From the Desk of Senator Donahue
Week 9 has come and gone as we round the corner into the second funnel week.
To date the SSA (supplemental state aid) for public schools has still not been set — and the Senate hasn’t even brought forth a bill. I have been told by the bill manager it will not be less than 3 percent, but our schools are dependent upon this funding formula to know what they have to work with for the coming school year. That’s just four months away.
In the meantime, we passed some bills this week — some good, some bad, some just unnecessary. Iowa has many issues that need to be addressed, but the legislature’s attention has been diverted to insignificant, inconsequential, insulting to public education, or culture war bills. I am disheartened at the lack of legislation that is helpful to the majority of Iowans.
That said, in the long run, Iowa is much safer with the Senate not moving many bills to the floor for debate. Keep your pressure up on the bad bills like AEA, and the guns in school bill that could come up next week prior to the end of the funnel.
The sooner we get the budgets in our hands and pass those, which is our only requirement as a legislative body, the sooner we sine die and prevent any more damage to Iowans with the legislation from the governor and her extreme GOP members.
Here are upcoming events I will be attending or hosting:
What’s Going on With AEAs?
The future of Iowa’s Area Education Agencies has been the talk of the legislative session so far in 2024. Gov. Reynolds and her Republican enablers in the House and Senate are pushing legislation that would slash AEA services and funding, threatening the whole system with instability and collapse.
They’re doing this despite the pleas of Iowa families, students, educators, and school districts, who love their AEAs and value the services and coordination they provide at the local level.
Here in the Senate, the latest Republican plan to slash the AEAs was scheduled for debate and a vote last Tuesday – until, suddenly, it wasn’t. Republican leaders pulled the bill from consideration, underscoring dissent among their members and proving that public pressure is working.
This battle is far from over, and we suspect Senate Republicans will bring this bill back up for debate. But, in the meantime, here are a couple things you can do to engage on this issue and help save our AEAs:
Learn More About Iowa AEAs
AEAs offer a range of important and essential services to families and school districts across Iowa, often providing access that wouldn’t otherwise be available in small school districts and rural communities.
Click here for a quick explainer on what AEAs do.
Tell Republican Senators to Vote No
Republicans are having a hard time ignoring Iowans’ support for AEAs. That’s why they pulled the bill this week. But we know this isn’t over, and we’ve got to keep up the pressure.
We expect Gov. Reynolds and Republican leaders to keep twisting arms to push these bad bills through. Lawmakers need to know Iowans won’t accept a bill that cuts critical educational services for our kids.
Email Republican senators and tell them to vote NO on Senate File 2386 and House File 2612.
Quick Updates
- Invest in Iowans with Disabilities. Iowa state Rep. Josh Turek, D-Council Bluffs, wrote an op-ed recently about the need for more robust state investment in disability services, and how current state practices are holding the disability community back.
- Nominate an outstanding teacher. The nominating period for the 2025 Iowa Teacher of Year is now open through April 1. Anyone is welcome to submit a nomination form to honor the outstanding teacher in their life. Nine semi-finalists representing teachers from all regions of the state will be selected and will interview in-person with educational leaders for the honor of being selected as Iowa’s 2025 Teacher of the Year.
- John Lewis Youth Leadership Award. The Iowa Secretary of State is calling for nominations for the John Lewis Youth Leadership Award, which recognizes Iowa residents 25 years and under for addressing civil rights issues and bringing about authentic change in their communities. Nominations close on March 15. Click here for more information.
- Trout stocking starts March 21. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources will release between 1,000 to 2,000 rainbow trout in lakes across Iowa in March and April as part of its cool weather trout program. Anglers need a valid fishing license and must pay the trout fee to fish for or possess trout. The daily limit is five trout per licensed angler with a possession limit of 10. Iowans 15 or younger can fish for trout with a properly licensed adult, but they must limit their catch to one daily limit. Click here for more information.
- 2022 Census of Agriculture. The USDA recently released the 2022 Census of Agriculture, spanning more than 6 million data points about America’s farms and ranches down to the county level. Click here for the full report and check out these highlights:
- There were 1.9 million farms and ranches (down 7% from 2017) with an average size of 463 acres (up 5%) on 880 million acres of farmland (down 2%). That’s 39% of all U.S. land.
- Family-owned and operated farms accounted for 95% of all U.S. farms and operated 84% of land in farms.
- U.S. farms and ranches produced $543 billion in agricultural products, up from $389 billion in 2017. With farm production expenses of $424 billion, U.S. farms had net cash income of $152 billion. Average farm income rose to $79,790. A total of 43% of farms had positive net cash farm income in 2022.
- The number of producers under age 35 was 296,480, comprising 9% of all producers.
- In 2022, 1.2 million female producers accounted for 36% of all producers.
- Ag award finalist. Barb Lemmer of the Linn-Mar Community School District is a finalist for the 2023-24 Golden Owl Award, which recognizes outstanding work in agriculture education and promotes the importance of the field. This year, a record number of 468 nominations were submitted for exceptional agriculture educators in secondary and postsecondary education. The grand prize winner will be named at the annual Iowa FFA Convention in April.
This Week in the Capitol
