The Rozenboom Report – February 9th, 2024
by Senator Ken Rozenboom
It is the end of Week 5 in the Iowa Senate, and we are coming up from the first major legislative deadline of the year. As the chairman of the Senate Education committee, I have been processing the 60 bills that have been assigned to our committee. We have approximately 12 more bills to pass through the committee next week. Any bills that are not approved in committee by next Friday are considered dead for the year.
An AEA update
Let me provide a brief update on the Governor’s proposed legislation to modernize the Area Education Agencies (AEA) system. Two weeks ago I provided an overview of why I believe the AEA system needs to be updated. Today my message is that, while the Governor made significant changes to her original proposal, that proposal is bogged down in the legislature. We in the Iowa Senate are preparing an amendment that will offer our own vision of how the AEA system can carry out its mission in the future.
It’s been my pleasure to work very closely with Sen. Lynn Evans as we consider possible changes to this complicated system. Lynn’s experience as a former school superintendent and his extensive history of working with the AEA system makes him uniquely qualified to craft legislation to improve the current system. We are also working closely with the AEA chief administrators to learn how we can make the system more flexible and responsive. One of our talented bill drafters is working over the weekend to finish work on our amendment, and we hope we can unveil our solutions early next week. Stay tuned.
Postpartum Medicaid coverage
Another issue that got some attention this week is Senate Study Bill 3140. In her Condition of the State speech last month, Governor Kim Reynolds spoke about extending postpartum Medicaid coverage for low-income Iowa women from 60 days to 12 months. Her legislation to accomplish that goal, SSB 3140, advanced in the Senate this week. It reduces current income eligibility from over $93,000 annually for a household of three to over $53,000 annually for a household of three, while extending coverage from 60 days to 12 months. Eligible women will now be covered during the months of pregnancy through a year following the end of the pregnancy.
Public assistance programs like Medicaid should be available for low-income Iowans, not for people making nearly $100,000 per year. Iowa is one of a handful of states that offer only two months of postpartum coverage for women, but income eligibility in Iowa is the most generous in the country. The changes in this bill bring Iowa in line with many other states both for income eligibility and duration of coverage. This policy is consistent with many of Senate Republicans’ policies that advanced over the years to ensure public assistance programs are available for people truly in need, and are not utilized by people with the means to provide for themselves.
The Senate Health and Human Services Committee also passed another bill to help support Iowa’s mothers. Senate Study Bill 3114 updates the More Options for Maternal Support (MOMS) program to provide more accessibility to pregnancy support services for pregnant women in Iowa. This legislation also gives more flexibility to the Iowa Health and Human Services department to distribute the funding allocated to them to help support women throughout and after their pregnancy.
Protecting Iowa’s Farmland
Last week the Senate advanced Senate File 2204. This bill further protects one of Iowa’s greatest resources, its farmland, from being purchased by foreign entities like the communist Chinese government. For years Iowa has had one of the toughest laws in the country regarding foreign ownership of land. This year the governor proposed an update to strengthen those laws to ensure Iowa’s land stays in the hands of Iowans and Americans.
SF 2204 increases reporting requirements from foreign corporations owning more than 250 acres of land from annual to twice per year. Foreign entities must register land within 60 days of acquisition and if they fail to register in a timely manner, they would be subject to a penalty of up to 25% of the assessed value of the land. Under the bill, if a foreign entity fails to file the biennial report or provides false information, it will be subject to a fine of up to $10k per offense.
Iowa has some of the most productive farmland in the world and it provides the world with safe, plentiful, and affordable food. A safe and reliable food supply is a critical aspect of America’s national security. No country can survive or defend itself without a safe and abundant food supply. This bill enhances already strong protections surrounding Iowa’s farmland and ensures a food supply for our country.
As we work through all these proposals in advance of our deadline next week, we are sure to be busy on a number of topics. Please feel free to reach out with any questions or comments on these proposals. I always appreciate hearing about what is important from my district.
