At the close of the first third of the 15-week legislative session, bills are being sent to the Governor for her signature, the House and Senate have each passed their respective education funding level bills, the Governor’s priorities are moving through the legislative process, and the first funnel deadline is next Friday, February 21. By next Friday, any policy bill that has not made it out of a committee is no longer eligible for debate this session otherwise known as “dead.”
Subcommittees
This week saw significant subcommittees scheduled - 236 compared to 12 during week one.
Significant Bills Sent to the Governor
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SF 2144 Supplemental Appropriations
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$333,000 to the Department of Human Services (DHS) for Glenwood and $21 million to Homeland Security/ Emergency Management for flood recovery
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Passed the House 100-0; Passed the Senate 48-0
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SF 2164 Transportation Equity
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Appropriates an additional $7.253 million for school transportation costs.
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Passed the House 98-1; Passed the Senate 48-0
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Proposed Education Funding Levels
Currently, the House Republicans and Governor want a 2.5% increase at about $3.395 billion. The Senate Republicans are asking for a 2.1% increase which is about $3.376 billion.
Iowa Caucus Update
While we might be first in the nation, we are not the first to have results finalized this year as that honor goes to New Hampshire. Despite not being completely done with the recount, Troy Price announced this week that he is stepping down as the chair of the Iowa Democratic Party and Rep. Mark Smith has announced that he will run for the chair position. Rep. Smith has most recently served as the House Minority Leader.
