State Sen. Eric Giddens (D-Cedar Falls)

Greetings, friends and neighbors! I hope you’ve all had a great summer. Although the temperature and humidity are rising again at the moment, we’ve started to see and feel the first signs of fall the last couple weeks. And now with the beginning of the school year, the sounds of the marching band echoing through town as they practice for upcoming Friday night football games, and the days getting noticeably shorter – fall is definitely on its way. My hope is that this seasonal transition finds you happy and healthy and enjoying everything that this time of year has to offer.

My schedule continues to be dominated with almost daily door knocking to visit with constituents. I love these interactions, and the thoughts you share with me truly help to guide and focus the work I do representing you in the Iowa Senate. I hope I get to chat with you at your door!

Whether or not we are able to connect face to face, I pride myself on being accessible. Please reach out to me at eric.giddens@legis.iowa.gov or (319) 230-0578 if I can be helpful with anything or if you have any issues or concerns you’d like to share with me. It is an honor to serve!

Fighting on Behalf of Iowa Workers

This Labor Day, I’m looking forward to celebrating the working people of Iowa, the labor movement, and the hard-fought rights secured by the generations of workers who came before us.

Their victories – including the 40-hour work week, paid sick time, and the right to collectively bargain for better pay and benefits – have undoubtedly made our families and communities stronger. Iowa’s rich agricultural and industrial traditions may have never been realized without the grit and determination of our workers. They’ve propelled our state’s economy, boosted growth in emerging industries, and earned a reputation for honest, hard work. It’s only right that we take care of them in return – but that’s not happening under Iowa’s current majority party leadership.

In the past two years, we’ve seen our state’s workforce crisis exacerbated by my colleagues across the aisle. While Senate Democrats fought for legislation that expands opportunity and freedom for Iowa workers, Gov. Kim Reynolds and majority party lawmakers have done the opposite.

This spring, when majority party lawmakers proposed a union-busting bill that would have further gutted the collective bargaining power of Iowa’s public-sector workers, Senate Democrats joined forces with labor groups to sound the alarm. Thanks to a combination of our efforts, your voices, and one very noisy Capitol truck rally, that bad bill died before it had a chance to become law.

In March, when Tyson Foods announced the closing of its Perry pork-processing plant, Iowa Senate Democrats went straight to work on concrete solutions. We proposed reinstating 13 weeks of unemployment benefits for Iowans who lose their jobs due to an employer closing, protecting thousands of Iowans affected by Tyson’s plant closure, but the majority party in the Senate declined to pursue that bill.

Labor Day is an important reminder that our work is not done. The Senate Democrats and I will continue to fight for Iowa workers and for the rights and protections that all working Iowans deserve.

WE WANT TO KNOW: How are policies enacted by Iowa’s majority party legislators affecting your public schools?

Private school vouchers. Inadequate state funding. Book bans. Unnecessary special education overhaul. As students and educators head back to classrooms this fall, things will look a little different thanks to policies enacted by our governor and Iowa’s majority party lawmakers — and not for the better.

The extracurriculars your student once looked forward to might be missing funding. The AEA services your family once relied upon might no longer be available. Your student’s favorite teacher may have left for another state where lawmakers actually trust her to do her job.

WE WANT TO KNOW: How are policies enacted by Iowa majority party legislators affecting your public schools? Take our back-to-school survey here: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/how-are-policies-enacted-by-iowa-republican-legislators-affecting-your-public-schools

The Governor and majority party lawmakers’ assault on public education has gone on long enough. It’s time we shine a light on the harm they’re doing to Iowa’s public school system — and to Iowa’s kids.

Governor Reynolds Turns Down Millions for Summer Food Aid

Earlier this month, Gov. Reynolds announced her decision to opt out of the federal summer food program, which would have helped families purchase groceries over the summer months for their children while school is out. This is the second year she declined to participate in the program despite a large majority of other states having participated.

Audit Reveals Additional Misspending in Voucher Scheme

A year ago, Iowa started handing out hundreds of millions of dollars to be spent on private K-12 schools. A recent State Auditor report found the New York-based private vendor, Odyssey, received hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars more than originally proposed. Contracted to administer Iowa’s new voucher program, Odyssey’s increased payments came through per-transaction fees and other changes made to the original contract by the Iowa Department of Education without public knowledge or approval. State officials couldn’t produce paperwork, seven months after being asked, to show they followed their own rules for contract modifications/fee increases. More money going to a private company to administer private school vouchers will not help expand educational offerings for the vast majority of Iowa students.

Federal Student Loan Forgiveness

The Biden Administration emailed all borrowers with one outstanding federally held student loan to provide updates on potential student debt relief. Iowa’s Department of Education expects that all proposed forms of loan relief will be provided without requiring additional applications. Otherwise, qualified borrowers have until August 30 to call their servicer to opt out. The rules that would provide this debt relief are not yet finalized and receiving an email message does not guarantee specific borrowers will be eligible.

COVID Vaccine Updates

A new COVID vaccine should be available shortly after Labor Day after receiving final approval from the Federal Drug Administration (FDA). The new vaccine targets the latest variants of the virus. The release of the new vaccine is timely as COVID rates are trending upwards in Iowa and across the nation.

LGBTQ+ Issues in the Military

Lavender Legal Center started a blog last month offering insight into legal issues’ specific impact on the LGBTQ+ community. Did you know veterans discharged other than honorably due to Don’t Ask Don’t Tell can petition to have their discharge upgraded? The character of your discharge can impact your VA benefits, and I appreciate the Department of Defense’s commitment to actively undoing the damage wrought by DADT.

DNR State Forest Nursery Orders Open Soon

The DNR State Forest Nursery is gearing up for fall 2024 and spring 2025 seedling orders. Seedlings can be ordered from Sept. 3, 2024. through May 30, 2025. The bare-root seedlings are packaged in bundles of 25 inside sealed and labeled plastic bags. Tree varieties include 23 species of native hardwoods, eight evergreen species and 15 smaller trees and shrubs. Prices range from $.80 to $1.20 per seedling. Seedlings are sold in three age classifications, and range in size from 10-30 inches, depending on species. Customers can choose to have their order shipped or they can pick it up at the State Forest Nursery in Ames. For more information, visit the online sales site at http://nursery.iowadnr.gov/ or call 1-800-865-2477 Monday-Friday. DNR’s expert nursery staff can assist with species selection and answer questions about your tree needs and nursery offerings.

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.