The Seventh Week of Session
With the first funnel week complete, the house chamber is continuing to prioritize necessary legislation and focusing on debate. I am so thankful for all of the dedication and teamwork from both sides of the aisle. Both parties are striving to meet the needs of Iowans and drafting positive legislation as the outcome. In this week’s newsletter I have included a couple positive bills which passed through the Iowa House.
Retaining Health Care Professionals in Iowa
House File 2383
Iowa faces a shortage of health care providers in many areas of the state. Easing this shortage and attracting health care providers, specifically to rural communities, has been one of House Members’ top priorities over the last several sessions.
We can start to address a shortage of providers by keeping our best and brightest right here in the state. House File 2383 aims to do just that by requiring the University of Iowa Colleges of Medicine and Dentistry to prioritize Iowa students over out-of-state students. This legislation requires at least 75% of admitted students to be residents of Iowa or to have completed their undergrad here in the state.
House File 2383 will help Iowa retain health care professionals to practice here after graduation. Students with previous ties to the state are more likely to stay in Iowa, work in Iowa, pay taxes in Iowa, and raise their families in Iowa. There is no guarantee that students from New York or California will remain in the state following graduation.
Protecting Free Speech – Reducing Frivolous Lawsuits
House File 2339
In 2017, a small family-owned newspaper in western Iowa published a story about a local police officer’s inappropriate relationship with a teenager and other previous questionable actions. This story ultimately led to the resignation of the police officer, who was under threat of termination. The ex-officer then sued the paper for libel.
The newspaper ultimately won the lawsuit but was forced to incur thousands of dollars in legal fees, simply for exposing the truth.
These types of lawsuits, known as Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP), are intended to silence bad press and suppress free speech by dragging people through costly and lengthy court fights.
House File 2339 provides individuals with a new avenue to have frivolous SLAPP lawsuits reviewed by a judge in a timely manner, so they can be dismissed early in the legal process. This legislation ensures that freedom of speech is protected and that when someone’s bad actions or misdeeds are brought to light, they are held accountable.
Encouraging Youth Entrepreneurship
House File 2238
House Republicans are always looking for ways to unleash our small businesses and reduce the amount of burdensome and costly regulations that stifle growth.
One of the smallest of small businesses are lemonade stands run by neighborhood kids. Lemonade stands provide kids with great life lessons at an early age so they can learn important basic skills like real-world math, budgeting, and money management. Unfortunately, we have all seen news stories where a lemonade stand being run by the neighborhood kids has been shut down for not holding proper permits.
House File 2238 would prevent local governments from creating or enacting policies that crack down on food stands run by minors. We should be encouraging our children’s entrepreneurial spirit, not crushing it.
I would once again like to thank all of my constituents back home who have allowed me the privilege and honor to serve as their voice in the Iowa House.
