Capitol Comments

School Funding & Educational Reform Signed into Law

Iowa schools will receive a significant boost in state funding, after agreement on education reform:

Schools will get a 2% increase in funding plus $57.1 million in one-time funding for a total of $133 million for the upcoming school year, and a 4%, or $128 million increase, for the next school year. The state will also pick up the total increase in school funding for the next two years, which means school funding will not raise local property taxes.

The Legislature also continued the state’s class size reduction plan for another five years. This will help keep class sizes smaller in kindergarten through third-grade classrooms.

The bi-partisan agreement also increases a teacher’s minimum salary to $33,500, with pathways for multiple teacher leadership rolls, and increased support for new teachers. Districts can choose from three teacher leadership pathway models that are funded at $311 per pupil.

Additionally:

• An Iowa Learning On-line initiative includes professional development for teachers’ usage and will also provide services to 2,500 students.
• There is $10 million provided for improving achievement at “high needs” schools.
• A new council on educator development will make recommendations regarding teacher and administrator evaluations.
• Districts may count a school year as 180 days or 1,080 hours.
• Competency-based education will support 10 districts at $425,000 for three years to develop competencies, assessments, and professional development.
• An extended-learning-time pilot program will develop a model for improving student achievement.
• There are significant changes to Iowa’s homeschooling laws.

Iowa Legislature Agrees to Medicaid Expansion Compromise and the Governor Signs it into Law

This week, Governor Branstad signed the Health and Wellness plan passed by the Legislature. Many thought we could not reach a compromise on a health care plan. But in the final days of the 2013 Legislative session, the House and Senate came to a compromise agreement on Medicaid expansion with passage of the Iowa Health and Wellness Plan. The bottom line is that 150,000 more Iowans will now have access to better health care as a result. Its implementation is now pending until final approval from the federal Department of Health and Human Services.

The compromise includes two major components:

(1) Iowans between 0%-100% Federal Poverty Level (FPL) will be eligible for coverage through Medicaid with comprehensive health services equivalent to the State Employee Health Benefit Package. This utilizes the same provider network as Iowa’s current Medicaid program.

(2) Iowans between 101%-138% FPL will be able to access coverage through a qualified health plan offered on the new Health Insurance Marketplace (Affordable Care Act health exchanges). Premiums will be paid by Iowa Medicaid Enterprise http://www.ime.state.ia.us/IowaCare/ (IME) with Medicaid expansion dollars. During the first year of enrollment the premiums will be waived. In subsequent years, premiums will be waived if enrollees complete specified preventive services and/or wellness activities.

This summer, fall and winter, Iowa’s health care providers, including hospitals and health centers, will have a critical role in educating Iowans about new health care coverage opportunities made available through the Iowa Health and Wellness Plan http://coolice.legis.iowa.gov/Cool-ICE/default.asp?Category=billinfo&ga=85&Service=BillBook&hbill=CCS446 and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-111hr3590enr/pdf/BILLS-111hr3590enr.pdf .

Support from the federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) http://www.hrsa.gov/index.html will enable health care providers to hire additional staff members – staff who will focus on reaching out to existing uninsured Iowans. New enrollees will be provided with information on coverage opportunities soon available through the Iowa Health and Wellness Plan and the Health Insurance Marketplace (the “exchange”), and will receive support in choosing and enrolling in a plan that best fits their needs. With the expiration of the IowaCare program on December 31 of this year, ensuring that these individuals have completed an appropriate transition to the new coverage is vital.

Iowa health care providers, including hospitals, and health centers’ outreach and enrollment staff, along with enrollment assisters (including state and federally-funded navigators), and the Iowa Medicaid Enterprise staff will all be working to ensure that these efforts are coordinated and that patients have appropriate coverage in place by January 1, 2014.

This is a monumental task – one that has the capacity to improve the health of more than 150,000 Iowans.

State Expects Record Surplus

Iowa has less than a month left in fiscal year 2013, which ends on June 30th, but preliminary indications are that it will be another banner year in revenue growth.

The Legislature based its budget on estimates from a group of non-partisan budget experts, the Revenue Estimating Conference (REC), which projected 5.2% growth for the next fiscal year. Through the end of May, net revenues are up 9.7%, making it likely the state will end up with more revenues than has been estimated.

Currently, the Legislature anticipates the state will collect $6.526 million in net revenues this year, which is an increase of $323.8 million over last year. If state revenues are able to maintain the current 9.7% growth rate, revenues would increase by $601.6 million and leave the state with a $924 million surplus and an additional $622 million in reserve funds.

Line Item Vetoes

Thursday, Governor Branstad slashed more than $130 million in spending from the state’s budget at a time when the state has a record surplus (even after the largest tax cuts in Iowa’s history) and with predictions that next year we will surpass the current surpluses. And, despite our hard-won legislative victories on a bipartisan basis to improve funding and services for mental health and disabilities, shore up statewide pensions, and improve our infrastructure, Governor Branstad has, with the slash-mark of a pen, thwarted many of these bipartisan efforts.

This is not a partisan rant. We worked thoughtfully throughout the legislative session on these efforts (Republicans and Democrats) so I am painfully surprised to see many of these vetoed, unexpectedly.

Thursday’s Flurry of Line-Item Vetoes include:

From HF 648

• $91.3 million for the Peace Officer’s Retirement Fund, the primary pension plan for the Iowa State Patrol and other state law enforcement officials.
• $18.9 million for the Judicial Retirement Fund.
• $13 million to the Department of Human Services for the Mental Health Risk Pool to counties.
• $3 million to the University of Iowa – Pharmacy Building Renovation.
• $2.5 million to Iowa State University – Biosciences Building.
• $1.5 million to University of Northern Iowa – Schindler Education Center Renovation.
• $1 million to community colleges for maintenance funding.

From HF 452 

• The earmark of $11.7 million of federal block grant funds to the Department of Human Services to assist counties with the state payment program remittances.

From HF 638 

• $1.8 million designated for the relocation cost of employees at the Wallace Building, who need to be relocated for the renovations to the building. (Also vetoes the $800,000 for the same purpose that was coming from reversion funds from a previous appropriation.)
• $1 million to the Economic Development Authority for the River Enhancement Community Attraction and Tourism program.

From SF 446 

• $8.7 million allocated for buying down the waiting list for medical assistance home and community based services waivers.

Good News. Despite vetoes in previous years, the Governor did NOT veto these bipartisan efforts:

• The Earned Income Tax credit increase for low-income, working Iowans
• $1 million matching funds to Iowa Food Banks to help feed the hungry in Iowa

Upcoming Events

Freedom Festival, June 20 through July 4 – The annual Cedar Rapids Freedom Festival will run from June 20 through July 4. A complete list of events is available at www.freedomfestival.com.

Linn County Fair, June 26 through July 1 – The Linn County Fair has been moved up to June this year to be part of the Freedom Festival. Be sure to check out Senator Rob Hogg’s daughter’s entry in the poultry competition. For a complete calendar of events, visit www.thelinncountyfair.com.

Photos

iExploreSTEM Festival: Fun, hands-on activities at this family-friendly event held at McKinley Middle School:

 

Project Assistant at the U of I Hygienic Lab, Rick Bonar, spoke with me about the exciting work being done at the lab with protecting the public health and preventing the spread of disease. He also thanked me and my legislative colleagues for funding this important research. I look forward to touring their facility.

 

Megan Mekoki, Environmental Public Health Fellow at U of I, is showing youngsters (including Lucille King) how to extract DNA from a strawberry!

 

The new African American Museum Executive Director, Michael Kates, shared displays of African American inventors and their contributions to Science, Technology and Engineering. We are blessed to have this Iowa museum here in CR!

 

Kirkwood Community College’s Dean of Health Occupations, Michael McLaughlin, introduced this patient simulator to me. The simulator is eerily life-like and is used to train health sciences students at the college. During my conversation with Michael, the simulator experienced breathing loss, and we attempted to revive and resuscitate the patient. Thankfully, some students were there to guide me. Happy to report the patient survived. Whew!

 

Jim Schroeder with U of I Dept of Physics is explaining the light spectrum used to distinguish specific gases. Examples here were Neon, Helium, Hydrogen and Mercury. With the 3D glasses, it was fun to see the unique spectrum of each gas. Plus, those glasses are cool!

 

A fun series of Science demonstrations by the U of I Physics and Astronomy Dept had the crowd enthralled. Watching the ping pong ball shoot through three pop cans merely by quickly reducing the vacuum in a tube, was truly awesome. I’m guessing a lot of young people who got a “peek” at these experiments, had their interest in Science “piqued” and “peaked”!

 

Two beautiful women at the iExplore STEM Festival: Mrs. Iowa International, LaSheila Yates, and Mrs. Staed, Susan Staed. : )

 

Senator Jack Hatch hosted a MH/DD Redesign Meeting with local providers. This was an update and discussion of progress made in the 2012 and 2013 legislative sessions. We listened to provider concerns and how they might be addressed in the… next legislative session. Topics included: regionalization, core services, case management, funding, the “risk pool”, flexibility, transportation, insurance exchanges and the new Iowa Health Care plan. with Bob Hebl, Delaine Petersen, Dale Todd, Jean Bjorseth, Darlene Schmidt, Dan Strellner, Kent Jackson, Shirley Harris, Mechelle Dhondt, Barb Gay and Sen. Jack Hatch.

 

At the 30th Annual Governor’s Volunteer Awards at Linn Mar High School in Marion. Iowa is #3 nationally for volunteerism and a large number of these volunteers were recognized today. My mother-in-law, Lucille King, and her church, Christ Church Presbyterian, were recipients for their volunteer service with Cleveland Elementary School. I enjoyed visiting with my friend Tammy Wawro, ISEA President who is also a board member for the Iowa Commission on Volunteer Service. After the ceremony, Representative Daniel Lundby and I congratulated emcee Marcia Hughes who did a fantastic job hosting the ceremony. Now I know who to have host MY next event..

 

Kudos to the Cedar Rapids Civil Rights Commission! This is an impressive group of community activists and volunteers. We enjoyed a community potluck dinner (we each brought dishes that were culturally significant to us) and the monthly meeting at the African American Museum last evening.

The Civil Rights Commission is an Administrative Law Agency which exists to:

* Provide education and outreach to the community on civil rights and fair housing

* Receive citizen inquiries alleging discrimination

* Determine jurisdiction under federal/state/local civil rights laws

You can read and review the 2012 Annual Report at

http://www.cedar-rapids.org/government/departments/civil-rights/Documents/CRCRC%202012%20Annual%20Report.pdf

 

I attended the property tax relief bill signing with Gov. Branstad and more than 20 legislative colleagues at Hawkeye Ready-Mix Concrete in Hiawatha. While I don’t favor every piece of this bill, I’m very pleased and supportive of its major components.

 

I accompanied the Director of Cultural Affairs, Mary Cownie, today as she toured numerous buildings in Cedar Rapids that have received Iowa historic rehabilitation tax credits. First stop was the beautiful Paramount Theater where we got to go behind-the-scenes, (literally!) to tour the stage, dressing rooms & new additions. Shown here with Mary are: Assistant to the City Manager, Angie Charipar; Paramount General Manager, Jason Anderson; Assistant Director of Brucemore, Maura Pilcher.

Although I had just visited the National Czech & Slovak Museum with out of town family members earlier in the day (and my Czech Brother-in-Law), it was terrific to stop back with Mary Cownie and receive a special tour led by the museum’s President, Gail Naughton, and the VP for Development, Jason Wright.

If you haven’t been inside these two amazing community assets lately, put them on your to-do list! Cedar Rapids has some of the finest cultural venues in the state!

 

This year’s Session is over and I’m back in Cedar Rapids. I’m again meeting with voters door-to-door and listening to ideas and concerns. Hope to see you in the neighborhood soon!

Read More from the Iowa House

To read the rest of my Statehouse News go to: http://iowahouse.org/StatehouseNews/6-14-13.html