Capitol Comments

STAED TO HOLD LISTENING POSTS

I will be hosting listening posts Saturday, May 4th at two Hy-Vee locations in Cedar Rapids to gather input from local residents about legislation in the Iowa House.

HyVee in the food service area. at 9-10:00am
3235 Oakland Road NE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa

HyVee in the food service area. 10:30-11:30am
5050 Edgewood Road NE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa

HEALTHY IOWA PLAN PASSES HOUSE

On a slim 51-49 vote, the House approved an alternative health care plan offered by the Governor this week instead of Medicaid expansion. The close vote signaled deep concerns about the Governor’s plan because it costs more and covers less.

The Senate has offered a plan for Medicaid expansion and provides affordable health care to 150,000 Iowans who don’t currently have insurance through their employer. It would only be available to Iowans with annual incomes below 138% of the federal poverty level ($15,856 for a single person or $32,488 for a family of four).

The federal government would pay the full cost of the first three years and then pay at least 90% of all costs after that. The bill also includes an automatic opt-out of the expansion plan if the federal government does not keep its promise on funding.

The Governor’s plan would only cover 89,000 Iowans and it would cost Iowa taxpayers $163 million annually while also requiring more federal dollars compared to just expanding Medicaid. The Governor’s alternative also requires federal approval, which is uncertain at this time.

Last month, the Iowa House hosted a special public hearing on the issue and 87% supported Medicaid expansion compared to just 13% for the Governor’s plan. Testimony in support of Medicaid expansion included citizens of all ages, AARP, doctors, hospitals, and several other health care providers.

Lawmakers must take action this year because the current health care plan for low income working adults, called IowaCare, is set to expire in October. If no action is taken, 70,000 Iowans would lose their health care.

The bill is now likely headed to a bi-partisan conference committee to reach an agreement. Any compromise plan approved by the Legislature must also win federal approval.

SCHOOL FUNDING UNCERTAINTY CREATES PINK SLIPS FOR TEACHERS

Iowa schools have begun issuing pink slips to teachers this week because lawmakers still have not set school funding for the upcoming school year.

The school funding level, called allowable growth, was to be set during the 2012 legislative session but the Governor and House majority party refused to take action. After a year delay, the Governor insisted this year that school funding not be set until his education reform package is approved.

While the education reform plan is in a bipartisan conference committee trying to reach an agreement, schools needed to have their budgets completed by mid-April and had to assume no new dollars from the state, which led to the pink slips for teachers.

In 2012, the Iowa Senate passed funding for schools in a timely manner required by law for the upcoming school year. In February this year, the Iowa Senate again passed a plan for property tax relief and a 4% increase in school funding.

To meet the Governor’s demands, the House majority party added school funding to the House education reform package. Negotiations in the conference committee are making slow progress. As it stands now, schools would receive a 4% boost in state aid for the next two years but compromise has not been reached on the education reform pieces.

Earlier this year, a survey of local schools gave lawmakers feedback about the school funding law. Superintendents unanimously (99%) believe that education dollars would be used more effectively if the state returned to setting basic aid to education a year and a half in advance.

 

I started last Saturday morning off right- with a little exercise, supporting a terrific cause: the 6th Annual Autism Walk at Westdale Mall. Currently, the rate of autism is 1 in 88. To most Americans, 1 in 88 is a number. To the families of a child with autism, 1 in 88 has a face and a name. For more information: http://www.eciautismsociety.org/

 

Had a great visit with Monica Ryan-Rausch and Michelle Sunner, Austism Consultants with Grant Wood AEA. The Autism Core Team provides a variety of services to help support individuals in the autism spectrum, as well as the staff working with them. These services include: agency inservices, on-site inservices, team consultation, student observation, attending IEP meetings, functional analyses, and educating peers about autism. Another terrific resource for parents and teachers: http://www.aea10.k12.ia.us/divlearn/autism.html

 

Therapy dogs have been quite beneficial for special needs children. I watched this beautiful, patient collie receive a lot of hugs from little ones- and adults like me!

 

Frank Morosky had a table at the Mini Maker Faire at Lindale Mall last Saturday. His company, Flat-D Innovations, Inc., produces odor control products that feature a patented, activated charcoal cloth. He demonstrated laundry bags (even keeps your gym clothes fresh-smelling), and small deodorizer pouches that remove odors from shoes, boxing gloves, waste buckets. Clever invention!

 

Another Iowa company, JVA Mobility, had a presence at the Faire. Here Rehab Technology Specialist, Jim Lee, demonstrates how JVA makes a special wheelchair cushion specifically designed to fit your body. Lucille King and I were quite impressed with the comfort of the cushion and Jim’s expertise!

 

Maker Faire is a family-friendly showcase of invention, creativity and resourcefulness. It’s a place where people show what they are making, and share what they are learning. It’s free to attend the event and explore maker exhibits. If you missed this year, I hope it’s on your radar to attend in 2014 – or better yet, find out how you can get involved now! https://www.facebook.com/epicentercr

Kellie is explaining how math concepts influence many facets of our daily lives – even knitting!

 

 

(Above two photos) This drone was invented by Quad Cities Makerspace team, who also participated in the CR Makers Faire. Club President David Hinkle warned us to allow plenty of space for the prototype, as the drone is still learning to fly.

Fortunately, it was a successful demonstration, hovering in the air for a few moments before making a perfect landing. There was a video camera attached to the drone and viewers in the next room were able to see the action. Fascinating!

 

Last Sunday was Workers Memorial Day. Pictured at a ceremony to honor the 51 Iowans who died on the job in 2012 are Sergeant-at-Arms, Ron Dirks, and Randy Sconyers of the Sheet Metal Workers Local. I learned that it would take our 28 state workplace inspectors more than 90 years to visit and inspect all the workplaces in Iowa. April 28th was a day to remember those who suffered and died on the job and to renew the fight for safe workplaces – preventing injuries and saving lives.

 

At a meeting about minority impact studies on legislation and racial disparities in Iowa, I met with a revered colleague of mine, former State Representative, Wayne Ford. Data presented at the meeting shows that there are disparities in Iowa with student funding, diversity of teachers, special education, achievement gap, suspensions, drop outs, juvenile arrests, incarceration and imprisonment. Our discussion centered on this data and what actions we legislators could take to address these issues. Although there are many factors influencing this – including poverty, mental health, income and parental involvement – there are consistent system patterns that are also disturbing. We must focus on making changes that break these patterns and disparities, at every level.

 

(Above two photos) At the Annual Intercultural Friendship Reception hosted by the Turkish American Society of Iowa, I visited with Bilal Eksili, Vice President of the Turkish American Federation of the Midwest and Fatih Yildiz, Consul General. After an educational presentation, we enjoyed a delicious lunch of native Turkish foods (including stuffed grape leaves and baklava). The central theme from speakers, American and Turkish, was the importance of recognizing the similarities in our cultures while respecting our differences.

Here are some interesting facts:

• Santa Clause originated from Turkey in the Patara District.
• While many people associate Tulips with Holland, the flower was actually introduced to Holland by Turkish traders in the later stages of the 16th century.
• The largest producer and exporter of Hazelnuts in the world is Turkey.

And this piece of trivia is for my wife:

Turkish people introduced coffee to the European nations. It was first given to the Italian people by the ruling Ottoman Empire in the 1500s. From there it saw a rise in popularity and coffee houses were a familiar site in many European countries.

 

I had a few minutes to visit with Cedar Rapids Council Member, Justin Shields, and Cedar Rapids City Manager, Jeff Pomeranz. As a ranking member of Local Government, I appreciate one-on-one contact with the local officials in my community.

 

The Legislature is hearing the voices of the poor and hungry in Iowa. Several thousand of the 40,000 Iowans who are food insecure and receive food from food banks and soup kitchens wrote their stories on paper plates. The Iowa Food Bank Assoc, led by Director Cory Berkenes, came to the Capitol armed with these personal messages of needing help feeding themselves and their families. Representative Dan Kelley and I helped distribute these plates to the Governor and both Chambers. We offered another amendment to help fund the food banks. This amendment was sponsored by nearly all the members of the House Democrats.

Read More from the Iowa House

To read the rest of my Statehouse News at: http://iowahouse.org/StatehouseNews/5-3-13.html