Capitol Notebook: State lottery CEO diagnosed with cancer

DES MOINES — Matt Strawn, the Iowa Lottery CEO and a former state Republican Party chairman, announced Wednesday that he has been diagnosed with colorectal cancer and will begin treatments this week.

In a news release from the Lottery, the 49-year-old Strawn said he was diagnosed in late January doing the recommended screening for colon cancer.

Strawn said the cancer was caught early and the goal of his treatment, which will include chemotherapy, radiation and surgery, is “a full cure.”

“My prognosis is excellent following this course of treatment,” he said.

Strawn said that by sharing the news of his diagnosis, he hopes to raise awareness that guidelines have been updated to lower the recommended age for a colorectal screening to 45. Strawn said he encourages all Iowans ages 45 and older to schedule their colonoscopy screening.

Strawn has been the Iowa Lottery CEO since 2019. He was chairman of the Republican Party of Iowa from 2009 to 2012.

Reynolds to sign medical malpractice caps

Gov. Kim Reynolds plans to sign into law Thursday legislation that would cap non-economic damages in medical malpractice cases at $2 million in cases where the medical facility is at fault, and $1 million when the physician is at fault.

The legislation, House File 161, limits cash awards for pain, suffering and other non-economic complications from medical malpractice lawsuits; it does not cap awards on economic or punitive damages.

New money for manufacturing tech

The state’s economic development agency will invest an additional $2 million, from the state’s allocation of federal pandemic relief funding, to a state program designed to help small and mid-sized Iowa manufacturers invest in new technologies.

The Iowa Economic Development Authority announced the funding for the Manufacturing 4.0 Technology Investment Program.

“Manufacturers are using these grants to increase productivity, train workers, improve safety and cut costs,” Gov. Kim Reynolds, who opposed the federal pandemic relief package at its creation, said in a news release. “We now have the opportunity to help more manufacturers invest in technology to support their workforce, promote competition, and ensure future growth.”

Created in 2021, the program offers $50,000 grants for the purchase of machinery and specialized equipment to improve operations, and $25,000 grants for the purchase of specialized hardware or software.

Senate advances caps on public assistance assets

Additional asset limitations and other requirements would be added for Iowans who receive benefits from myriad public assistance programs, including food assistance, Medicaid and children’s health insurance, under legislation advanced by Senate Republicans.

Senate Study Bill 1105 is the latest legislative attempt by Senate Republicans to tighten eligibility to some of Iowa’s public assistance program.

The bill would employ federal guidelines for assets by saying that any Iowan who possesses more than $2,750 or multiple vehicles, with some exceptions, would not be eligible to receive food assistance from the program known as SNAP.

The SNAP program is funded by the federal government and operated jointly by the state and federal governments. SNAP participation in Iowa is at a 15-year low, and the state’s average administrative costs of $27.84 per case per month in 2020 was 18th-lowest in the country.

The bill also authorizes the state to contract with a third-party vendor to enforce the new regulations.

With its approval from the two Republicans on a three-member subcommittee, the bill becomes eligible for consideration by the Senate Health and Human Services Committee.

Death penalty

Lawmakers advanced a bill that would reinstate the death penalty in Iowa. The bill would allow the death penalty as a punishment for a person who kidnaps, rapes and murders a minor.

Because a person already receives life in prison for kidnapping and rape of a minor, supporters said there is no increased penalty if the victim is killed, and so the bill would deter murder in those cases.

Iowa lawmakers did away with the death penalty in 1965, and attempts to bring it back in the years since have been common. Sen. Brad Zaun, R-Urbandale, who has brought the bill in past years, introduced it this year.

Faith leaders and civil rights groups spoke against the proposal and said the state should not be given the power to end a life, regardless of the crimes the person committed. Opponents also argued the death penalty does not act as a deterrent against murder.

The bill, Senate File 14, passed with support from the Republicans on the committee. Zaun, who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, said he will bring the bill to a committee vote, but he is not sure whether it will have support of the full committee.

Rep. Steven Holt, R-Denison, who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, said he has no moral opposition to the death penalty, but he opposes the idea because costs associated with keeping someone on Death Row are more expensive for the state than a life sentence. He also said he had concerns about people being wrongly convicted and sentenced to death.

Gazette-Lee Des Moines Bureau