Government : Tenth Week of the 2025 Legislative Session

Preparing for debate with Senator Gruenhagen

We are now to the point in the legislative session where most of our time is spent with floor debate, but we are also discussing legislation from the House in subcommittees and committees. This week, we also received more appointees from the Governor, so we were focused on talking with those appointees about the positions they have been appointed for.
 
One of the bills that were brought to the floor was Senate File 311, which reforms the civil service discipline process and bans the use of civilian review boards in Iowa. The goal of the bill is to provide more objective standards regarding disciplinary decisions involving civil service employees, like police officers. Too often citizen review boards become outlets for defund-the-police activism and deprive law enforcement officers of their right to due process. These changes are put in place to clarify the role of our police, fire, and other civil service employees to ensure they can do their job effectively. It also gives our brave men and women in law enforcement the due process they are guaranteed, brings more transparency to the disciplinary process, and helps support officers as they try to do a very difficult job and keep our communities safe.
 
We also passed Senate File 22, knows as the "hands free" bill. As we all know, distracted driving has become an increasingly larger problem in Iowa and across the country, and often is the cause of many traffic fatalities, injuries, and damage. In 2023, Iowa saw a total of 1,049 crashes caused by distracted driving, with four resulting in death. This bill bans the use of electronic devices while driving, unless used in a voice-activated or hands-free mode. There are some exceptions, like for health care professionals in emergency situations or for public safety officials in their professional capacity, but it is aimed at people who are texting and driving, or watching videos, or doing many other things other than focusing on the road and others driving around them. We have heard from a lot of Iowans on this issue, and we are confident this bill will help make our roads safer for all who are on them.
 
The Senate also passed Senate File 469, establishing an emeritus physician license for a physician who is at least 60 years old and will be helping supervise and train resident physicians. As we continue to tackle Iowa's workforce challenges, particularly in health care, this change will help provide an incentive for doctors to help train and educate the next generation. By creating an incentive for our physicians to continue their work, we can continue to sustain our current health care workforce while ensuring those coming up in the field are adequately trained and supervised throughout the early stages of their career.
 
Another important bill the Senate passed this week was Senate Joint Resolution 9. The resolution proposes an amendment to the Iowa Constitution to protect children and adults with disabilities from having to face an abuser in a courtroom. This bill was brought to us by the Attorney General after a court case was recently decided. Before that, witnesses could testify outside of a court room. Iowa is now currently the only state that doesn't allow this option. Senate Joint Resolution 9 is an important protection for the most vulnerable victims as they go through the grueling process of testifying in court and help support them as they look for justice.
 
Responsible, Sustainable, Conservative Budgeting
 
Last week the Iowa Revenue Estimating Conference (REC) met to talk about our state's budget outlook and give us updated numbers so we can start shaping our budget for the next fiscal year. The meeting gives us an update both on where we are looking to end the fiscal year and what revenue is projected to be for the upcoming budget we will be working on.
 
Due to responsible budgeting, our state was able to implement one of the most historic tax bills in our state's history, making Iowa's income tax rate a flat 3.8% for all Iowans. Not only are many areas being funded and taxes are being cut, but with how well our state has managed the budget and the economic growth we have seen, we enacted a flat tax one year sooner than originally planned. I am confident that if we continue to budget responsibly, we can support Iowans and create a stronger economy in our state.