Iowa Senate passes major state budget pieces

DES MOINES - The Iowa Senate approved a $1.836 billion health & human services budget plan Friday that would beef up oversight of privately delivered Medicaid services while rejecting an attempt to bar taxpayer money from going to women's health care providers that perform abortions.

Senators voted 27-23 to approve their version of a major piece of next year's $7.35 billion spending plan that funds services for the state's vulnerable populations, aging Iowans, veterans and public health agencies. The measure, which featured an emotionally charged abortion debate, likely will go to a House-Senate conference committee next week for further negotiations.

Sen. Amanda Ragan, D-Mason City, the bill's floor manager, said her budget subcommittee 'did our best to protect children, seniors, people with disabilities, and every Iowan's access to essential services” given a fiscal reality that provides about $4 million more spending for fiscal 2017.

During Friday's debate, Sen. Ken Rozenboom, R-Oskaloosa, offered an amendment to earmark about $3 million in state money to fund 213 federally qualified women's health care clinics that do not offer abortions. The language, which failed on a 25-25 vote, would have excluded 13 Planned Parenthood clinics from receiving public money.

'I want you to listen to those folks who may differ with you on the question of abortion, but who certainly would like you to respect their desire not to use their tax dollars for the practice,” Rozenboom said.

However, Ragan countered that 'zero state money has gone to pay for abortion in recent years,” and she expressed concern that 'family planning saves taxpayers money, and adapting this amendment could actually cause more unintended pregnancies.”

Senators also approved an aggressive plan for overseeing the state's transition to privately managed Medicaid that would go further than the House approach mostly focused on data and outcome reporting. The Senate plan would add oversight duties to the Legislative Health Policy Oversight Committee along with adding three positions to the Long-Term Care Ombudsman's Office, among other provisions.

'We want strong oversight,” said Sen. David Johnson, R-Ocheyedan, who lamented that Gov. Terry Branstad's plan to contract with three private managed-care organizations effective April 1 was 'dumped on us” when it should have been phased in starting with the healthiest of the 580,000 Medicaid clients and gradually moving to those with severe disabilities.

The bill was returned to the House.

Also Friday, senators voted 26-24 to approve a justice-systems budget bill that proposes to spend $748.3 million in the fiscal year beginning July 1 - a $5.2 million increase that was spread between the Department of Corrections with $3.4 million and the Department of Public Safety with $1.8 million.

Senators also voted 26-24 to approve a standing appropriations bill equal to a $3.1 billion measure approved by the House, but stripped $2 million that House Republicans directed to their water-quality approach and used it for other purposes - including restoring $1.25 million of a $5 million reduction in funding to Area Education Agencies.