From the Desk of Senator Trone Garriott
As we begin Iowa’s 2023 legislative session, I am honored to return to the capitol and represent Senate District 14, which includes Waukee, Adel, Van Meter and the Dallas County portions of West Des Moines and Clive.
This session I’ll serve on the Commerce, Education, Natural Resources, and Rules & Administration committees and as the ranking member on the Health & Human Services Committee. I’ve also been elected as the Iowa Senate Democratic Whip.
It’s important to me that Iowans have a voice in their government. I am glad to hear from you via email, phone, or you can even stop by to visit the capitol during the session. If you are coming to visit, let me know ahead of time if possible. You can also reach me directly at Sarah.Trone.Garriott@legis.iowa.gov or 515-661-9679.
I also share a lot about the legislative process, give updates on legislation, and share behind the scenes moments on my social media.
Statehouse Republicans Ram Voucher Bill Through the Senate
Late this week, Senate Republicans introduced a school voucher bill to defund public education in Iowa and send hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars to private schools.
Vouchers are a terrible idea for Iowa, and this version is even worse than previous proposals. The new scheme offers an even larger amount that can be spent on a plethora of education related services and items (camps, lessons, equipment), not just tuition. It also opens vouchers up to existing private school students with no limits, no income caps.
SSB1022 was rushed into a public hearing on Thursday afternoon, with hundreds who joined online and in-person. This bill could come up for a vote in the Senate next week. The same bill is also quickly moving through the House. There will be a public hearing on the bill in the House on Tuesday January, 17th at 5pm in the old Supreme Court Chambers at the Iowa Capitol. The public can only speak if they are present in person. I’m deeply concerned that Republicans are rushing to pass this bill with as little public scrutiny and debate as possible. Please contact legislators to share your concerns, especially the members of the Senate Education and House Education Reform Committee (emails below). This bill was unpopular in the House among Republican legislators last year, and it still is. They need to hear from you.
Evidence shows voucher schemes like this actually hurt student achievement, and fail to provide parents with more options, since private schools can still pick and choose the students they accept. Vouchers represent an especially serious threat to rural school districts, where loss of state support will drive more consolidation and weaken our small towns. The program does not require public accountability or provide oversight for the tax dollars used.
Gov. Reynolds has already showed us the terrible cost vouchers will place on our schools. She says her voucher plan will divert $107 million from our public schools in its first year, but at the same time she’s proposing to increase K-12 funding by just $83 million. That means Iowa schools will lose $24 million in the first year of this scheme alone – and it’ll only get worse from there. We don’t yet have a fiscal impact statement for the third year when the vouchers are available to all 36,000 existing private school students.
Quick Updates
- This week, Governor Reynolds released her budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year. As a budget is developed throughout this session, I’ll be advocating for smart investments in services and programs like childcare that will benefit Iowa families the most.
- The last day to enroll in or change 2023 health coverage through the federal Marketplace is Sunday, Jan. 15. Under the American Rescue Plan, more people may qualify even if they weren’t in the past, and there may be more savings. To find local help, visit https://localhelp.healthcare.gov or call 800-318-2596.
- The Iowa Department of Human Rights’ Office on the Status of African-Americans will host its 34th annual celebration honoring the life and legacy of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at 10:45 a.m. on Monday, January 16. The event will be streamed on the Department of Human Rights’ Facebook page.
- Deer licenses for the excess tag January antlerless season went on sale Jan. 11 in counties with unsold county antlerless licenses, and will be available until quotas are filled. County-specific antlerless licenses quota information is available in real time at https://gooutdoorsiowa.com/RealTimeQuotas.aspx.
This Week in the Capitol
Watch video of the full Voucher Subcommittee meeting here:
