IDPH Legislative Update - Quick Budget Update - Session Countdown

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Iowa Department of Public Health - Protecting and Improving the Health of Iowans

Session Countdown - 4/22/19
Legislative Update

In this edition: 

  • Budget Work Continues
  • Session Countdown 
  • Board Resolutions
  • Sign Up for More IDPH News
Shaking Hands

Budget Work Continues

On April 18, House and Senate leadership announced  joint agreement budget targets for the Fiscal Year 2020 state budget. The FY20 budget plan spends $7.643 billion, accounting for 97.39 percent of ongoing revenue. This is 0.2 percent higher than the adjusted FY19 budget. Find the news release here. 

The Health and Human Services (HHS) joint budget target is $1,937,186,761, down 1.3 percent from $1,962,894,820 FY19 adjusted. 

Earlier this month, the House passed its HHS appropriations bill HF766 on a 54-44 vote. IDPH maintains mostly status quo funding under the proposal, with some reductions due to rounding. 

The HHS Appropriations Subcommittee Senate members planned to meet at 10 a.m. Monday, April 22, to vote on the Senate's HHS budget language, and the full Senate Appropriations Committee was expected to vote on it later in the day.

You can watch for the Senate's budget language in the Daily Bill Packet here or under amendments in the left panel of HF766. The Notes on Bills and Amendments (NOBA), a detailed explanation of the changes, should be available following the Senate committee meetings. The NOBA for the House file is available here. 
Calendar

Session Countdown

We are at the point in session where appropriations work and policy debate take up the bulk of the day. The HHS budget bill is traditionally one of the last to be debated. 

Beginning April 15, amendments no longer needed to be filed the day before floor debate, meaning amendments can be introduced at any time. 

May 3 is the 110th calendar day of session, which is also when per diem expenses end. See what's happening when the chambers gavel in here.

Check out which bills we're still tracking in our Legislative Services Agency bill tracker. 

Board Resolutions & Recommendations

The State Board of Health voted on a resolution on the value of substance abuse activities housed within the Iowa Department of Public Health. The resolution was in response to proposals in the House HHS budget bill regarding the Bureau of Substance Abuse moving to the Department of Human Services, which was then amended to require a five-year study of how the departments can better work together to address co-occurring conditions.  

The Medical Cannabidiol Board made recommendations to legislators regarding  medical cannabidiol legislation in a letter you can find here. 

Quick Reads Snip

More IDPH Updates

Want more updates from IDPH? Sign up for the Quick Reads Newsletter at this link. 

Quick Reads is an electronic newsletter published by the Director’s Office. You'll find department happenings, news from partners, program trends, information snapshots and more. Quick Reads is published every three to four weeks.