Legislative Update for 04/22/2022

We are still waiting on final negotiations to conclude around several policy bills. Those negotiations seem to be holding up work on the appropriations bills, which must be passed by the Legislature before they can bring the session to conclusion.  

We did see the Senate confirm one more appointee to the State Board of Education - Nathan Peterson. With his confirmation, the Senate has now confirmed all four new appointees to the State Board. 

Governor Reynolds also signed several bills into law this week, including two that we are following:

• Senate File 2128 - A bill for an act 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. 
• SF2197 - A bill for an act providing for the establishment of a task force related to special education support for students at nonpublic schools. 

While on the topic, we will start shifting into post-session mode here as things wrap up at the Capitol and more bills are signed into law. We’ll review all legislation to determine whether administrative rules and/or guidance are needed. We’ll also produce the annual “Legislative Session Summary of Changes Affecting Schools,” so keep an eye out for that come early summer.  

Though work is slow for now, that can change very quickly and we have seen in the past just how fast they can move once a final agreement on last minute items is reached. So, we’ll continue to monitor and provide an update again next week. If you have any questions, 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: 515-326-0274
eric.stclair@iowa.gov