(Des Moines,Iowa) – Iowa District 18 Republican Representative Tom Moore, from Griswold, has issued his “Legislative Newsletter,” recapping the happenings this past week in the Iowa Legislature. Moore said “The 2nd Session of the 90th General Assembly convened on Monday January 8th, 2024. It is always fun to get back to the Capitol to renew relationships with Legislators, Lobbyists, and other personnel. Mostly the anticipation of what the session will bring creates excitement to get back to work.

“The first week often remains very ceremonial but also sees the meeting of Legislative Committees for the 1st time. Not much action takes place but getting back in the groove is nice. My committee assignments have not changed this year as I am on Education, Health and Human Services, Economic Growth and Information Technology, and I am Vice Chair of the Labor and Workforce Committee. “We heard Opening Day Speeches from Minority Leader Konfrst, Majority Leader Windschitl and Speaker Grassley. The speaker spoke of the impact of past legislation, all leading to the fact that Republicans now represent all or part of ALL 99 counties. He spoke of the many issues before us for this legislative session with emphasis on Education Reform.

“On Tuesday January 9th at 6:00 PM, Governor Kim Reynolds gave her seventh annual Condition of the State speech before the House and Senate. She began her speech reflecting on the Perry High School shooting, where 11-year-old Ahmir Jolliff lost his life and 7 others were injured. Previously, only 58% of all Iowans in the workforce had training or education beyond high school which meant thousands of high-quality jobs were unfilled. The goal was to increase that number to 70% by 2025 with the Future Ready Iowa Act, which she announced had been accomplished ahead of schedule.

“Last year the school choice bill was passed, which gave families the choice to choose what is right for their children regardless of income. The rising tide of competition and choice helps everyone, which has been demonstrated by Des Moines public schools. Recently, a Des Moines superintendent highlighted their district’s efforts to “deliver an educational product that attracts our students and attracts parents to either stay with us or come back to us.”

“Governor Reynolds discussed how special education in Iowa is overseen by Area Education Agencies, or AEAs, which make up nine regional entities which were created in the 70s. She announced new legislation to change this, with her proposal AEAs will focus solely on students with disabilities, and independent oversight will move to the Department of Education. More importantly, school districts will control their special education funds. If schools like their services from their AEA, they can continue to use them. If they want to use a neighboring AEA, or go outside the AEA system by contracting a private company or partnering with other districts to share resources, they can do that. They can also choose to spend more on special education teachers and put their dollars right into the classroom. AEAs will not be ended or services cut that people depend on. We are NOT reducing special education funding at all, rather giving control of the funding to those who work directly with your child on a daily basis.

“With 35% of Iowa’s third graders unable to read proficiently, we need to focus on our student’s reading ability. This is still better than most states, as California has 60% of third graders not meeting that mark. Currently, we are the only state that doesn’t require competency in early literacy instruction for the teacher licensure test. By partnering with Lexia Learning, the state will provide, at no charge, a training program based on the science of reading to all elementary school teachers.

“The Governor also recognized that the success of kids will always depend on great teachers, as teachers are some of the most influential figures in children’s lives. Therefore, we want young Iowans to see the teaching profession as one of the highest callings one can have, and to do that we have to change teacher pay. She asked the legislature to invest $96 million in new money to increase starting pay by 50%, to $50,000 and set a minimum salary of $62,000 for teachers with at least 12 years of experience. $10 million will also be allocated to a merit-based grant program that will reward teachers who have gone above and beyond to help their students succeed. This will put IA in the top-five states for starting pay and help recruit better potential teachers. She affirmed that we must also support new moms and their families. Currently, Medicaid only covers postpartum care for two months after birth, but she proposed to expand that coverage to 12 months for new moms who make less than $42,000 a year.

“Mental health has remained a challenge for many Iowans, and there has been improvements through investing millions into behavioral health providers, creating the state’s first children’s mental health system, and funding numerous impactful projects around the state. This year, YSS, a youth-centered non-profit, will open Ember Recovery Campus, a “groundbreaking new facility offering 70 behavioral-health beds that will focus on emergency shelter, crisis stabilization, and addiction treatment.” She proposed to combine the 32 different substance-use and mental-health regions together into seven new, unified behavioral health districts and increase support for these services using a portion of Iowa’s opioid settlement funds.

“Last year the goal of the alignment bill was better customer service for Iowans. So far we have already reduced the approval time for physician licenses from 65 days to 3, created a new building and construction division to consolidate permitting, building code standards, and safety inspections into a single front door, and are transitioning more than 80 state agency websites into a single platform to improve the user experiencer Iowans. We cut down the size of the government by cutting 21 agencies, removing 620 open positions, and saved millions of dollars in the first year. One more area needs alignment though, boards and commissions. All 256 boards and commissions will be reviewed, which has never been done in Iowa’s history. It would eliminate 111 redundant or obsolete boards, which is a 43% decrease. It will also require the boards to be reevaluated every 5 years.

“We turned our unemployment system into a reemployment system.” We have a full unemployment trust fund where we can reduce the unemployment insurance payments that employers make by half, which will result in significant savings for employers of all sizes, saving more than $800 million over five years. Businesses will be able to create more jobs, increase salaries, or reinvest into their communities rather than pay into the government. Iowa is also fighting China as they attempt to buy American farmland. With Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig, we have developed a bill that will enhance reporting and enforcement, increase penalties, and provide more transparency to Iowans on what land is currently under foreign ownership.

“In 2018, our income-tax rate was the 6th highest in the nation at 8.98%. By passing legislation that further cut rates, our most recent income-tax bill established a flat rate of 3.9% set to phase in gradually until finally taking effect in two years. She proposed a new bill that reduces the rate to a flat 3.65%, then in 2025 to 3.5%. Our great Governor Kim Reynolds ended the speech by discussing Iowa’s future as one of the most livable, affordable states in the country that is #1 for retirement and young home ownership. Iowa remains a fixed point of prosperity and stability which couldn’t happen without our truly remarkable Iowans! If you were unable to watch or hear her condition speech and would like to, click on the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUuOg2kpYZc

“Chief Justice Susan Christensen gave her 4th Condition of the Judiciary speech on Wednesday January 10th at 10 AM. Her previous themes have touched on hope, peace, and listening. Last year, the Juvenile Justice Task Force was created. One recommendation is already being implemented, the diversion program. This program provides low level juvenile offenders with opportunities to address negative behaviors and become productive members of society, without the barriers the juvenile justice system may unintentionally create. Since implementing this policy on June 5th last year, we have diverted almost 2,500 youth from formal processing. Her theme for 2024 was to build connections. She asked for a 4.3% increase in funding. 95% of this budget is responsible for salaries and benefits. She argued we need to competitively pay our employees and judges to ensure all Iowans have meaningful access to justice. The purchasing power of judges has decreased 17.2% in the past 12 years. Every state bordering Iowa pays their judges more than we do.

“Furthermore, Iowa judges do not participate in IPERS, the retirement plan offered to most public employees in Iowa. Rather, they use the Judicial Retirement System. The rates judges pay into their pension system is no longer consistent and fluctuates. Therefore, judges are experiencing a net pay decrease. This can be fixed with a fixed contribution rate structure, which is proposed in a bill the Judicial Branch has filed. Chief Justice Christensen wants the three branches of governments to work together to help the public understand their respective roles and duties. One way this has been improved, is Court on the Road. Starting in 2011, they went to hold court in various Iowa communities in an effort to interact with adults, students, and local legislators about real cases on their docket. Since then, they have visited 228 schools and held court in 35 communities. Her new idea is Trial Court Show and Tell, which welcomes legislators to visit their local courthouse while it is in session to observe what a typical day looks like for trial court judges.

“Last year she brought up the lack of indigent defense resources in Iowa. The statewide contract attorney shortage is threatening to bring criminal proceedings to a halt. Therefore Iowa needs to increase the pay for attorneys doing indigent defense work. Every state that touches Iowa already pays more than us. With the lack of contract attorneys, justice is in jeopardy. We need more attorneys in rural Iowa, along with creative solutions to attract them. Recently, she called upon the Iowa State Association of Counties (ISAC) to implement a federal law to require employers to provide basic accommodations, such as time and space, for breastfeeding mothers at work. Pottawattamie County has been the first to notify them of their lactation room which helps jurors, court staff, attorneys, and litigants participate in the legal system with dignity.

“Overall, Chief Justice Susan Christensen discussed the desperate need for judicial employees in order to provide Iowans with access to justice. Since court reporting has now expanded to include steno mask, veterans, a previously untapped pool of potential court reporters, can be recruited and hired. In order to accomplish this, she has connected with Home Base Iowa and Workforce Development.

“Major General Stephen Osborn presented his 1st Condition of the Guard in Joint Session on Thursday January 1th at 10 AM. Major General Stephen Osborn highlighted numerous deployments around the world and here in Iowa emphasizing the Dual Roll of the Guard which is to serve Iowa and the Federal Government. He spoke of 9,000 members of which 6,500 are part time while over 2,200 are full time soldiers. One major operation was Operation Lone Star where 109 members of the Guard volunteered to go to the Texas border in support of the much needed border protection and administration. He spoke of his 4 areas of emphasis as being: People, Readiness, Modernization, and Communication. Although recruitment has slowed the Guard remains 99.5% ready and they are retaining Guard men and women at an 80% rate.

Iowans should be proud of our Iowa National Guard as they are elite and at the ready to serve because their condition is excellent!” – Tom Moore