The Rozenboom Report by Senator Ken Rozenboom – March 1, 2019

Sen. Ken Rozenboom (R-District 40)

by Senator Ken Rozenboom

This was the seventh week of the 2019 legislative session, a week busy with subcommittee meetings. Next week is the first funnel week of the year, meaning Senate bills need to be out of Senate committees by Friday in order to be considered for the rest of the year. The funnel deadline does not apply to bills that are in Appropriations, Ways & Means, or Government Oversight committees.

One topic of conversations at the Capitol this week was Senate File 348. This bill is from Governor Kim Reynolds and allows for the dispensing of self-administered hormonal contraceptives by a pharmacist without a previous consultation and prescription of a doctor. This means a patient who is 18 years or older can receive a one-year supply of one of three different contraceptives. It also requires pharmacists who dispense it to complete a training program and obtain a completed self-screening risk assessment from each patient before dispensing contraceptives. In the event the assessment raises possible complications the pharmacist can refuse dispensing of the contraceptive and will refer the patient to a physician. If the pharmacist does dispense the supply of contraceptives the patient is eligible for one additional year before she must visit a physician. As the bill continues to go through discussions in the Senate, please contact me with any comments or concerns on the proposal.

Senate Study Bill 1190 passed the Education Committee on Wednesday. It eliminates regulations such as the requirement school districts use environmentally-friendly cleaning products or requiring notice of a public hearing in a newspaper, and instead allowing online notice. Local school boards can still continue those practices; the bill simply removes these mandates for schools. Decisions such as these are best made at the local level with local school boards. An amendment restored state requirements for school districts to have librarians and nurses.

Senate Study Bill 1197 started making its way through the Senate Human Resources Committee on Wednesday. This bill builds on the success of last year’s complex needs bill, which created a system for adults with mental health concerns. SSB 1197 establishes a children’s behavioral health system in the state of Iowa. This bill is a result of an executive order by Governor Reynolds and recommendations from a workgroup on mental health in Iowa. Many people showed up for the subcommittee to discuss what they liked about the bill and additions they thought would be beneficial for the state. I look forward to seeing this bill move forward and am interested to see what it will look like in its final form.

Also this week the Senate considered another priority for Governor Reynolds. Senate Study Bill 1046 is a proposed Constitutional Amendment to restore the right to vote for any convicted felon who has completed their sentence. If approved by this General Assembly, it will also need to be approved by the following General Assembly before going to the people of Iowa for a vote.

This week, Senate Republicans released budget targets for the next fiscal year. The overall budget of $7,619,300,000 is the same amount of funding allocated for the previous fiscal year, but does include millions of new dollars in spending. This is possible due to one-time expenditures we had last year that are not required this year. The budget targets proposed implement a sustainable, responsible, and conservative budget that funds our priorities in education, health care, and public safety all while providing millions in additional tax relief for Iowans. With the release of these numbers, budget negotiations with the governor and the House of Representatives will continue. This budget puts dollars in areas that are priorities for Iowans. Senate Republicans remain committed to Iowa taxpayers and the responsibility of spending their hard-earned money wisely, and we are dedicated to putting this money towards policies to grow our state.