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Legislative update from Rep. Henry Stone of First City; meets with auto dealers on electric cars

Rep. Henry Stone (R)

The following is a legislative update from Republican Representative Henry Stone of Forest City, representing portions of Emmet, Kossuth and Winnebago counties in Iowa House District 7:

We are already into week eleven of session and I can’t believe how quickly we are coming towards the end! This week started slow but the action picked up Tuesday evening. The House debated several bills, including the Justice Systems Budget which will now work its way through the Senate.

On Wednesday, we debated HF 2355. This bill will make some changes to Iowa’s unemployment insurance system. The debate was more than four hours long but we finally voted to pass the bill. Later that night, we also passed the Ag & Natural Resources budget. This week I have also been working on a campaign website. I am excited for the upcoming election and I hope my website will make it easier for everyone to learn more about me.

House GOP Stands With Parents, Students On 

Curriculum Transparency Bill

Since the government-imposed shutdowns of schools gave parents a clear view of what their children were learning in schools, curriculum transparency has become the key issue with parents reasserting their fundamental right to know what is being taught to their children. When parents tried to gain more access to what their child was learning, some school boards, administrators, and even some teachers pushed back. Additionally, parents discovered a clear process for gaining access or discussing concerns about instructional material wasn’t available.

Somehow, throughout the 2022 legislative session, Democrats in Des Moines have made the right of parents to know what is being taught inside classrooms a partisan issue. It is an odd stance to take. Parents, regardless of political persuasion, have a right to know what is being taught to their children.

While the vast majority of teachers in Iowa have no concerns with being transparent and providing information to their students’ families, that isn’t always the case. Good teachers will have no problem sharing their lessons and materials while working with parents; bad or ideologically motivated teachers and administrators, on the other hand, will be exposed to parental oversight and can be held responsible.

The ultimate goal of curriculum transparency legislation is to provide families with a tool for accountability. Curriculum transparency battles politics in the classroom from both the left and the right and keeps the culture wars out of the classroom. It lets kids be kids and lets teachers be teachers.

HF 2499 makes school districts and teachers post the syllabus, textbooks, related core materials, and a list of instructional materials that will be used in the student’s classes. The school will satisfy this requirement simply by providing the parent or guardian access to the school’s classroom management software such as Canvas or Google Classroom which is already used in about 85% of schools around the state. Schools that do not have a classroom management software system will have until July 1, 2023, to get up to speed.

As this discussion has evolved during the 2022 legislative session a couple of controversial ideas have garnered a significant amount of interest. One is criminal penalties against teachers. The House Republican plan DOES NOT contain criminal penalties against teachers. Our plan allows teachers to correct any oversights regarding the posting of instructional material. A second controversial idea was a potential requirement for teachers to post ALL material before the start of the fall semester in August and then again before the spring semester begins in January. The House Republican plan allows teachers the flexibility to post instructional material throughout the year as their lessons and material change.

The district also will provide a list of school library books. Again, this can be satisfied by allowing parents or guardians access to the online library catalog. If a school does not have an online catalog, they have until 2025 to comply. Parents will have the ability to review the list of books and provide to the school any titles they do not want their children to check out.

School districts must post the process for the review of educational materials and the reconsideration or removal of school library books prominently on their website so parents know exactly what they can and should do. If the parent disagrees with the school board’s decision, or the school fails to take action on a complaint from a parent or guardian on either of the above, they can appeal to the State Board of Education.

None of these requirements places an undue burden on a school district or a teacher. But, if a teacher or a district decides to break the rules, there will be consequences. If it is found that a school is not being transparent and withholding information, the Department of Education can either impose conditions on their funding or withhold payment of funds. If the Department finds that a district is noncompliant, the department will allow the school 14 days to correct the violation and if they fail to do so, a civil penalty will be assessed against the district in an amount not less than $500 and not more than $5,000. The teacher who is not compliant will also be referred to the Board of Educational Examiners for potential sanctions on their license.

In contrast, Democrats in the Iowa House have taken an approach that targets parents and their decisions as parents. Instead of supporting the fundamental right of parents to know what is being taught to their children, legislative Democrats have decided to punish parents with more government restrictions. Those restricted are as follows:

• A comprehensive list of every television show the student watched during the preceding week

• A comprehensive list of every video game the student played during the preceding week

• A comprehensive list of the social media programs and applications the student used during the preceding week – including links to all of the content the student posted on social media programs and platforms during the preceding week

• A list of all of the student’s friends on social media

• A list of all slang terms and racial epithets that were used at least once per day in the student’s home during the preceding week.

• A thorough description of how the relationships among the adults in the student’s life are displayed in front of the student

• An accounting of the total number of times during the preceding week that an adult in the student’s home said something to the student that could reasonably be considered to be uplifting, motivational, judgmental, or demotivational

• A picture of the quiet space in the student’s home that is set aside for the student to do school work.

• A comprehensive list of the books the student’s parent or guardian plans to read to the student

• A comprehensive list of the books the student plans to read

• A comprehensive list of activities the parent or guardian believes the student’s household will take part in each day for the remainder of the school year.

Targeting parents who simply want to know what is being taught inside the classroom is as ridiculous as arguing that schools can’t teach kids certain material unless it’s kept secret.

House Republicans are listening to the parents who want more access to their child’s education while also listening to teachers on how to properly implement these protocols and processes. While Democrats have chosen to oppose the fundamental right for parents to know what is being taught inside the classroom, Republicans, parents, teachers, and schools are working together to be transparent and involved in the education of their children.

Health Care Bills Protecting Taxpayer Dollars, Private Health Decisions Head to Governor

This week, the Iowa Senate passed two important health care bills that will now head to the Governor for her signature. These bills support Iowa’s hospitals, nursing homes, and other health care providers, and ensure lower health care costs for Iowans.

House File 2521 ensures that Iowa’s taxpayer funds are not being gouged by temporary staffing agencies charging health care entities unnecessarily high costs. The state has entered into these agreements on behalf of hospitals when staffing was difficult this winter, and the state also pays for at least half of nursing home beds in Iowa through Medicaid.

This bill helps provide transparency in pricing by requiring these temp health staffing agencies to report quarterly a detailed list of the average amount charged to the health care entity for each agency worker category, and the average amount paid by the agency to the agency workers for each worker category. The bill also requires these health care employment agencies to register with the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals and requires DIA to investigate complaints against these agencies. Importantly, this bill requires agency workers to be qualified and meet health regulation requirements for the health care setting they are working in. Lastly, this bill prohibits non-competes, as it has been seen that these agencies are using these for even CNA positions.

The Senate also passed House File 2200 with bipartisan support to provide Iowans with the option to enter into direct health care agreements with health care providers. The legislature understands that Iowans should be able to make their own health care choices and might be seeking alternative options from health insurance because they have a high deductible plan, can’t afford insurance, or want something tailored to their specific health care needs.

In 2018, the legislature allowed Iowans to enter into direct primary care agreements with primary care providers only. This bill expands this option to any health care service with any health care provider. Under this bill, a patient can enter into a direct health care agreement and pay a service charge for health care services defined under the agreement.

This bill includes patient protections regarding billing, termination notification, and understanding that these agreements do not constitute health insurance and recommend additional coverage. Importantly, this bill prohibits health care providers from discriminating based on a patient’s preexisting conditions.

Cyber Security Simulator Training Center at ISU

All session, the Information Technology Committee has been learning and gathering information on cybersecurity risks. The Committee has heard from cybersecurity experts and even a first-hand account of a major cyber-attack at DMACC. One of the proposals to arise from these conversations is House File 2555, which creates a cybersecurity simulation training center at Iowa State University.

This cybersecurity simulation training center (CySim) will conduct and sponsor research and activities that enable businesses, teams, and others to practice strategies to counter and mitigate cyber threats and attacks. It will be available to businesses, state agencies, political subdivisions, as well as students and educators. CySim will be capable of conducting cybersecurity training exercises, developing case studies, providing a setting for Student events and competitions, providing training exercises for educators, and coordinating cybersecurity workforce development

There is a significant need for cyber security awareness and defenses at all levels of government, business, and for everyone. The CySim can be a tool to ensure people are prepared for when they are attacked. House File 2555 passed the floor with strong bipartisan support.

“Getting to meet with the President of the Iowa Automobile Dealers Association and talking about hybrid/electric vehicles and Iowa’s future.”

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