Update From the House for District 80 – March 22, 2019
Holly Brink (District 80) signs her Oath of Office on Monday, January 14, 2019.
by Rep. Holly Brink
3/22/2019
Hello Friends,
Moving along from last week, the House committees has begun to assign Senate files for consideration. Early this week I met for my first Senate file subcommittee meeting for Senate File 316. SF 316, if signed by Governor Reynolds, would establish an interim study committee to conduct a study on state and federal laws regarding Individual Education Programs (IEP) and their effects on students suffering from behavior, emotional, and social issues. The aim of the study is to provide a clear picture as to the effectiveness of said policies on students and teacher alike in matters of inclusiveness and academic success. By dedicating a study committee to this issue, we will be able to know what issues need to be addressed with the IEPs and can then begin planning our next steps to improving upon these programs. While SF 316 was in the Senate it passed 49-0. I appreciate working on the bill with Representatives Meyer of Webster (R) and Mascher of Johnson (D) and I am looking forward to our report in the Education committee.
Though our committee meetings have begun to pick up again, the House still remains focused on the floor debates. This week I have had the honor of running two bills on the floor: House Files 499 and 700. HF 499 is the successor bill to HF 136, a bill of whose subcommittee I chair. Keeping to its predecessor, HF 499 fixes language in the current law regarding the passenger requirements for a motor vehicle to be considered a school bus. As of now, Iowa’s law regarding the definition of “school bus” varies from the federal law definition of “school bus”. To rectify this difference, we will be matching the passenger limit to “10 persons or less, including the driver”. I believe that by tidying up the law’s language, we will have a more defined standard for our school’s transportation resources.
The second bill I ran, HF 700, is also a successor to a bill I managed within my committee, HF 447. HF 700, like its predecessor, seeks to allow medical professionals to dispense lifesaving medicine, at their discretion, for a prescription that may have expired. This is balanced to limit this transaction to occur only once every twelve months and can only be given a thirty day supply. By adding this provision, it allows pharmacist and other medical distributors to aid patients in need while also limiting the possibility of abuse on the system. I was happy to run the bill through the floor and I am looking forward to what the Senate has to say about the bill.
There has been one bill that has come to the floor this week that I believe will address some of the most vital needs in this state: children’s mental health. While I did not have the opportunity to serve on these bills, I am glad to have voted in favor of House File 690. HF 690 organizes a statewide children’s mental health system and outlines the services that such a system provides. Once in place, the system shall be placed under the supervision of a state board whose members shall come from several different departments, ranging from Education and Human Services. Important to the development of this system is that it can be established in a sustainable and reliable fashion so that it may be readily accessible for children who desperately need these vital services. I’m proud to have been a ‘Yes’ vote on this bill and I am excited to see where this system will go.
As always, we continue to remain busy here in Des Moines as we continue to bring legislation to the floor. Having made it through two weeks of solid debate, I look forward to many more! Again, I want to say it’s a pleasure serving you all in the Iowa House and that I appreciate all the support. If you have any questions or concerns about current legislation, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Holly Brink
State Representative, Iowa District 80
(641)295-7111
Holly.brink@legis.iowa.gov
