Hello, Iowa House District 84 from the State Capitol!

The Iowa House continued to crank through a huge amount of bills that were filed and have advanced through their appropriate committees. I don’t know the exact amount, but I’ve heard anywhere between 1000 and 2000 bills were filed this year, and over 300 made it through the first funnel week.

Although I’m not a member, the Government Oversight Committee has uncovered some disturbing findings in an investigation of court debt funds by the Iowa Judicial Branch. In 2025, the House Government Oversight Committee conducted a thorough investigation into the approximately $25 million that was misallocated by the Iowa Judicial Branch. This week, the committee voted to approve a Majority Report detailing all that was learned during that investigation.

While the state’s General Fund was overpaid, critical programs were shortchanged, including the Road Use Tax Fund (shorted $10.4 million), the Victim Compensation Fund (shorted $3.7 million), and the Juvenile Detention Home Fund (shorted $3.5 million).

The report details a pattern of financial mismanagement, three years of concealment from the public, and a failure by the State Auditor to conduct necessary oversight. Chairman Thomson’s report highlights the following major conclusions:

• A “Deliberate Pattern of Concealment”: The Judicial Branch was aware of issues in 2021 but did not notify the Legislature until September 2024, instead choosing to “quietly fix the problem itself” by hiring consultants who were not certified public accountants. Auditor Sand was alerted to the issue in the fall of 2022, a full two years before anyone in the Iowa House was made aware.
• A “Stunning Abdication” by Rob Sand: The report is particularly critical of the State Auditor’s lack of action. It states, “State Auditor Rob Sand’s office was notified of the issue on October 7, 2022. His Chief of Staff responded that they would ‘take it from here.’ They did nothing of the sort. […] Auditor Sand’s comments to the Committee leave him in no danger of being confused with some fearless crusader for the general welfare of Iowans.”
• Unanswered Questions: To date, “no one can state with credible certainty… whether any funds were improperly diverted to private hands.”

A big problem around the country, including Iowa, is a shortage of health care workers. Last week, we passed House File 2226 that intends to help with a shortage of nurses in the state. HF 2226, if signed into law, will require the University of Iowa to accept a minimum of 70% of nursing students to be Iowa residents. Data shows that out-of-state students with no Iowa ties are far more likely to leave the state after graduation. Iowa has plenty of qualified students that are more likely to stay here, which helps all Iowans!

Last week brought at least three constituents from the district to the capitol! Wednesday was Pharmacy Day on the Hill, and pharmacy students Taylor Munson of Walker and Natalie Boyer of Vinton were advocating for funding Iowa Medicaid pharmacy reimbursements, protecting the 340B Program, and continued protection of Senate File 383. SF 383 was signed into law last year and helps protect patients from the abuses of pharmacy benefit managers. Thursday was the annual Iowa Pork Producers Association Day on the Hill, with Board of Directors member Denise Wiley of Walker also at the capitol.

Have a great week and stay safe & healthy!