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Hope you are all successfully navigating the madness that is March (both in terms of basketball and weather…) and, also, happy St. Patrick’s Day.
The Legislature wrapped up week 10 of the session on Thursday, continuing to move legislation between Chambers and even a few to the Governor’s office. Two of the Governor’s bills were brought up for a vote, including Senate File 514 - government alignment, which passed through the House and will go to the Governor for signature. There was also movement in the Senate on SF318 relating to apprenticeship programs and establishing a state office of apprenticeship within Iowa Workforce Development. This bill passed the Senate and will go to the House for consideration.
Other bills brought up for a floor vote this week include:
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HF370: relating to entities supported in whole or in part by public moneys, including the sale of public bonds, the duties and responsibilities of the directors and officers of school boards, school districts, the Department of Education, the Department of Health and Human Services, accredited nonpublic schools, charter schools, community colleges, institutions under the control of the state board of regents, area education agencies, and election commissioners, and the membership and voting units of county and city conference boards. Passed the House on 3/16 by a vote of 96-0. Goes to the Senate.
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HF608: relating to school personnel training, emergency care planning, authorizations for assisting, and limitations of liability concerning students with epilepsy or a seizure disorder. Passed the House on 3/14 by a vote of 96-1. Goes to the Senate.
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HF610: relating to excused absences for certain autism-related health care activities for students of a school district. Passed the House on 3/14 by a vote of 97-0. Goes to the Senate.
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HF632: authorizing the expenditure of funding from the Secure an Advanced Vision for Education (SAVE) fund for certain cybersecurity purposes. Passed the House on 3/16 by a vote of 96-0. Goes to the Senate.
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SF398: relating to robotics extracurricular activities, including technical assistance for career and technical student organizations related to robotics and authorizing high school athletic organizations to sponsor related interscholastic contests. Passed the Senate on 3/15 by a vote of 48-0. Goes to the House.
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SF482: permitting public schools to designate and allow the use of restrooms and changing facilities only by persons of the same biological sex, and providing a private cause of action. Substituted for HF622. Passed the House on 3/16 by a vote of 57-39. Goes to the Governor.
The Ways and Means and Appropriations committees in both Chambers were also busy this week. These committees have oversight of legislation that will impact revenues and spending, respectively, and bills with such an impact will be sent their way before going to the floor - even those that have already passed through another committee. On this front, some of the legislation that worked its way through subcommittee and/or committee include:
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HF559: establishing an agriculture education grant program within the Department of Education and making appropriations. (House Appropriations subcommittee)
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HF560: relating to the Department of Education, including the district-to-community college sharing or concurrent enrollment program and the postsecondary summer classes for high school students program, and making appropriations. (House Appropriations subcommittee)
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HF355: 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 to practitioners with master’s or doctoral degrees, fees associated with the review of certain specified records, and background checks for employees of school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, and charter schools. (House Ways and Means committee)
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SF392: 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, and including applicability provisions. (Senate Ways and Means subcommittee)
I also mentioned in the previous newsletter that I would provide information on legislation that we are monitoring and did not make it past the first legislative funnel. Keep in mind that these bills are considered inactive in the current form, but there is still a chance that parts or all of a bill can reappear before the end of session. Take, for example, HF535 related to Iowa school performance profiles, which did not make it past the first funnel but was amended onto HF370, which was voted out of the House earlier this week.
Please contact me with any questions about the bills we are following this session, and/or refer to the resources available on the Department’s legislative information page.
Eric St Clair
Legislative Liaison
Iowa Department of Education
Grimes State Office Building
515-326-0274
eric.stclair@iowa.gov
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