State Sen. Eric Giddens (D-Cedar Falls)

Greetings friends and neighbors! The full Senate began debate last week, with consideration of bills previously passed out of committees. Bills that passed the Senate last week now move over to the House for their consideration.

What’s Alive and What’s Dead in the Iowa Senate

Two weeks ago, the legislature passed a key procedural deadline referred to as the first funnel, that narrows down the bills eligible for passage this year. With that deadline behind us, here’s what we’re seeing in both the House and the Senate: A few good, bipartisan bills still in the mix, some unhelpful legislation that is still alive, and a few controversial bills that are out of the running.

Good, bipartisan bills that are still alive:

HF 2611 – Raising pay for teachers and education professionals.

SF 2383 – Expanding preschool.

HF 2482 – Cancer protections for firefighters and cops.

HF 2188 – Increased funding to the state housing trust fund.

HF 2420 – Increased workforce housing tax credits.

SF 2214 – Price caps for insulin drugs.

SF 2363/SF 2358/HF 2489 – Insurance coverage for prevention of ovarian cancer and diagnostic breast exams.

SF 2290/HF 2394 – More transparency to protect Iowans selling homes.

HSB 591 – Voters with disabilities pilot project.

HF 2537/SF 2236 – Increased college savings plans.

All these bills are still in the running:

SF 2386 – Cuts to AEA services and funding.

SF 2380 – New barriers to voting for eligible Iowans.

SF 2374 – Union-busting targeting police, firefighters, teachers, and public servants.

HF 2613 – K-12 school funding.

SF 2311 – Allowing government agencies to bypass a state audit.

SF 2095 – Allowing religious reasons for discrimination.

These bills won’t move forward:

SSB 3085 – Restoring the death penalty in Iowa.

SF 2055 – Policing restrooms in public places.

HF 2353 – Expanding vouchers to private preschools.

SSB 3166 – Reducing independence for public libraries.

HF 2373 – Eliminating early voting.

We Asked, You Answered

A few weeks back, we asked Iowans to share their top priorities for the 2024 legislative session. Hundreds of you responded, calling on lawmakers to get to work on specific, meaningful legislation that would make a real difference in Iowans’ daily lives.

Here’s a sampling of the responses we received from across Iowa to the question, “What should be the Iowa Legislature’s top priority this session?”

“Protecting and enhancing the public education system we have built in Iowa.” – Betsy W., New Albin

“Respect and pay teachers more.” – Jean M., Des Moines

“Lower prices on medicines.” – Mark C., Cedar Rapids

“Protecting reproductive freedom and bodily autonomy in the state of Iowa.” – Jake H., Urbandale

Public education. Personal freedom. Lower prices. Support for our seniors. We’ll keep listening, and we’ll keep working for what Iowans need.

Summer EBT Deadline Missed

Two weeks ago, my colleagues across the aisle allowed the federal deadline for Summer EBT to expire. This means Iowa will reject $29 million in federal assistance and miss out on food aid for more than 240,000 Iowa children this summer. Rejection of the program continued even after Nebraska’s governor decided to reverse course and accepted the funding after initially declining it.

IPERS fraud alert

Beware of official-looking scam emails purporting to come from IPERS. Here are a few details about how IPERS handles personal information – keep these in mind if you get suspicious communications:

-IPERS does not solicit personal information like Social Security numbers or bank account information by email, which is not a secure form of communication, and it does not make outbound calls to members asking for personal details unless you have specifically requested a call.

-IPERS will only call you during business hours, 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Central Time, Monday through Friday.

-IPERS staff emails end with @ipers.org.

-Only IPERS staff can access your IPERS account.

-IPERS staff will never offer to meet at your home.

-IPERS staff do not sell insurance products and can only provide information about your IPERS benefits. IPERS does not provide financial planning services.

State Senator Eric Giddens represents Iowa Senate District 38 including Cedar Falls, Hudson, Traer, Dysart, Evansdale, Elk Run Heights, Gilbertville, Washburn, LaPorte City and Mount Auburn. Contact Sen. Giddens at 319-230-0578 or eric.giddens@legis.iowa.gov.