(Radio Iowa) – A bill that would limit participation in Iowa girls sports to athletes who have female marked on their birth certificate has cleared the House Education Committee. Representative Skyler Wheeler, a Republican from Orange City, says similar legislation has passed in other states. “The State of Iowa has a very strong interest to step up and defend girls sports and ensure that they have a level playing field,” Wheeler says, “and we’re not going to destroy their opportunity to compete at varsity sports, to get scholarships and to get the fame that they deserve.”

Representative Mary Mascher, a Democrat from Iowa City, says the legislature’s job is to protect transgender girls and make sure they’re treated fairly. “This bill creates a barrier for a small, small group of children who are already marginalized by society,” Mascher says. “…No child should face state-sanctioned bullying.”

Mascher and six other Democrats on the committee voted against the bill. All 14 Republicans present voted for it and the bill is now eligible for debate in the full House. Governor Reynolds called on the Republican-led legislature to take action on this issue last April. The executive director of Iowa Safe Schools says studies have shown no conclusive link between sex assigned at birth and sporting outcomes and the bill will put educators, school districts, and students in an impossible situation.

Cass County Wellness Coordinator Brigham Hoegh, Monday, reminds area residents QPR training program in suicide
prevention is being offered in Anita, Tuesday night. “Question. Persuade. Refer.” (QPR) is a program delivered by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach that teaches three simple steps to help save a life from suicide. QPR will be held Tuesday at the Anita Community Center (805 Main Street), from 6:00-7:30 PM. Cass County ISU Extension will be providing free pizza to attendees of the Anita event. The event is being hosted in partnership with Anita Public Library and Anita Healthy and Wellness Center.

Participants of in-person QPR sessions are encouraged to wear a face covering indoors, particularly if space is limited, crowds are large, or spaces are poorly ventilated.

Farmers and people from rural areas are at higher risk of death by suicide. Sue Riggs, a retired teacher from Atlantic married to a farmer, attended QPR training in Atlantic on February 14. Riggs commented, “The QPR program was really informative. I now know how important it is to ask someone if they are considering suicide and where to refer them for help.”

All QPR sessions in Cass County are being offered at no cost, thanks to a grant from the USDA-NIFA 2020-70028-32728 that provides this training for free for rural communities with large populations of farmers and agricultural related business. All adults in Cass County and surrounding areas are invited to attend a QPR program, especially those who work in agricultural areas, health care, mental health, government, schools, libraries, or anyone who has an interest in learning more about mental health and suicide prevention.

The next Question. Persuade. Refer. suicide prevention training in Cass County is in Griswold on Feb. 21st, from, 5:30 – 7:00 PM, at the Griswold Public Library (505 Main St., Griswold), and is being hosted in partnership with Griswold Public Library

Although not required, registration is appreciated. To register for a QPR session in Cass County visit www.extension.iastate.edu/cass/ or call Cass County ISU Extension at 712-243-1132.

(Radio Iowa) – House Republicans are working on a bill that proposes a new process to confirm applicants for food assistance or government health care coverage are Iowans who qualify for the benefits. Doug Struyk is a lobbyist for companies that provide this type of screening in other states and he says it’s beyond traditional questions, like “did you live in this zip code?” or “what’s your mother’s maiden name?”

“Fraudsters have become very good at accessing that type of information,” he says, “and what we found…during the pandemic was a group of very savvy tech folks who were able to crack through systems that relied exclusively on that type of screening mechanism.” The bill would require the Iowa Department of Human Services to perform more frequent financial cross-checks to confirm a person enrolled in government health care or food assistance programs remains eligible.

Andrea Dencklau is with Iowa ACEs 360, a group that does research into adverse childhood experiences. She says adults who qualify for Medicaid and children who qualify for the state-paid insurance through the Healthy and Well Kids program could lose coverage if they’re unable to come up with the monthly co-payments. “Not only will their health outcomes suffer, we will all bear the price,” she says. “Without health insurance, these individuals are more likely to delay necessary care and end up requiring more expensive treatment, which will fall on all providers as uncompensated care.”

Republican Representative Ann Meyer of Fort Dodge voted to advance the bill out of a House subcommittee. “We are providing the safety net that Iowans need, but we also want to protect the taxpayer dollar,” Meyer says. Senate Republicans have been working on similar proposals for the past few years, but none has advanced through the House.