Hello, Iowa House District 84 from the State Capitol!

Iowa state legislators have heard countless times about how there are shortages of healthcare workers, especially in rural areas. On March 31^st, the Iowa House passed House File 2743 – the Rural Health Transformation Plan. HF 2743 became a reality due to the “One Big Beautiful Bill” (OBBB) that was signed into law by President Trump on July 4^th, 2025.

OBBB is distributing grants to states to invest in improving healthcare across the country, and Iowa is the first state to administer these funds, which is $209 million for the first year of a five-year grant program. $66 million of this is currently being distributed to rural hospitals to purchase advanced technology that wasn’t previously available in rural areas. Another $12.6 million will go to recruiting bonuses and relocation assistance for family medicine doctors, OB-GYNs, psychiatrists, and specialized nurses. According to a 2023 study found here: https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/issue-briefs/2025/nov/state-rural-primary-care-united-states, nationally, “92% of rural counties were designated primary care health professional shortage areas (HPSAs).” Iowa has 16 rural counties designated by this study that did not have shortages. It appears Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska had the best ratings nationwide, while the rest of the states’ counties fared worse. A significant portion of the remaining funds is dedicated to lowering Iowa’s high cancer rates.

On April 1^st, the Iowa House passed SF 378, which raises the speed limit on state highways from 55 mph to 60 mph and the bill goes to Governor Kim Reynolds for her consideration. The bill still allows speed limits to be controlled by the Dept. of Transportation for roads that need lower limits, such as on curves, hills, or high-traffic intersections that make a 60-mph unsafe. If signed into law, applicable signs would then be changed with an overlay (stickers) to save costs rather than replacing the whole sign.

The Iowa House also passed HF 2700, which requires English language proficiency for a person to get a CDL to drive on Iowa roads. This bill will help make our roads safer and hopefully reduce potential traffic accidents and fatalities caused by people who do not know the rules of the road. This bill requires passing a computer-based proficiency exam before a CDL is issued or renewed. The bill goes to Gov. Reynolds for her consideration.

Kirkwood Community College released a survey last week that found employers struggling to hire qualified candidates. The survey found 62% of regional employers having significant difficulty filling open positions over the last year. 92% of employers also found their workforce struggled with basic work habits, attendance, accountability, reliability, and job-specific technical skills. Expanded apprenticeships and work-based learning are being considered to better prepare people. You can go to https://view.publitas.com/kirkwood-community-college/skills-report-2027-brochure/page/1 to read more of the survey.

Have a safe and healthy week and weekend!