Hite Capitol Update – February 12, 2021
by Dustin Hite
House Republicans spent this last week at the Capitol making great progress on some of our top legislative priorities this session, among those being access to affordable child care and additional education funding to address the added costs schools have experienced due to the pandemic. As well, the House Human Resources Committee considered multiple bills addressing the need to recruit and retain health care providers in the state.
The House Education Committee considered and passed an increase in SSA/Per Pupil Funding out of committee, which was then debated by the House Thursday evening. The House passed a 2.4% increase in this funding. This increases the State Cost Per Pupil amount, including the additional $10 per pupil, from $7,048 to $7,227 and increase of $179. This also continues to address transportation equity which is raised at the same rate as SSA.
Six pieces of legislation to address Iowa’s child care shortage from multiple angles were passed in the House this week:
HF 230 – Increases the income threshold for the Child Care Tax Credit from $45,000 to $90,000.
HF 370 – Creates an incentive for employers to provide child care for their employees by providing a tax credit up to $150,000.
HF 260 – Allows individuals providing child care in their homes to take care of 6 or fewer children, an increase from 5 or fewer.
HF 292 – Raises Iowa’s child care rates to the 50th percentile according to the Market Rate Survey.
HF 302 – Creates an “off ramp” from Child Care Assistance program so parents can continue to grow in their career without losing their child care assistance entirely, all at once.
HF 301 – Creates a fund to provide child care workforce grants on a dollar-for-dollar matching basis from communities. These programs will help move child care providers up the pay scale and the education pathway.
This is an issue many of us heard about repeatedly on the campaign trail and now we are taking action. Iowa House Republicans are committed to addressing Iowa’s need to expand access to affordable, quality child care. These pieces of legislation are important steps in the right direction.
The House Human Resources Committee passed multiple bills to recruit and retain health care providers in Iowa this week. House Study Bill 168 and House File 270 focus on medical training at the University of Iowa, the state’s only taxpayer funded medical school and hospital.
HSB 168 focuses on the initial medical school training by requiring the University of Iowa medical and dental schools to have 75% of their admitted students be from the state of Iowa.
HF 270 focuses on the next stage of health care education, at the medical residency level following graduating from medical school. This bill similarly requires the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics to offer a medical residency audition rotation and interview to those with an Iowa connection (Iowa resident, undergraduate degree from an Iowa college, or medical degree from an Iowa medical school) in the top 6 most needed medical specialties in Iowa, including OB/GYN and psychiatry.
Iowans know that if a medical student or medical resident has a connection to the state and then is able to complete their training here while in their mid-20s and 30s, it is more likely they set roots, start their family, and stay and practice in Iowa. The primary role of a state university receiving hundreds of millions in taxpayer funding should be training medical professionals to practice in Iowa after graduation. Too often our state universities waste significant time and money training medical students/residents who have no interest in staying in Iowa. For example, not a single graduate of the last two OB/GYN residency classes from UIHC stayed to practice in Iowa.
The committee also passed Senate File 129. This bill was brought forward by the Iowa Medical Society to expand access to the Rural Iowa Primary Care Loan Repayment Program by allowing OB/GYNs to participate in the program, allow for additional part-time practice options for those receiving the loan repayment, and to allow psychiatrists to practice in additional Iowa communities and still receive loan forgiveness.
House Republicans are continuously working to find ways to expand health care workforce and these bills are important steps to build up the pipeline of future Iowa physicians.
Finally, I would like to close by again inviting you to come visit the Capitol while we are in session. The Capitol remains open to the public this year, but I would also encourage you to plan a trip next year when this whole pandemic is behind us. As always, please email me at dustin.hite@legis.iowa.gov with any questions, comments, or concerns.
