Medicaid Managed Care Begins Today- Real Lives Affected

After months of delays and confusion, the transition to Medicaid privatization starts today, Friday, April 1st and health care for 560,000 Iowans will change.  There are many signs that it’s going to be a rough and difficult transition. Just this week, we heard of a family in Northeast Iowa that had chemotherapy treatment delayed at the Mayo Clinic because of confusion about coverage brought about in the Governor’s rushed plan to privatize Medicaid.

The same day we learned about …

Regional Public Forum on Iowa’s Energy Plan

A public forum will provide information on a statewide Energy Plan and get feedback from Iowans. Working groups have been formed around four areas to provide input, review data and help shape the goals and strategies of the plan for:
•    Economic Development & Energy Careers
•    Iowa’s Energy Resources
•    Transportation & Infrastructure
•    Energy Efficiency & Conservation

Our region’s forum will include an informational presentation with project team members available for one-on-one and group discussions. It will be Wednesday, April 13, 6:00 …

Statehouse News

The League of Women Voters forum is this Saturday, March 19, at Mercy Medical Center, 701 10th Street SE, Cedar Rapids, from 10:30-11:45 A.M. in the Hallagan Education room.  This is an excellent opportunity for you to ask questions of Linn County Legislators on issues important to you.  Hope to see you Saturday!

Schools Wait While Tax Cuts Sail Ahead

While public schools have been waiting for 399 days on State Supplemental Aid funding, the Republican-controlled House passed yet another tax cut this week – reducing …

Parents for Great Iowa Schools

A group of parents concerned about the future of public schools in Iowa have launched a new organization to connect parents across the state.

The group, Parents for Great Iowa Schools, was formed to make sure every child in Iowa gets a world-class public education that will prepare them for 21st-century challenges and generate the skilled workforce Iowa needs.

Iowans are encouraged to visit the group’s website at www.parentsforgreatiowaschools.com to sign a petition to urge Iowa lawmakers to invest in public schools again. …

School Leaders Send Warning to Iowa Lawmakers

A new survey released this week found 90% of Iowa’s local school leaders will be forced to raise class sizes next year if public school funding falls short again.

Superintendents, principals and other school officials completed the survey in recent weeks to help us better understand the looming consequences of shortchanging our public schools, and to determine the impact of the Governor’s veto last summer of bipartisan school funding.
In addition to packing more students into already crowded classrooms, school leaders …

Capitol Comments

The session wrapped up last Friday, stretching five weeks beyond our targeted close. Some of the same disagreements that impeded compromise this session aren’t likely to disappear before we return in January of 2016.  The battles over PK-12 education funding, Medicaid and mental health services funding remain unresolved and will be hot topics afresh in the next session.

During the session, I visited schools; received dozens of emails from constituents; and listened to local school leaders, teachers and parents who all expressed, over and over, …

Statehouse News

Disagreements over public education funding are preventing the Legislature from finalizing a state budget and adjourning for the year.
Iowa’s families count on Iowa’s great local public schools to give our children and grandchildren the knowledge and skills to be successful in our competitive world, and to provide opportunities for Iowa students to realize their dreams of creating a better life for themselves and others.

High-quality education has made Iowa and its workers among the nation’s most productive, which in turn attracts additional high-skilled, high-wage jobs …

Honoring Our Veterans on Memorial Day

Originally called Decoration Day, Memorial Day was created to remember soldiers who had died in the Civil War.  While the northern states and southern states continued honoring their fallen soldiers separately for many years, Memorial Day was changed after World War I to honor any American who had died in any war.  Congress declared Memorial Day a national holiday in 1968.

Memorial Day arrives on Monday, so it’s a good time to again remember our veterans and active service men and …

Keeping Iowa’s Mental Health Institutes Open

Earlier this year, the Governor proposed the closing two of Iowa’s four Mental Health Institutes (MHI) without legislative input or approval.  Already, some employees have received termination notices and patients are no longer being accepted at the MHI’s.

The Clarinda MHI provides a full range of diagnostic and treatment services through its Acute Psychiatric Program.  The institute’s gero-psychiatric program provides nursing home beds for persons with mental illnesses.  In addition, the Mt. Pleasant MHI provides active inpatient treatment to adults through …

Capitol Comments

Session in Overtime

The 2015 Legislative session is officially in overtime.  While lawmakers aren’t getting paid any more, we’ll be meeting until we get our work completed for the year.

The only bills that we are required to pass, every year, are those dealing with the state budget.  Nearly all of the budget plans are now on the table, but House Republicans are still resisting any compromise on an overall budget agreement with the Senate and Governor.

The budget plan agreed to by the Senate, led by …