The impasse over Reynolds’ private school tuition assistance proposal may be the most significant element of legislators’ attempts to finish their work for the session. It’s something Reynolds has spent multiple years pushing and Senate Republicans have backed. But the resistance where it exists within the House Republican caucus has been firm.
In addition to vouchers, K-12 transparency, unemployment benefits, a proposed ethanol mandate, and the bottle bill remain on lawmakers’ to-do list.
If no Democrats in the Senate vote to confirm Erik Helland’s nomination to the Iowa Public Employment Relations Board, the nomination will fail.
Democrats and Republicans praise “scrappy” Bolkcom
There appears to be some significant ground to cover before the Republican-led Iowa House and Senate reach an agreement on those issues.
Previously, the House passed its own version, which differs in many key ways
Iowa Senate Republicans say their plan would breathe new life into the state recycling program, while Senate Democrats say the plan would strangle the program to death.
Also, Gov. Reynolds signs into law two bills relating to Israel
Schools would be required to post their classroom materials and library books online for parents to see — but not twice annually as previously proposed — under school transparency legislation moving in the Iowa House.
State lawmakers have given the first stage of approval to a proposed state constitutional amendment that would clarify what happens when Iowa’s governor must be replaced.
Instead of granting the Board of Regents’ ask for an additional $15 million in general education appropriations for the 2023 budget year – bringing the state’s total regents higher-ed allocation to $501 million – the House has suggested keeping gen-ed funding flat while putting $12 million into a new “Iowa Workforce Grant and Incentive Program.”
This week was the second key deadline of the 2022 session of the Iowa Legislature.
The newly amended bill would increase the fee paid by distributors to support redemption centers. It would also soften the requirements for where redemption centers must be located.
With just 23 calendar days — which means closer to 18 actual legislative work days, since lawmakers rarely work on Fridays — remaining until lawmakers’ expense reimbursements run out, the push to adjournment begins in earnest next week.
Sen. Jason Schultz, a Republican from Schleswig, falsely claimed during a Senate committee meeting Wednesday that the COVID-19 vaccines are not effective or safe.
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