Increase the Pay for Low-Wage Iowa Workers

According to the Iowa Policy Project, 181,000 Iowans would benefit from an increase to the minimum wage under a proposal approved by the Iowa Senate this week:

• 72 percent are over the age of 20.
• 59 percent are women.
• 20 percent have children.

It’s been seven years since Iowans have seen an increase to the state’s minimum wage. No other state has lingered at $7.25 per hour longer than Iowa. Five out of six states surrounding Iowa have a higher minimum wage. By following suit, Iowa families will have bigger paychecks that will help boost the Iowa economy when they spend at local businesses.

Senate File 269 would increase the state minimum wage from $7.25 to $8 as of July 1 of this year and to $8.75 by July 1, 2016. This modest proposal got bipartisan support in the Senate. The bill now goes to the House for consideration.

In the Iowa House, House File 17 after being introduced, moved to the House Labor Committee, and assigned to a subcommittee on January 22, no subcommittee meeting has been scheduled.  HF 17 would increase the state hourly wage from $7.25 to $8.20 by January 1, 2016, $9.15 by July 1, 2016, and $10.10 by January 1, 2017 if enacted.

Tax Exemption for Disable Veterans

Last session, we expanded the Disabled Veterans Property Tax Credit to include a full property tax exemption for those who suffered a 100 percent disability because of their service, and allowed the exemption to apply to surviving spouses and children of those killed in service.

However, the law inadvertently left out veterans who suffered a permanent disability that made it impossible for them to work – a 100% work disability.

House File 166 corrected this oversight by allowing  these veterans to claim and receive the property tax exemption. The legislation is retroactive to last year, so those who met this standard and have already applied will receive the benefit.

Veterans must apply to their local assessor to receive an exemption. For more information, contact your local assessor by going to www.iowa-assessors.org/htdocs/Assessors_of_Iowa, or county veterans’ office by going to www.va.iowa.gov/counties.

Getting Paid for Your Work

This week, the Senate passed Senate File 270, a bill to ensure that all Iowans get paid for their work.
Sadly, $600 million in wages are stolen from Iowa workers each year. Wage theft can occur in many forms including the failure to pay workers for the hours of work performed or an employer not giving the employee-earned tips to servers.

Iowa’s wage theft laws are so weak that they are virtually impossible to enforce. The result? Iowa workers get ripped off by unscrupulous employers, and the majority of businesses – those reputable businesses that play by the rules,  are put at a competitive disadvantage.

Most Iowans aren’t at risk of being cheated by their employer, but low-wage workers often are, and they’re the ones who are impacted the most when they suffer wage losses.

Just hiring more investigators won’t fix this wage theft problem. We need stronger Iowa laws that make it clear that you are obligated to pay your workers.  We need better protections in order to make it easier and safer for workers to stand up for their rights and their hard-earned wages. Senate File 270 would make Iowa’s law more straightforward with just three changes:

• Employers would be required to keep a written record of the terms of employment.
• The defense that an employer “unintentionally” failed to pay employees would no longer be acceptable.
• Employees filing wage theft claims, and those who offer testimony on their behalf, would be protected from retaliation under threat of penalty.

Hopefully, the Iowa House will also protect the wages of hard-working Iowans by approving this bill.

The Week in Pictures

Best attended League of Women Voter forum last weekend, that I’ve been to in quite some time. Not surprisingly, the audience was filled with teachers concerned about the legislature funding our public school system. In fact, most of the questions from the League moderator were about this topic, and mental health issues.

I spoke with Sue Kleinmeyer and Janet Wagner after the forum about sheltered workshops, the closing of Options, and what this means for their adult children. I also had the opportunity to visit with Liz Belden about Citizens United and how to remove corporate power from financing elections.
Thank you to all who attended – your presence speaks volumes!

Viola Gibson Elementary School Tour

Viola Gibson Elementary has an incredible autism program with dedicated, professional staff. Among the 500+ students attending, more than 20 have developmental challenges, classified as autism spectrum disorders. These are characterized by communication difficulties, repetitive behaviors, sensory issues, and in some cases, cognitive delays. It was a joy to see the special ed programs and behavior therapies at this school being tailored to each child’s individual needs. Some of the approaches I saw: applied behavior analysis, structured and innovative teaching methods, communications skill development, speech and language therapies, and social skills prompting and modeling.

One of the many ways school budget cuts impact students is in transportation. Viola Gibson had a program for the kids in the autism classes to go on learning trips in the community. The teachers explained how valuable the “Community Mobility Program” was for teaching life skills, and reducing anxiety for these kids in public settings. Those funds are gone.

The Iowa Legislature is wrestling with setting the amount of State Supplemental Aid for public schools. The Governor and the Republican-controlled House are staunchly at 1.25 % The Democrat-controlled Senate is at 4%. School boards, administrators, teachers and parents have communicated to the legislature that 4% is a minimum, and 1.25% means huge budget cuts. Please email House Speaker Rep. Paulsen at kraig.paulsen@legis.iowa.gov or call the Governor, during business hours at (515) 281-5211 Let them know that 4% is a must for our kids – and Iowa’s future!

Lana Sellner is showing me the books she made for her students, out of recycled cereal and food boxes. These materials are familiar to the students in her autism class, so the kids are more comfortable turning the pages and reading what she’s incorporated into the books. Very impressive resource integration.

Innovative Art Instructor, Gina Fisher! I looked in on her class and was most impressed with the engagement and positive interactions among the students.

Creativity abounds in elementary schools. This art project demonstrates the school’s use of free, recycled products (in this case, tissue boxes), as art budgets are minimal. When cuts are made to public school funding, art & music are many times the first to take a hit.

Media Secretary, Barb Ptacek, is explaining students’ limited access to the librarian as this position is now shared between schools. Again, budget cuts do impact students’ education in numerous ways. (In the background is Facilitator, Julie Hendred who, along with Lana Sellner, did an exemplary job leading the tour of their school.)

I had the honor of meeting the new Superintendent of Schools for the Archdiocese of Dubuque, Kim Hermsen. Kim will be spending a fair amount of time in my district, as her diocese encompasses the Cedar Rapids Catholic School system. It was great to visit with a fellow educator who is passionate about education. Go Saints!

Iowa Small Business Development Center’s State Director, Lisa Shimkat, and Program Coordinator, Tricia Jones, informed me that a new business is started in our state every 35 hours. SBDCs have 15 locations in Iowa and offer an array of services to assist with turning a business plan into a reality. The staff at our Marion location was incredibly helpful when my wife decided to open a coffee shop, and needed assistance with financial projections. SBDCs are a terrific resource, and many of their services are provided at no cost.

More info here: https://www.iowasbdc.org/

U of I’s Public Policy Center hosted a discussion on Mental Health Redesign and an update on the Affordable Care Act. Presenters were Drs.Pete Damiano and Michael Flaum. This was one of the most informative discussions about the current implications of health care reform for Iowans that I’ve had the opportunity to participate in.

Professor Damiano presented first. There have been more than 50 policy changes affecting health care in Iowa since 2013, so there was a lot of information to cover. Examples of these include: covering children up to age 26 on parent’s policy, removing pre-existing conditions, no dropping of coverage due to illness, increased usage of primary and preventative care, insurance coverage expansion, and the growth of accountable care organizations which improves services and reduces costs. These are positive changes, but there are some additional issues: lack of qualified health plans in the marketplace, growing complexity of options, competition among private providers for patients, and a shortage of primary care and mental health care providers.

Dr. Flaum is a Clinical Psychiatrist with U of I. He shared data on the array of congregate services for adult mental health, including acute and sub-acute psychiatric services. Of immediate concern is the level of services and the availability of beds for the 10% who need acute care for 3+ weeks, and use 50% of the bed count.

Time constraints this week prevented discussion on dental care and children’s mental health services, but further meetings are being planned.

This is my guitar instructor, Deb Brockington, who came to the Capitol for Music Therapy Day on the Hill! Music therapists from across the state are advocating for professional licensure. Check out this video to better understand why this is important to them, their clients and all Iowans:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIAtxNRgAhg

AARP is in the building! These representatives are fired up and passionate about advocating for older Iowans…as am I. Constituents Marilyn Davenport, Mary Muehl, Chris Bolden and Barb Osgood spoke with me about the CARE Act. This bill addresses many concerns regarding support for family caregivers, to keep seniors in a safe home environment. This is an important bill that I support.

Discussing Food Hub development in Iowa with Craig Chase, Coordinator of the Local Food and Farm Program, and Alice Topaloff, Program Assistant at Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture. Food hubs are a critical link in bringing local foods from the farm to high-volume, mainstream outlets such as grocery stores, restaurants and institutions. They are the local food movement’s answer to bringing high quality food to families of all income levels. Craig has been working with Karl Cassell, President/CEO of Horizons, Clint Twedt-Ball, Executive Director of Matthew 25, and other Cedar Rapids groups in this effort. Good things happening in CR!

Fascinating presentation by William Raftery, Knowledge and Information Services Analyst with the National Center for State Courts. William spoke about the drastic increase in campaign spending which has accelerated political threats to fair courts across the country. There will be three Supreme Court Justices on the Iowa ballot in 2016, including the state’s chief justice, and Iowans should be prepared for negative campaigns targeting the judges, and by extension, the court.

William said in the past 150 years of American history, never has there been such an orchestrated, broad effort to influence the judicial branch. He provided us with 10 state cases outlining the results of this infusion of money. More info here: http://www.justiceatstake.org/

Justice Not Politics hosted this discussion. JNP is a nonpartisan coalition of organizations and Iowans across the political spectrum – progressive to conservative; Republicans, Independents and Democrats – all who are committed to protecting Iowa’s courts and system of merit selection and retention. You can join the coalition here: http://justicenotpolitics.org/

A few years ago, fiction author John Grisham wrote a book called “The Appeal” about money and politics influencing the judicial system. Or at least, I thought it was fiction.

The original recyclers may very well be auto salvage yards! Every part of an automobile is now resold or recycled, including the car’s metals, batteries, tires, antifreeze, unused gas, and other fluids. Good discussion with Jordan Barkow, Manager of SunLine in Cedar Rapids, and Mike Swift, Owner of Swift’s Trails End Auto Recycling, during the IA Automotive Recyclers legislative reception. We also discussed the illegal practice of duplicating VIN numbers, and legislation before the House and a new national on-line database to help prevent this.

Four Oaks President, Anne Gruenewald, braved the threat of snow to come to the Capitol and advocate for kids. We discussed the successful Four Oaks program “Total Child” which now has 90 homes in the Cedar Rapids area. Total Child is unique in that it helps and monitors children through their 18th birthdays, working with service providers to help the child become a successful adult. Learn more here:www.totalchildiowa.org

The Iowa Chamber Alliance hosted a legislative reception, and it was great to see Cedar Rapids well-represented. CR Economic Alliance President, Dee Baird, and Public Political Strategist, Barbra Solberg, joined Unity Point President, Ted Townsend, and we discussed Tuesday’s vote on the gas tax. The ICA supports economic development, including job training, apprenticeships, education, STEM, and a strategy to improve job skills in Iowa’s workforce.

Great visit with such positive leaders in Cedar Rapids!

Standing room only as we discuss our bill to restrict access to K-2 and other synthetic drugs. The original bill – HF279 – will receive a strike after and include three additional amendments that will merge to form a committee bill. I am hopeful that the final legislation will stem the growth of illegal synthetic drugs and provide improved safety for our young people (the target of these drug sales).

Trains, planes and automobiles! The Department of Transportation held a legislative reception and it was great to spend a few minutes talking about my favorite mode of transportation: trains. Chad Lambi is the Cedar Rapids & Iowa City Railway Co Manager ,which is an Alliant Energy transportation company (CRANDIC). Jim Kvedaras is Director of Government Affairs for CN, which handles rail shipping. Did you know that the CRANDIC has been serving the largest shippers in eastern Iowa for more than 100 years?! Chad and Jim were at the Capitol to ask the legislature to continue the “safe crossings” program, and low-interest loans for railroad bridge and other structural repair.

Cedar Rapids City Councilmember, Kris Gulick, attended the subcommittee on a bill I co-sponsored, HF 229. I also spoke with Kris and the League of Cities President about water quality issues and partnerships with farmers upstream in the watersheds.

The Cedar Rapids Community School District partnered with other community agencies to sponsor a discussion about the relationship between community members and law enforcement.
Metro High School Principal, Dr. Carlos Grant, participated in the forum “Police and Community Relations: A Positive Dialogue” which was held today at Kennedy High School.

Other panelists: Diversity Focus Director, Chad Simmons; CR Mayor Ron Corbett; CR Police Chief Wayne Jerman; Linn County Sheriff Brian Gardner; and Attorney Monica Slaughter (from the Linn County Attorney General’s office).

The event was sponsored by the Nu Chi Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, the first intercollegiate Greek- lettered fraternity for African American men.

Sheriff Gardner said the law enforcement code of ethics sets expectations for his deputies to be respectful of those with whom they come into contact. As new hires often are assigned to jail duty, they encounter scenarios where they must put this code into practice. When Chief Jarmin was asked how the CR Police Dept addresses diversity, he explained that this begins with hiring the right officers. He referenced a speech given by FBI Director James Comey that deals with discrimination, diversity and law enforcement. (Excellent speech you can listen to here: http://www.fbi.gov/…/stories/2015/…/law-enforcement-and-race )

This community conversation was a positive step toward improving ethnic & minority relations in Iowa.

Facility Tour of CR Electrical Apprenticeship Training Center

I received a Facebook request from an IBEW electrician to tour this joint labor management training facility, which has the combined support of IBEW Local 405 and the Iowa Chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association. I’m glad I did.

The program offers individuals a chance to earn while they learn, under the supervision of a qualified journeyperson. Around 150 apprentices are currently in this successful CR training. In addition to 3 full-time instructors, there are also part-time retiree guest trainers.

Jeb Novak has been an Electrical Trade Instructor for 15 years, teaching instrumentation, codes, OSHA, AC theory, fire systems and a slew of other courses. We’re standing in front of electrical panels with various converters. (First question I asked Jeb before we even got near the panels, “Are they hot?!” Jeb assured me this was perfectly safe – and no, not hot.)

Check out these solar panels! Training at the center includes solar installation and solar systems for both industrial and residential.

Training Director, Mike Carson, is demonstrating a custom-made electrical water flow pumping system. Some of the equipment is quite costly, but essential to have hands-on experience. Occasionally, contractors and manufacturers donate instruments and equipment.

I am fascinated with advances in technology! Susan got dizzy riding the virtual reality roller coaster while Industrial Design graduate student Dan Neubauer and Dean Luis Rico-Gutierrez look on. Dan explained that this design technology will be available within months for students in Iowa schools. (Susan said this experience was like being on the Star Trek Holodeck.) The glove with its sensors remotely controls the actions of the figure to the left. This is actually on the market now, so that a student can build an infinite number of creative devices using these small sensors, motors, computer chips and switches that range in price from 2 – 5 bucks each. Research and experimentation at ISU continues to produce highly adaptable technology products, like the ones shown here.

Continue Reading the Statehouse News

To read the rest of my Statehouse News go to:http://iowahouse.org/StatehouseNews/2-26-15