinks will be treated the same as open alcoholic containers. If signed into law, drivers caught with an open THC beverage in the car will face the same penalties as those found with open alcohol.
We’re now 11 weeks into the legislative session, and majority party lawmakers still haven’t finalized funding for our public schools for the next school year.
