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Capitol Notebook: State unveils mobile job search bus
Also, the Iowa House passes legislation that would cap tuition and limit diversity, equity and inclusion programs at the state’s three public universities
DES MOINES — Iowa Workforce Development is packing up and taking its show on the road to help connect unemployed Iowans to job opportunities.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and Iowa Workforce Development on Thursday announced the deployment of the state’s first mobile workforce center.
The new 32-foot, custom-built bus was built to supplement the state’s 18 IowaWORKS offices to deliver workforce services to Iowans who may not have easy access to those offices.
Ten computer workstations are in the bus, where staff can assist with job searches and navigating unemployment claims.
A monitor inside will allow staff members to lead job search workshops or hiring fairs and a monitor mounted on the outside of the vehicle will allow for outdoor events during warmer months.
The mobile workforce center also includes an ADA accessible entrance in the back of the vehicle for Iowans with disabilities.
Iowa Workforce Development Director Beth Townsend said the bus will allow IowaWORKS to more quickly and effectively respond to communities hit by business closings and layoffs.
It also will visit communities with higher rates of unemployment, including the southeastern part of the state, and appear at high schools, community colleges, career fairs and recruiting events for employers to assist job seekers and showcase the opportunities that exist in Iowa’s workforce.
That includes showcasing registered apprenticeship programs and other work-based learning opportunities to help fill workforce shortages in health care, teaching and other high-demand fields.
“Essentially, this 32-foot-long bus is IowaWORKS on wheels,” Reynolds told reporters during a news conference. “It offers the same services and has the same technical capabilities that Iowans would find in any of our brick and mortar locations.
“But it has the distinct advantage of being able to rapidly deploy to any area of the state where Iowans need help in finding jobs, or where employers are working overtime to fill them.”
The mobile workforce center was borne out of the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on Iowa’s economy.
“Nearly 100,000 Iowans lost or left their jobs between January and June of 2020, and while thousands have since returned to work, Iowa still faces an urgent need for more workers,” Reynolds said. “The IowaWORKS Mobile Workforce Center will help ensure Iowa has the workers we need to thrive and grow by bringing career planning assistance to out-of-work Iowans anywhere in the state.”
The mobile workforce center will begin traveling across the state next week, starting in several communities in central, eastern and southeast Iowa.
The $479,000 bus was paid for through a combination of federal COVID-relief dollars and federal grants used by IowaWORKS to coordinate services for companies and workers affected by layoffs or economic downturns.
Information about the mobile workforce center and its capabilities can be found on the IWD website. IWD is accepting online requests from schools, employers and others to have the mobile workforce center visit their location. A schedule of upcoming events for the Mobile Workforce Center can be viewed online at the IWD website.
For questions and more information about the mobile workforce center, email iowaworksmobileunit@iwd.iowa.gov.
House passes regents university bill
House Republicans’ legislation to cap tuition and restrict diversity, equity and inclusion programs at the state’s three public universities passed the chamber on a party-line vote.
The House Republican proposal would:
- Cap annual tuition and fees increases at 3 percent.
- Prohibit the consideration of race and other protected class characteristics for admissions.
- Eliminate any diversity, equity and inclusion program that is not necessary for compliance with federal law.
- Require that services available from diversity or multicultural affairs offices are available to all students.
- Require all three universities to submit a report by the end of the year that reviews all DEI-related positions and job responsibilities.
- Add two state legislators as non-voting members to the Board of Regents.
- Require the use of a presidential selection committee to provide candidate recommendations to the board when selecting a new university president.
During debate, Democrats criticized the bill as politically motivated, given that many conservatives have pushed back at diversity, equity and inclusion programs in recent years.
Democrats also said they support capping tuition increases for college students, but warned against doing so without more state funding to offset revenue decreases for the universities.
“I have concerns about political motivations behind it. It clearly is a political bill,” said Rep. Jennifer Konfrst, D-Windsor Heights, who is an associate professor at Drake University. She argued the bill will create inefficiencies and increase costs.
Rep. Taylor Collins, R-Mediapolis, criticized four DEI-related positions at the three universities that all had annual salaries of $200,000 or more.
He read a message that he said was from an Iowa State University faculty member who described a “DEI bureaucracy” that pits people against each other by labeling them as oppressed and oppressors, creates paranoia, and makes people afraid to speak out of fear of backlash.
The bill, House File 2558, passed the House on a 56-39 vote with only Republican support. Six Republican legislators — Reps. Chad Ingels, Shannon Latham, Brian Lohse, Brent Siegrist, Ray Sorenson and David Young — joined the chamber’s Democrats in opposition.
The bill now is eligible for consideration in the Senate.
Cancer coverage for police and firefighter retirement could expand
State retirement benefits for police officers and firefighters would cover all cancers, not just some, under legislation approved unanimously by the Iowa House.
The proposal eliminates from state law the specification of individual cancers covered by the retirement programs and instead covers all cancers. The bill, House File 2482, passed the Iowa House with a 96-0 vote and is now eligible for consideration in the Senate.
Emily Broderick and her daughter Ireland, whose husband and father Mike Broderick, a longtime Des Moines firefighter, died of liver cancer in January, were in the House chamber as the bill was passed.
$1 million for schoolchild care center grants
Gov. Kim Reynolds on Thursday announced $1 million in grant funding through the Iowa Department of Education for school districts that partner with or create local child care centers to help more high school students earn a national child development credential.
Districts awarded funding will receive course curriculum that meets both professional development requirements outlined by Iowa Health and Human Services for employees of Iowa licensed child care centers and the classroom requirements for a Child Development Associate (CDA) credential.
Eligible school districts that partner with a licensed child care center, including school-operated child care programs, can apply for up to $15,000 for each of the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years, for a total of $30,000. Allowable costs include student exam fees, textbooks, CDA course materials, student stipends, licensed child care partner stipends, and other approved expenses that help remove barriers to participation.
Grant applications are being accepted at IowaGrants.gov. The deadline to apply is noon March 29.
More information about the Credentials for Child Care Careers grant is available on the Iowa Department of Education’s website.
Gazette-Lee Des Moines Bureau
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