The following is a legislative update from State Senator Amanda Ragan, representing portions of Franklin, Butler and Cerro Gordo counties:
The 2021 legislative session is now in overtime. Although the scheduled end date was April 30, the vast majority of the state budget still must be finalized. There are also many outstanding policy issues.
It’s time to finish our work on behalf Iowans. My focus all session has been on a COVID Recovery Plan<https://www.senate.iowa.gov/democrats/2021/01/our-covid-recovery-plan/> to get our state back on track following the upheaval of the pandemic.
Whether it’s small businesses, front-line health care workers or our public schools, Iowa needs all the help we can get to put the pandemic behind us and get our economy going again.
That’s why I was baffled to learn the Governor had sent $95 million in coronavirus relief back to the federal government instead of giving schools the option to use it for COVID-19 testing that would keep students and educators safer.
Democrats on the House and Senate Oversight committees have requested meetings to review the handling of Federal COVID relief funds, which should be used to the benefit of Iowans.
Iowans deserve to know where their tax dollars are going. As legislators, we should responsibly monitor funding that comes our way to ensure it’s used as intended. It’s the only way we can build back better, bigger and stronger than ever.
Expanding Broadband
The pandemic has made us even more aware of the need for all Iowans to have access to high-speed Internet in their homes—for health care, education, work and staying connected to loved ones. It’s become a key component of our economy and quality of life.
On April 28, a bill that aims to expand high-speed Internet throughout the state (HF 848<https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ga=89&ba=HF848>) was signed into law, following unanimous approval in the House and Senate. The legislation creates a grant program to provide service where it’s needed most.
Funding to support the grant program is expected to be a part of budget bills yet to be passed by the Legislature. In addition, President Biden’s American Rescue Plan is expected to provide significant funding above what the Legislature approves.
Expanding pharmacy services
Pharmacists are well-trained on how medications interact and have expertise with a variety of prescription and over-the-counter drugs, putting them in a good position to efficiently prescribe, test and consult with patients on managing chronic diseases and diagnosing acute infections.
SF 296<https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ga=89&ba=SF296> will help expand convenient access to health care—particularly in rural areas—by authorizing pharmacists to administer COVID-19 vaccines to patients 18 and older. In addition, pharmacists may provide testing and treatment for the flu, strep A and COVID-19, as well as other potential public health emergencies, for patients ages six and older.
The bill also permits collaborative practice agreements, which increase access to health care by allowing doctors, nurse practitioners and other prescribers to delegate certain patient-care functions to a pharmacist, and ensure that the pharmacist is properly reimbursed for their services.
11 thoughts on “Sen. Ragan: “Still time to address Iowa’s critical needs” during legislative session”
Thank God that my kids are are all done with school !!! It gets worse every year thanks to the liberals ruining our schools
The only “critical need” we have is to decertify the teachers union because of their communist ways.
Amanda the Panda..isn’t that a commie thing
Go back o your corrupt teacher union -their the ones who keep putting U in office – they are getting as corrupt as the swamp in DC. Parents are waking up to you and your gang of not so honest GANG !
Keep doing what you are doing Amanda. When you upset idiots like the above, you have to be doing something that helps all Iowans, not just a crazed few.
That’s right, they NEED to teach these kids that all white people are horrible, despicable, rotten people.
They NEED to teach Critical Race Theory(Tommy J. Curry defines CRT as: The view that the law and legal institutions are inherently racist and that race itself, instead of being biologically grounded and natural, is a socially constructed concept that is used by white people to further their economic and political interests at the expense of people of color.) to the children.
They need to confuse the children by teaching them there is hundreds of genders.
Silly ol me doesn’t think it is critical to hold bullcrap political point meetings about sending back the fed’s money. The money had to many strings attached, if you want to know what they are, get off your lazy ass and look them up yourself. I don’t think letting biological males compete with/in female sports is “critical”, nor do I think letting a biological male in the female bathroom is “critical”.
As for the expanding broadband,Our local phone companies have been building out their infrastructure for years. Look at Winnebago Coop Telephone, They have been changing everything to fiber, up to the house, since at least 2009. They upgrade equipment on a regular cycle.
Where I currently am at, I am forced to use Mediacom, service goes up and down like a YO-YO. The speeds are not consistent, and they lie to you about being down.
SINCE these small companies can give up profits, to upgrade, why should the tax-payers fund a protected entity like Mediacom to do their upgrades?
I guess It is “critical”.
You are so far wrong on all counts that I don’t need to reiterate your bs. CRT is needed if we want to see racism in its many forms disappear. Broadband is needed in smaller communities. WCTA does a nice job but their rates continually rise and right now it costs an arm and a leg to subscribe. By the way you are not forced to use Mediacom. You choose to use it. The money that the governor sent back was a political statement by her and nothing more. She is a trumpette through and through.
Lets see, you have one option for internet, but you are not forced to use it.OK how can my kids learn when Amanda won’t let them go to school?
If you live somewhere with only one option for internet, the odds are very high that your kids have been back in school all year. Covid Kim opened all schools a long time ago.
Schools where I currently am, were going,in person, 2 days a week for most of the year. They are finally fully open.
Crappy ass Mediacom is the ONLY choice for landline or internet, and there is only 1 choice of cell carrier if you want to use your phone at home. If you don’t mind having to go 4 blocks, pick any direction(distance is approximate) you can have just about any carrier you want.
CRT is racist as racist gets. SO, by your thinking, we teach children to be racist, to stop racism? Isn’t that like saying that the neighbors have to many kids, so your going to get vasectomy(if male)?
Yes, just plain idiot thinking from the left.
“CRT is needed if we want to see racism in its many forms disappear.”
To explain the BULLSHIT that is Critical Race Theory to most people, let’s put it in everyday words.
CRT= Is a social construct(in other words their saying it’s not natural),that is used to oppress and exploit people of color. Critical race theorists hold that the law and legal institutions in the United States are inherently racist because they function to create and maintain social, economic, and political inequalities between whites and nonwhites, especially African Americans.
I could go through and give that full text of the 6 tenets of Racism, I mean critical race theory, but I feel it is “hate”speech.
Tell us the name of that school. I bet you won’t because you are lying.