From the Desk of Senator Petersen
Wanting A Win for Iowans, Not Culture-War Bills
It was a breath of fresh air to see so many Iowans at the statehouse last Sunday afternoon to rally against the mean-spirited, nationally-driven culture-war agenda that Governor Reynolds and Statehouse Republicans are pushing this year.
I’m grateful that Mother Nature sent our state another mid-week blizzard. Not because I like snow in March, but because Republicans cancelled meetings and debate to beat it home before the weather. Unfortunately, before they fled town, they loaded up the debate schedule with some really damaging bills and locked arms to pass them. Here are just a few of the bills Senate Republicans passed on Tuesday:
SF 482 – Bathroom bans in schools
- Prohibits persons from entering single and multiple occupancy restroom facilities in elementary and secondary schools that do not correspond with the person’s biological sex.
SF 514 – Gov. Reynolds’ government reorganization
- Republicans rubber-stamped Gov. Reynolds’ government reorganization scheme. Her 1,600-page plan hoards power in the Governor’s office, throws checks and balances out the window, and gives her and her cronies more control over your state government.
SF 538 – Banning gender-affirming care for minors
- The bill bans gender care for persons under age 18, and threatens physicians with civil penalties more severe than civil penalties for child rapists and child pornographers.
SF 391 – School “FLEXIBILITY” Bill
The bill is the consequence of years of under-investment and failure to support public education. It lowers standards for educators and students alike. Among its provisions:
- Allows an unlicensed city librarian to be a school librarian (who currently must be a licensed teacher).
- Eliminates education on AIDS
- Eliminates requirements for teaching technology literacy.
- Reduces world (foreign) language and fine arts requirements, meaning students are going to have to pay for 2 years of world language to graduate college, if their high school now only has to offer the first two years of a foreign language.
- Ends financial literacy requirement for graduation.
- No longer requires a good-faith effort to hire a licensed teacher for low-enrollment classes
If you’d like to watch the debate on any of the bills listed above + many more, click here.
Which Bills Survived Funnel Week?
This not a comprehensive list, but it highlights where several bills stand post funnel week:
The Statehouse Republican Agenda: These bad bills could still become law
- Roll back child labor laws, allow minors to serve alcohol (HF 647/SF 542)
- Reduce unemployment benefits for some Iowans with larger families (SF 481)
- Add new red tape and roadblocks to food assistance for hungry families (HF 613/SF 494)
- Dictate a government-mandated price on human life for Iowans injured in trucking accidents (HF 201/SF 228)
- Ban books in public schools (SF 496) (HF 597)
- Ban school instruction on AIDS/HIV and HPV vaccine (SF 496)
- Write LGBTQ+ Iowans and families out of history and public schools (HF 348/SF 496)
- Ban healthcare for LGBTQ+ kids (SF 538/HF 623)
- Allow healthcare providers to discriminate based on religious beliefs (SF 297)
- Consolidate Governor’s power and eliminate workplace, retirement protections for workers (SF 514/HSB 126)
Senate Democrats’ Vision: GOP rejects bills for stronger families and a stronger economy
- Paid family leave (SF 95)
- Expanded postpartum medical care (SF 56)
- Protections and accommodations for pregnant workers and adoptive parents (SF 435)
- Equal pay for equal work (SF 396)
- Protections against wage theft (SF 122)
- Double Iowa’s earned income tax credit (SF 459)
- Affordable, accessible childcare and preschool (SF 62 and SF 310)
- Free school breakfast and lunch (SF 303)
- $267 million investment in public schools to reduce class sizes and increase student mental health services
Quick Updates
- Did you move recently? The annual National Change of Address process to update Iowa’s voter registration records is underway. Notices are being mailed to 90,948 registered voters in Iowa who filed a change of address with the U.S. Postal Service during the past 12 months. Voters who receive these cards should follow the instructions on the return postcard to verify or correct their voting address, sign and return it to their county auditor’s office as soon as possible. Postage is prepaid.
- UI, UNI and ISU are economic engines. Iowa’s three public universities added $15 billion in income to the state of Iowa economy during fiscal year 2021-2022, according to an economic impact study. Public university activity supports one out of 10 jobs in Iowa, and returns nearly three dollars for every taxpayer dollar spent.
- An Iowa degree pays. Iowa’s public universities also rank 3rd in the nation the amount a student can expect to gain financially from their degree. Read the full study from the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity.
- Child labor on the rise. Since 2018, the U.S. Department of Labor has seen a 69% increase in children being employed illegally by companies. Senate File 542, the Republican bill allowing children to work in dangerous and hazardous jobs, will only cause more violations in Iowa. That’s why Senate Democrats in the Senate Workforce committee unanimously opposed the bill.
- Celebrate Women’s History Month: You can learn about groundbreaking women through virtual online exhibits, documents, and video clips offered by organizations such as the National Women’s History Museum. The museum covers a variety of topics related to women’s history, including the women of NASA, women in social justice, women in STEM, women’s involvement in wars, first ladies and more.
- Become an Outdoorswoman. Register now for the Becoming an Outdoors-Woman (BOW) workshop at Camp Io-Dis-E-Ca, near Solon April 21-23. In partnership with Johnson County Conservation, the workshop courses include boater education, driving and trailer backing, shotgun shooting, turkey hunting and a mentored turkey hunt, bow fishing, canning and preserving, fly fishing, Dutch oven cooking, kayaking, foraging, basket weaving. The workshop is $280 (shared bunk lodging) before April 3, and $320 (no lodging) beginning April 3 and includes program materials, equipment, lodging and meals. Register at www.iowadnr.gov/bow.
- No restitution to offenders. A bill moving through the legislature this year gives judges discretion when ordering restitution in cases where the victim committed offenses against the defendant. The bill fixes a quirk in Iowa law that made national headlines after it forced a survivor of human trafficking to pay restitution to the rapist. We can all agree victims shouldn’t have to pay restitution to their abusers – this bill ensures the law says so, too.
- Still time to order seedlings. The Iowa DNR’s State Forest Nursery offers spring delivery in April and May for nearly 40 varieties of hardwood, conifer and shrub seedlings, with options for shipping or pickup at the nursery in Ames. Prices range from $.70 to $1.20 per seedling. Seedlings can be ordered through May 30. For more information visit the online store at http://nursery.iowadnr.gov/ or call 1-800-865-2477.
This Week in the Capitol
Thank you to everyone who visited the statehouse this week to advocate for important causes. Here are just a few pictures:
