Hello, Iowa House District 84 from the State Capitol!

This last week was the second funnel week, and the legislature continued to pass many bills that are intended to help basically all Iowans. Back in 2020 at the start of COVID-19, countless rules and regulations were enacted by governors across the United States. Far too many constitutional rights were ignored during this time. Too many governors mandated COVID shots, closed places of worship, unilaterally changed election laws, and even regulated conduct within a private residence. Remember how some states kept their schools closed and substituted the failed remote learning option? The top ten states having the least in-person learning during the pandemic were blue states. Research shows this created more hardships for lower-income families due to less access to resources for remote learning, lifetime earnings reduced, and a lower life expectancy overall.

Governor Kim Reynolds was arguably one of the best governors in the country dealing with COVID. However, since Iowa code had little to nothing addressing this specifically, the house passed House File 2694 on Tuesday, March 10^th to protect all Iowans and their freedoms from any future emergency. Four main safeguards it prevents are: closing places of worship, unilaterally changing election law, mandating a vaccination, and regulating conduct within a private residence.

HF 2538 passed on the house floor, which gives teachers more authority to maintain a learning environment in classrooms. This bill allows teachers to remove disruptive, threatening, or violent students. The bill also intends to improve the outcomes for students with IEPs by requiring teachers to read IEP and 504 reports and ensuring paraprofessionals are included in IEP meetings.

HF 2716 addresses welfare reform to protect its sustainability long-term. The bill expands eligibility for the Medicaid for Employed Persons with Disabilities program by increasing the Federal Poverty Limit from 250% to 300% of FPL. This will allow more disabled Iowans to qualify and to accept raises and promotions without fear of losing Medicaid coverage. It also increases the base reimbursement rate for Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) providers in rural areas to cover the travel time and expenses. The bill also, among many other proposals, updates state code to ensure Iowa remains in compliance with the federal One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB).

March 11^th was the annual Iowa Hospital Association Day on the Hill, and Tina Eden, CEO and CNO from Vinton’s own Virginia Gay Hospital came to the capitol to advocate for the importance of Iowa’s hospitals. There are 121 hospitals in 90 counties employing 76,000 people, contributed $22.9 billion to Iowa’s economy, paid $6 billion in wages & benefits to their employees, and are ranked 4^th by U.S. News and World Report for health care affordability! These hospitals also provided $346 million in charity care in 2025!

Have a great week and stay safe & healthy. I hope you weathered the blizzard unscathed!