Iowa Senate Update from Tim Kapucian

Greetings from Under the Golden Dome

We are fourteen weeks into the legislative session, leaving us with only two weeks until the scheduled end of session. This deadline prompted discussion on a number of substantive topics this week and many hours debating on the Senate floor.

On Tuesday the Senate passed a bill creating a children’s behavioral health system in Iowa. The creation of the children’s mental health system adds to the existing infrastructure for the adult mental health system and creates a board to oversee the system. The data collected will help policymakers make important decisions in the years to come. The House passed this bill last month and it passed the Senate 46-2. It will now go to the governor for her signature. I believe this is one of the signature bills of this session. A major step we can build upon.

Once again I will mention industrial hemp. Senate File 599 passed the Senate this week permitting Iowa farmers to grow hemp. Last year, the Senate passed a bill that would have allowed hemp production on a limited scale under a pilot program as required by federal law. The Farm Bill passed by Congress last year removed hemp as a controlled substance and legalized it as a commodity. Iowa is one of only 11 states without a hemp program. Senate File 599, the Iowa Hemp Act, sets up a program that limits the number of hemp acres a licensee may plant and requires THC testing of the crop prior to harvest.

On Wednesday the Senate passed House File 692, a bill making a number of changes and improvements to how elections are managed in our state. It changed how the Secretary of State’s office manages proposed constitutional amendments approved by the legislature and allows these proposals to be published on a website rather than only in newspapers. This was done in order to prevent any further problems publishing proposed Constitutional amendments after repeated issues with the Secretary of State’s office. The bill also brings checks-and-balances to our county commissioners of elections while expanding their authority over elections and provides cost saving opportunities.Additionally, this bill works to increase transparency when it comes to election laws in Iowa and addresses uniformity across counties, parties, and nonparty political organizations. The objective with this bill is to continue our goal of fair, safe, and secure elections in Iowa. The bill passed 31-18.

As I talked about last week, historic flooding has wreaked havoc in western Iowa communities and farm ground along the Missouri River. The extensive flooding impacted cities and rural areas alike. Whether it is homeowners in towns, business owners, or farmers, the high water left an overwhelming number of Iowans struggling with the flood recovery.

Flood damages are estimated in excess of $2 billion. Businesses and homeowners face unanswered questions as they return to areas where the water has receded. Farmers face the same uncertainty as more than 100,000 acres of farm ground were under water as a result of the flooding.

We have been vocal about inaction at the federal level, and with the potential of more flooding in the coming weeks the true financial impact will not be known for quite some time. 

Governor Kim Reynolds has issued Executive Order #4, which establishes the Flood Recovery Advisory Board. That group is given the responsibility to assist and coordinate a comprehensive recovery and rebuilding effort. The advisory board will work with federal, state, and local governments as well as various organizations to rebuild those communities and people impacted by the devastating flooding.

The governor also requested a funding package of $15 million in Fiscal Year 2019, and $10 million in FY2020, which is directed to go toward the workforce housing tax credit to assist Iowans with housing improvements in the flooded areas. We stand ready with Governor Reynolds to assist those individuals and businesses recovering from this disaster.

See you out and about the district.

I am the chair of the Transportation Committee, and serve on the Agriculture, International Relations, and Natural Resources & Environment Committees. Please feel free to contact me by email at tim.kapucian@legis.iowa.gov