Hello, Iowa House District 84 from the State Capitol!

It seems like these weeks are flying by, but the reason this week seemed short was because of the caucuses last Monday evening. Three out of the first four weeks under the golden dome have been shorter due to speeches in the first week, MLK day, then caucuses.

On Wednesday, I was part of a subcommittee for House File 2129, which we passed on to the full Labor & Workforce Committee for their consideration. This bill could potentially help in two ways by addressing the potentially large future shortage of water and wastewater operators and providing job opportunities for Dept. of Corrections inmates.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, it’s estimated that there will be a 7% national decline of water & wastewater operators between 2024-34. The median pay in 2024 was over $58,000 per year, or at least $28/hour. The level of education required is high school diploma or equivalent, and you don’t need previous experience, as there’s on-the-job-training! There are 763 wastewater treatment plants in Iowa, according to https://www.waterandwastewater.com/us-wastewater-treatment-plants-map/.

People close to being released and have had good behavior would be good candidates for these jobs, earn a great income, be self-reliant, and not be a burden on society. The bill appropriates $500,000 from the general fund to the Dept. of Corrections to start this pilot program to implement and administer the program.

Another bill in the works in House Study Bill 674, The Iowa Skilled Workforce Act. This bill intends to promote the turnout for trades such as plumbers, HVAC technicians, and teachers. This bill increases the 84E Apprenticeship Act funding from $3 million to $4.5 million. It also encourages pre-apprenticeship programs in K-12 schools to show students a clear path to success before they even graduate!

Wednesday, Feb. 4^th, was the annual Iowa State University Day at the Capitol in the rotunda. There were many booths touting all sorts of accomplishments, but one that impressed me was a booth with a humanoid and dog robot! This dog could do all sorts of movements and could eventually do dangerous jobs to save human lives. This Des Moines news station did a story on it and the website https://www.weareiowa.com/article/tech/iowa-state-robotics-team-humanoid-quadruped-robot-development-technology-advancement/524-24e3290a-8403-4e21-bbd5-2a1ca3b8a2f5 has a very interesting short video on it.

Have a great week and Valentine’s Day weekend!