State Sen. Eric Giddens (D-Cedar Falls)

Greetings friends and neighbors! As I write this, today marks the end of the tenth week of the legislative session and is also the second funnel date for the session. The second funnel is the date by which policy bills must make it out of their originating chamber and out of committee in the other chamber in order to remain alive for the session. So, our work in the Senate this week focused on consideration of House bills in our Senate committees. Next week, we will work more on debating bills in the full Senate that have passed the House, and we will begin working on tax and state budget bills that are not subject to the funnel date system.

On the home front, it was spring break this week for UNI and Hawkeye Community College and many of our school districts. I hope that students and families who were traveling this week did so safely and are returning refreshed and reinvigorated for the remainder of the spring semester. It’s also St. Patrick’s Day on Sunday, so have a great weekend celebrating!

More Bad News for Iowa Workers

This week, we learned that Tyson Foods will close its pork processing plant in Perry, eliminating nearly 1,300 jobs in a town of fewer than 8,000 residents.

Closures like this are devastating, throwing hard-working Iowans out of a job, shrinking economic opportunity, and sending shockwaves through every corner of the community. I stand with the Perry community and the Iowans losing their livelihoods because of Tyson’s decision.

Every Iowan in every community deserves a fair shot at a good job that supports their family and provides an opportunity to get ahead. And when contractions and closures happen, Iowans also deserve support from their state government and their employers to weather the storm and find their next great opportunity.

The difficulty and dislocation facing workers due to this plant closure are just beginning. I hope that Tyson Foods will own the consequences of its decision and provide real, tangible support for workers and the community alike through this transition. After six decades of dedicated service, Tyson owes Perry nothing less.

And our state government must meet the moment as well. Cuts in unemployment aid and support for displaced workers enacted by Gov. Kim Reynolds and the majority party in the legislature in recent years will make these job losses even harder on Perry. That’s wrong. This closure should be a wakeup call for my colleagues across the aisle to change course and start reinvesting in our safety net for workers.

I have put worker safety, security, and opportunity at the center of my priorities. We’re offering a Better Deal for Iowans that includes opportunity for workers and accountability for big corporations and politicians.

Missed Deadline

This Friday (March 15) is the deadline for school districts across Iowa to certify budgets and set tax rates for the coming school year. There’s just one problem: the majority party here in the Senate still has not passed a school-funding bill for the year, leaving districts in the dark on how much state aid they’ll receive next year. This legislative failure has real consequences in our communities – potentially including higher property taxes. I am calling for a $300 million investment in public schools – and we need to get it done asap.

Legislation threatens IVF

My friends across the aisle have made national news for the wrong reasons recently, advancing legislation in the House that endangers in vitro fertilization. The Alabama Supreme Court relied on a similar law to make their ruling effectively banning IVF treatments in their state, and yet politicians here have kept pushing this bill and others that curtail the reproductive freedom of many Iowans. I, by contrast, support a reproductive freedom package that would protect IVF and expand fundamental rights for all Iowans.

Addressing malicious AI

In a bit of good news this session, lawmakers are working together to advance the malicious use of artificial intelligence. House File 2240 is a bipartisan bill expanding the definition of harassment to include disseminating, publishing, distributing, or posting obscene material without the consent of the person depicted. The measure is similar to Senate File 2186, which the Senate unanimously passed last month. The fact that the bills are making progress in both the House and Senate is a good sign that the proposal could win final passage and become law.

Walleye fishing challenge

The Iowa DNR is once again sponsoring a statewide walleye fishing challenge from March 30 through June 30 to assess and manage the state’s walleye populations. Participants use a mobile app to record their catches and compete against other Iowa anglers for biweekly prizes – and don’t worry, the location data is anonymous to protect your secret spots! To register: https://www.anglersatlas.com/event/767/2024-iowa-midwest-walleye-challenge-2024

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.