The following is a legislative update from State Senator Waylon Brown, representing Iowa Senate District 26 which includes portions of Cerro Gordo, Mitchell, Worth, Floyd, Howard, Chickasaw and Howard counties:
It’s been another busy week at the State Capitol. I have been involved in lots of daily subcommittee meetings as well as my regular committee meetings, and we have had another great week of visitors at the Capitol.
I was pleased to visit with 4H members from Worth and Mitchell counties as they toured the Statehouse. It is always fun for me to welcome friendly faces from my days as a 4H’er in Worth County.
This week I’d like to tell you about the new Fuel Access bill. This bill creates an environment promoting renewable biofuels and consumer choice at the pump. It also has components helping retailers with improvement costs at their stations. In the end, this bill will increase the value of Iowa crops (corn and soybeans), maintain high paying jobs at corn and soybean processing plants, keep multiple fuel choices at the gas stations, and offer high quality, lower cost liquids fuels for consumers to choose. This is bipartisan legislation and great policy for Iowa.
According to this legislation current fuel retailers will need to offer E15 by 1/1/2026 and all newly constructed fuel retail sites opening after January 2023 must offer E15. The legislation does not apply to diesel-only truck stops or airports.
I’ve been appointed to work on the governor’s Workforce Bill in the Senate State Government Committee. We are currently working through proposed legislation which addresses these issues in growing our Iowa workforce professionals:
- The Rural Iowa Primary Care Loan Forgiveness Program is amended to eliminate the requirement residency programs are to be completed within Iowa. It expands eligible recipients to include neurologists and physicians who did not sign an agreement during their final year. It also adds part-time qualifications to rural practice requirement instead of only full-time practice in rural Iowa for 5 consecutive years. “Part-time” is defined as at least 70% of a forty-hour work week. A program can exceed it’s allocated 20 program agreements when there is a surplus of funds available. Existing loan agreements entered into prior to July 1, 2022, may amend them to reflect the changes made in this Act.
- Under the Health Professional Recruitment Program, it amends the definition of “eligible institution” to include a community college and the definition of “health care professional” to include advance registered nurse practitioner and registered nurse. This will allow a RN or ARNP to be eligible for loan repayment who graduated from an Iowa institution. It changes the Health Care Loan Repayment Program into the Health Care Award Program that provides financial awards instead of loan repayment to RNs, ARNPs, PAs, and nurse educators. It expands the qualification of a nurse educator to include full-time and part-time teaching, as long as the part-time nurse educator is also a practicing RN or ARNP. The financial award is $6,000 for up to five consecutive years, for a total of $30,000.
- Permits a licensing board to expedite the occupational license of a spouse of an active duty member of the military licensed in another state, similar to existing procedure of a veteran. A provisional license shall be issued to a spouse if the board determines the license in another state does not have a substantially similar scope of practice. During this provisional period, the spouse shall be informed of the necessary requirements to obtain full state licensure. It removes military spouses, state residency, and 1-year licensure requirement from the universal licensing provisions, except for electrical, plumbing, and mechanical license. It expands the license application fee waiver to include a veteran with at least 25% service-connected disability.
- IDPH shall waive the EMT certificate examination fee for an individual who is on federal active duty, or was honorably or general discharged from federal duty, or national guard duty.
- An Iowan who served in the military on federal active duty, regardless of disability or being a P.O.W., is eligible to apply for a lifetime hunting and fishing license.
- The Iowa DOT shall not charge a fee for a noncommercial driver’s license or a motorcycle license to a veteran with a permanent service -connected disability rating of 100%. A fee shall also not be charged for a chauffeur license or CDL to both military and national guard members and veterans of both state and federal service. It restricts enforcement of parking meters or parking fees by cities on a vehicle with Medal of Honor, Ex-P.O.W., Purple Heart, or Disabled Veteran registration plates.
- The Electrical Examining Board, Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board, and State Building Code Advisory Council authority will create the Iowa Building Code that includes uniform standard building codes across Iowa.
