Week in Iowa, April 1, 2024: Recap of news from across the state

Postpartum Medicaid changes pass: Qualifying Iowa mothers would get Medicaid coverage for longer, but hundreds of others would lose coverage under a bill House lawmakers sent to Gov. Kim Reynolds' desk this past week. The bill would extend postpartum Medicaid coverage to 12 months, but lower the eligibility for pregnant women to qualify for Medicaid from 375 percent of the federal poverty line to 215 percent.

The changes would make Iowa one of the last states to extend Medicaid coverage of postpartum care from two months to 12 months, an option made available in the federal American Rescue Plan Act in 2021. The change would mean an estimated 1,700 mothers and infants would no longer qualify for the program. Around 2,700 women each month who would have otherwise lost coverage after 60 days will receive it for 12 months.

More options for Boy Scout victims: Iowa lawmakers are working on a legislative fix to allow men who were sexually abused while in the Boy Scouts of America to claim a larger settlement as part of the organization's bankruptcy lawsuit. The bill will waive the statute of limitations for civil claims for only that case, allowing Iowans who are part of the lawsuit to recover more money.

Reynolds signs religious freedom bill: Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a bill this past week that will give more legal protections to people who claim their religious liberty has been infringed. The Religious Freedom Restoration Act, modeled after legislation in other states, requires courts to apply strict scrutiny, the highest legal standard, in religious liberty cases. Opponents worry the bill gives people free range to discriminate based on their religious beliefs.

Voter fraud sentencing: Kim Taylor, the Sioux City woman convicted of 52 counts of voter fraud, will serve four months in prison and four months on House arrest. Throughout 2020, Taylor filled out and signed ballots on behalf of Vietnamese residents with limited English proficiency in order to influence votes for her husband, who was elected to a Woodbury County Board of Supervisors position that fall after losing a U.S. House primary election.

Taylor faced a maximum sentence of five years in prison for each of the 52 counts. The judge cited Taylor's lack of criminal history and her role as caretaker for six children and her mother as reasons for the lighter sentence. Taylor also will have to pay a $5,200 fine.

Man charged for 35-year identity theft: A former University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics employee has pleaded guilty to an extensive identity theft scheme, in which he had been living under another man's name for more than 30 years, causing the other man to be falsely imprisoned and sent to a mental hospital. Matthew David Keirans, 58, was convicted of crimes punishable by up to 32 years in prison.

Hemp regulations pass: Iowa Senate lawmakers passed a bill regulating the THC content and sale of hemp products, sending the bill to Gov. Kim Reynolds' desk for a signature. The bill would cap the THC content of hemp products at 4 milligrams per serving and 10 milligrams per container and impose civil and criminal penalties on noncompliant businesses.

They said ...

“I absolutely want to see the most of this money go to the moms and babies who need it the absolute most for a longer period of time.” -- Rep. Devon Wood, R-New Market, on postpartum Medicaid changes

"This bill opens the door for a business to deny services to an LGBTQ+ patron, a landlord to evict a single mom because she’s not married, for a pharmacist to deny a birth control prescription on religious grounds." -- Rep. Lindsay James, D-Dubuque, on religious liberty bill

Odds and ends

Iowa park rangers: Iowa no longer will have park rangers under a new plan by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Instead of being assigned to specific parks, the rangers will be classified as conservation officers and assigned to one or more counties.

Caitlin Clark awards: Iowa women's basketball star Caitlin Clark took home two top awards this past week ahead of the team's Final Four appearance. Clark was named AP's Player of the Year and the 2024 Naismith National Player of the Year, winning both honors for the second consecutive year. Clark has shattered records this season and is the presumptive first pick in the upcoming WNBA draft.

Water cooler

Gender balance axed: Iowa's boards and commissions will no longer be required to have an equal number of men and women after Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a law repealing the requirement. Republicans passed the bill this year, arguing that the need for gender-based quotas has passed and applicants should be selected on their merit.

Education director confirmed: Gov. Kim Reynolds' pick to lead the state Department of Education was confirmed this past week over the protest of Democrats, who argued she did not have enough experience in public education. McKenzie Snow is a former Trump administration official and has held senior posts in the education departments in New Hampshire and Virginia.