STATE GOVERNMENT-Week of January 30

SSB 3015 – Office of Citizens’ Aide

SSB 3016 – State’s Social Security Administrator

SSB 3019 – Out-of-State Certified Public Accounting Firms

SSB 3057 – Optometrists

COMMITTEE ACTION:

SSB 3015 changes the name “Citizens’ Aide” to “Ombudsman” throughout the Code of Iowa. The office was established in 1972 and has become commonly known by and referred to as the “Ombudsman” by Iowa citizens, government officials and the media. [2/1: short form]

SSB 3016 states that the actual costs incurred by the state agency (IPERS) as the state’s Social Security Administrator shall be paid as an expense authorized by the Executive Council. Costs for this section shall not exceed $20,000 per fiscal year. [2/1: short form]

SSB 3019 exempts review services performed by out-of-state certified public accounting (CPA) firms from permit to practice requirements. Review services are required to be provided through a CPA firm that is validly licensed in its state of principal place of business and subjects the performance of such services to ownership and peer review provisions. This brings Iowa in line with 44 other states. [2/1: short form]

SSB 3057 requires all optometrists in Iowa to have demonstrated qualifications and obtained certification to use diagnostic and therapeutic pharmaceutical agents as a condition of license renewal. Under current law, only an optometrist who has been therapeutically certified by the Board of Optometry can employ all diagnostic and therapeutic pharmaceutical agents for the purpose of diagnosis and treatment of conditions of the human eye and adnexa. SSB 3057 eliminates the requirements for special certification. [2/1: short form]