Legislative Update for 03/18/2022

The second funnel is behind us. As a reminder, this is a second procedural deadline where a policy bill needs to be out of committee in the opposite chamber from which it was introduced. If it fails to do so, it is “dead” in its current form. That said, the content of those bills can always pop up again through amendments to other bills that survived the funnel. 

While the Legislature continues to whittle down the number of bills under consideration, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done before they can close out the session. This includes work on the Governor’s education priorities, as well as on numerous appropriations bills. While on that topic, the House appropriations committee on Thursday introduced and assigned to subcommittee the education appropriations bill which should be available to the public soon. 

Legislators will also need to work through the policy bills that made it through the second funnel, including those listed below that we continue to track. 

• HF604 - relating to language and literacy development for deaf and hard-of-hearing children.
• HF771 - relating to the self-administration and storage of bronchodilators and bronchodilator canisters and spacers relative to schools and students.
• HF2080 - relating to school districts that share operational functions, including operational functions in the areas of superintendent management and special education director.
• HF2081 - relating to teachers, including the assessments administered to practitioner preparation program admission candidates and to practitioner preparation program students prior to students’ completion of a practitioner preparation program
• HF2082 - relating to the division of certain school taxes collected in urban renewal areas containing wind energy conversion property.
• HF2083 - relating to matters under the purview of the college student aid commission
• HF2165 - relating to employment, including modifying provisions related to the list of high-demand jobs created by community colleges and students who are eligible to receive a scholarship from the future ready Iowa skilled workforce last-dollar scholarship fund.
• HF2298 - relating to immunization against COVID-19 requirements for enrollment in any licensed child care center, elementary or secondary school, or postsecondary school in Iowa.
• HF2398 - relating to certain specified employees of school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, and charter schools, including renewal requirements associated with licenses issued by the board of educational examiners.
• HF2412 - requiring radon testing and mitigation in public schools.
• HF2470 - adopting and implementing the recommendations of the artisanal butchery task force.
• HF2493 - relating to paraeducators holding substitute authorizations and including effective date provisions.
• HF2495 - establishing the comprehensive transition and postsecondary program scholarship program.
• HF2498 - relating to education, including modifying provisions related to open enrollment, teacher librarian endorsements, and the placement of children identified as requiring special education in competent private instruction.
• HF2499 - relating to education, including requiring the boards of directors of school districts to publish certain specified information and modifying provisions related to required social studies instruction.
• HF2505 - relating to education, including requirements related to mandatory reporters, the department of education, school districts, and accredited nonpublic schools, and the responsibilities and membership of the board of educational examiners
• HF2527 - relating to various matters under the purview of the state, including … work-based learning.
• HSB672 - relating to education, including establishing a student first scholarship program and a student first enrollment supplement fund, requiring the boards of directors of school districts to publish certain specified information, modifying provisions related to required social studies instruction, open enrollment, teacher librarian endorsements, competent private instruction, and special education
• SF2080 - relating to the administration of certain physical examinations and student health screenings by school districts, charter schools, or innovation zone schools.
• SF2081 -  relating to disbursements from the computer science professional development incentive fund.
• SF2128 - relating to education, including the education of students who are not fully English proficient and the standards applicable to the hiring, developing, and evaluation of community college faculty.
• SF2129 - relating to students who are eligible to receive a scholarship from the future ready Iowa skilled workforce last-dollar scholarship fund.
• SF2197 - providing for the establishment of a task force related to special education support for students at nonpublic schools.
• SF2202 - relating to education, including eligibility for grants under the teach Iowa scholar program, licenses issued by the board of educational examiners, and the use of revenues from the district management levy
• SF2263 - relating to the confirmation by the senate of certain appointees.
• SF2290 - establishing a dairy processing and milk production innovation and revitalization fund and program.
• SF2356 - authorizing the boards of directors of school districts to engage certain specified individuals to serve without compensation as substitute teachers.
• SF2362 - relating to entities supported in whole or in part by public moneys, including the sale of public bonds, the duties and responsibilities of … the department of education.
• SF2367 - relating to sales, use, and motor vehicle fuel taxes administered by the department of revenue including distributions to local governments and school districts,
• SF2369 - relating to education, including establishing a student first scholarship program and a student first enrollment supplement fund, requiring the boards of directors of school districts to publish certain specified information, modifying provisions related to required social studies instruction, open enrollment, teacher librarian endorsements, competent private instruction, and special education.

Next week both Chambers will focus on bills from the opposite chamber - i.e., Senate considers House bills, House considers Senate bills. We’ll continue to monitor activity and update information on our legislative information page. If you have any questions in the meantime, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Eric St Clair
Legislative Liaison
Iowa Department of Education
Grimes State Office Building
400 E 14th St
Des Moines, IA 50319-0146
Cell: 515-729-0859
eric.stclair@iowa.gov