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As I’m reflecting on the last week, I have that feeling that I’m sure you all have experienced before - amazed at how it seems this week flew by, but also that feeling of disbelief that it somehow has only been one week since I last published this newsletter.
One cannot talk about this week without first discussing the action around the Student First Act, House File 68. At the end of last week, both the House and the Senate had advanced versions of the bill through the committee process in both Chambers, making both bills eligible for floor debate. On Monday afternoon after Legislators returned to the Capitol, the House took up the bill, where it was amended and passed by a vote of 55 yeas, 45 nays. The Senate also brought their version of the bill to the floor (Senate File 94). After receiving the bill from the House, the Senate substituted SF94 with HF68 and proceeded with floor debate on HF68. At around 12:30AM Tuesday morning, the Senate voted and passed HF68 - 31 yeas, 18 nays.
Later that morning, Governor Reynolds signed HF68 at a public bill signing in the Capitol Rotunda. The bill is effective upon enactment, and will be applicable for the 2023-24 school year. Now that the bill is final, the Department will coordinate with the Governor’s office to make available resources for parents and education stakeholders - look for those in the coming weeks.
So, at this point in our discussion of the week we’ve officially arrived at Tuesday afternoon (see, what a week!). Moving on to the work of the House Education Committee, three bills were voted out of committee to the full chamber:
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HF11 - relating to responsibilities of the state board of regents. Committee approved bill and renumbered as HF135.
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HF12 - relating to social studies instruction in public schools, accredited nonpublic schools, and charters schools. Committee approved bill and renumbered as HF132.
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HF41 - relating to transportation to and from school of pupils participating in open enrollment. Committee approved bill and renumbered as HF134.
The House Education Committee is scheduled to convene again on Tuesday, January 31 at 2:30PM. The Senate Education Committee did not meet this week, and is scheduled to convene on Monday, January 30 at 1:30PM.
We also monitored the following bills that were considered in subcommittees this past week:
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SF9 - relating to supplemental aid and modified supplemental amounts for certain school districts relating to open enrollment. Subcommittee recommends passage.
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SF12 - establishing a limitation on the amount of administrative costs for school districts. Subcommittee recommends amendment and passage.
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SF38 - directing the department of education to convene an achievement gap working group.
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SF39 - directing the department of education to convene a working group to study the impact of technology on the cognitive function of students. Subcommittee recommends passage.
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SF58 - requiring reasonable accommodations be made for students who are pregnant or recently gave birth and attend state institutions of higher education governed by the board of regents and community colleges. Subcommittee recommends amendment and passage.
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HF16 - establishing the comprehensive transition and postsecondary program scholarship program. Subcommittee recommends passage.
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HF17 - authorizing the parent or guardian of a student enrolled in a school district to enroll the student in another attendance center within the same school district in certain specified circumstances. Subcommittee recommends passage.
Lastly, I mentioned previously how we will be watching for additional bills from the Governor’s office which will provide more details on how she intends to implement her agenda outlined in the Condition of the State address. This week, three additional bills were introduced that will likely be of interest to this audience:
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SSB1076 - relating to education (Governor’s education reform package)
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HSB82 - relating to apprenticeships and establishing an Iowa office of apprenticeship and Iowa apprenticeship council.
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HSB104 -relating to controlled substances including… receipt, provision, and administration of opioid antagonists, including by secondary distributors, providing for immunity…
Okay, I promise, I’m done now (for this week). If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. Also keep an eye on the legislative tracker on the Department’s website for up-to-date information on new and moving legislation.
Eric St Clair
Legislative Liaison
Iowa Department of Education
Grimes State Office Building
515-326-0274
eric.stclair@iowa.gov
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