Hite Capitol Update – February 17th, 2022
by Distin Hite
This week is funnel week, and quite a bit has happened since my last newsletter. The first funnel is the point in the session where a bill must make it through its committee on one side of the legislature or it is dead. This doesn’t apply to bills in Ways and Means and Appropriations, along with some other committees. However, no idea is truly off the table until we are done for the session.
On Wednesday afternoon, the House passed what I would call the most historic tax cut in the state of Iowa. House File 2317 moves the state to a flat income tax rate of 4%, and eliminates the income tax on retirement income and farm rental income for our farmers who use their land as their retirement plan. This plan provides a tax cut for all Iowa tax payers. A single mother with one child who makes $15.00 per hour would see her Iowa tax bill go from $1,215.00 to $751.00. A family of four earning $60,000.00 per year would see their taxes go from $2,287.00 to $1,348.00.
As an attorney, I often have conversations with retired clients about moving out of state to eliminate their state income tax burden. I am happy that I will no longer be having those conversations with clients. House File 2317 positions Iowa to be competitive throughout the country when people decide where they want to live, work, raise a family and retire. This is a plan that has been years in the making, starting with conservative budgeting and spending by Republicans, which put us in a place where we can keep more money in the pockets of Iowans.
On Thursday, Governor Reynolds signed the school funding bill into law. It provides a 2.5% increase in SSA to schools, along with $5.00 per pupil in equity funding and keeps the transportation equity piece that Republicans have pushed for the last several years. With this bill, Iowa schools are at record funding, showing that education remains one of our top priorities.
Also on the education front this week, I held a subcommittee on House Study Bill 702. We know that the vast majority of Iowa teachers are hard working people who do their best for our students. Unfortunately, like any group, there are some bad actors. Over the past several months, I have been looking into incidents of misconduct by teachers and how we deal with them in the State of Iowa. Unfortunately, far too many of these cases involve sexual abuse of students. I have also spoken with parents of some students who have been victims. During the subcommittee on the bill, representatives from the BOEE, the board that licenses teachers, described the process they followed when a teacher who abused a student wanted to get their license back. It is my opinion that any person who sexually abused a child should never be a teacher again.
I proposed HSB 702 to address these issues. It changes the makeup of the BOEE to include more members of the public. It outlaws confidentiality agreements where schools would agree not to talk with potential employers and provides some immunity for schools who do. It requires the BOEE to keep records of all unfounded reports and reevaluate them if a pattern is seen. It ensures local schools keep records of complaints and fines administrators who fail to do so. It mandates reporting of child abuse for all children, not just children 12 and under as is current law. Finally, it requires that the BOEE report any pending investigations to any potential employers.
As I said, we know the vast majority of our teachers are good, hardworking people. However, we owe it to our children to ensure that school is a safe place, and address the issues with the current system. I suspect that this bill will see substantial changes as it makes its way through the system, but every bill must start somewhere.
Although funnel week has come to a close, we will continue to work on issues affecting Iowans in the upcoming weeks. I encourage you to visit us at the Capitol when we’re in session. If we can find a free minute, we can even make the trip to the top of the dome. Do not hesitate to email me at dustin.hite@legis.iowa.gov with any questions, comments, or concerns.
