Guth and Baxter Legislative updates

House Happenings, February 3, 2022

Terry Baxter

This was a very productive week at the Capital.  I chaired a few subcommittees and sat on others.  We are setting records this year for the number of subcommittees being held this early in the session.  We are only a few weeks away from our first funnel and I fear some good legislation will be timed out by not clearing committee votes.

We are working hard on SSA.  (Supplemental School Aid) House Republicans are working on a package that is higher than both the Governor and the Senate.  I cannot share details at this point, but our bargaining position wants to pull SSA higher.

It is old news at this point, but the House passed the Governors Renewable Fuel plan this week.  I support farmers, our biofuel industry and Iowa.  There was a lot of misinformation out there so let me give some talking points to set the record straight.  

Supporting Iowa’s Renewable Fuels Industry: House File 2128

Talking Points

• The Governor has been working with state legislators and industry leaders for over a year on a plan to increase access to higher-ethanol blends at the pump.
• In the first debate of the 2022 Legislative Session, the Iowa House passed this bill to support Iowa biofuels with bipartisan support.
• E-15 fuel is cheaper, cleaner, and made right here in Iowa. We want Iowans to have access to this fuel option at the pump.
• This bill is a win for Iowa agriculture and Iowa consumers.

Overview of the bill…

• This bill increases Iowans’ access to E-15 by ensuring all gas stations who are compatible, offer E-15 as an option to consumers.
• If a station’s equipment is not compatible, and upgrading their infrastructure would come at a great cost to the business, they can apply for a waiver from this requirement. This change was made from last year’s bill to ensure the bill does not put small fuel retailers out of business.
• This bill also increases and expands the timeline of fuel retailer tax credits who offer higher-ethanol blends.

Addressing the Teacher Shortage

Talking Points

• We are facing a workforce shortage in our state and nowhere is that truer than in our schools.
• We hear from school districts across the state that teachers are stretched thin, subs are hard to find, and bus drivers and other support staff can be even more difficult to find.
• There’s no one solution to this issue, we need to tackle it from multiple angles. Iowa House Republicans have a few ideas.
• In addition to increasing SSA funding, which will likely be a big topic of next week, House Republicans have introduced legislation to make it easier for Iowans to become teachers and substitute teachers, while maintaining the level of quality Iowa students deserve.

Here’s what has been introduced so far…

• HSB 632 and HF 2085 create new, alternative licensures for teachers. Both bills are aimed at making it easier for Iowans who have spent some time working in another field to become teachers.
• HF 2081 eliminates exams teachers have to take between graduation and certification.
• HF 2083 expands the Iowa Scholar Program to expand eligibility for teachers who apply for the grants.
• HF 2158 allows student teachers to also serve as substitute teachers.
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The View From Here by Senator Dennis Guth

During the fourth week of the session, the amount of information we dealt with was huge. I compare this part of the session to the first few weeks of harvest for a farmer. There is always more to do than anyone could possibly accomplish.

In the midst of this overload of information, it was a pleasure on Tuesday to be visited by the Lake Mills, Algona, North Central, and Belmond-Klemme FFA students. There are over 17,000 FFA members in Iowa and a good number of them filled the rotunda and the galleries like a blue wave. I enjoyed speaking with them about how government works and encouraged them to learn well the parliamentary procedure taught in FFA clubs. It is necessary to have rules wherever a group of people tries to work together and FFA does a great job of preparing students to lead or participate in the process.

On Wednesday, a subcommittee considered the governor’s biofuel bill which would require E15 be made more available. While E15 is cheaper than E10 and uses more Iowa-raised corn, I am concerned we might force some small stations out of business because of the cost of installing the pumps. There is some help for the mom and pop shops, but I’m hearing conflicting opinions as to if the help is adequate.

I was on the committee that passed a bill to allow older teenagers to roll out pizza dough for an employer. Casey’s General Stores serve pizza in 15 states and only Iowa says you must be over 18 years to use the machines. This bill expands the workforce for Casey’s and gives more job opportunities to teenagers.

The Senate’s tax proposal moved forward this week and we are seeking public feedback on it. In 2018, we passed the largest tax relief in Iowa’s history and our revenue continues to increase.

Senate Study Bill 3074 establishes one individual income tax rate of 3.6 percent along with a long-term goal of eliminating personal income tax in Iowa. The state of Iowa currently has the eighth highest income tax rate in the country. A change to 3.6% would make us the fourth lowest. The bill also eliminates tax on retirement income and expands the military pay exemption to full-time National Guard members.

We dealt with a number of education bills this week. Over the last 5 years the Iowa Senate has worked to protect a parent’s interest in their child’s education. This included true open enrollment and full-time, in person education. SSB 3079, the “Parents' Bill of Rights” will establish consistent rules for the school districts to follow in choosing curriculum and books.

The Senate passed through committee this week a $150 million raise for schools. This new money is sustainable and reliable. My hope is this can go to the governor’s desk very soon.

I chaired a subcommittee for SF 2156 which deals with the reporting of vaccine injuries. All incidents within 8 weeks of a vaccination must be reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). The healthcare provider is not to discern if the vaccine was the cause of the adverse event. VAERS has their own protocol for causation. Surveys in the past have shown that only a small fraction of adverse events (ranging from minor to death) have been reported. SF 2156 puts federal code into Iowa Code and says that there will be a $1000 fine for each incident not reported. We cannot say we follow the science if we don’t have good data.