(NIT photo)
The following is a legislative update from Republican State Rep. Shannon Latham, representing portions of Franklin, Hamilton, Story and Wright counties in Iowa House District 55:
Legislature Focused on First Legislative Funnel
As the first legislative funnel date approaches, the focus of Week 6 was subcommittee and committee meetings. Bills and joint resolutions that originate in the House must first pass through a three-person subcommittee and then a full committee must pass that bill before March 7 to “stay alive” for this session.
One bill of interest to me that passed through a subcommittee this week is House File 139. I introduced this bill for a constituent who needed expedient help for a family member living in another part of the state. This bill allows applications and custody of a respondent in an involuntary commitment proceeding to be filed in any county court. The court where it was filed would then transfer jurisdiction of the case to the county where the respondent is located.
Bills of interest that have passed through committee – are safe from the first funnel – include:
– House Study Bill (HSB) 31 would provide schools with flexibility for a start date. Current law states that schools cannot start before Aug. 23, but the 2025 Iowa State Fair will end on Aug. 17. Many local schools would end school after June 1 – without snow days. This bill would allow schools to start no earlier than August 23 or the Tuesday following the final day of the Iowa State Fair. The Education Committee unanimously passed this bill, and I hope it comes to a floor vote.
– House File 59 passed unanimously through the House Economic Growth & Technology Committee this week. This bill would set aside $2 million for small grocers in underserved communities to buy equipment or make upgrades. This bill now goes to the Appropriations Committee for further review and consideration.
– House Study Bill 123 (a.k.a. the “Governor’s Energy Bill”) is a large bill covering topics meant to keep Iowa’s energy reliable and affordable. Iowa ranks first in the nation for electricity produced by renewable generation. Our state also ranks in the top 10 for power grid reliability.
Some of this bill’s most notable provisions include: (1) Giving clear authority to the Iowa DNR to permit on-farm and near-farm anaerobic digesters; (2) Allowing utility companies to offer tariffs on innovative projects like renewable natural gas generation facilities and distribution; and (3) Granting the state’s major electricity providers, like MidAmerican and Alliant, the “right of first refusal” (ROFR) to build new transmission lines.
PLEASE NOTE: This bill does not affect current eminent domain laws and was not meant to cover carbon sequestration pipelines. Rep. Shannon Lundgren of Peosta, Commerce Committee chair, said the current bill language about anaerobic digesters will be amended to make clear that the bill is not related to the approval or disapproval of carbon dioxide pipelines.
This energy bill heads to the Appropriations Committee on which I serve. Appropriations bills are not subject to the upcoming funnel deadline.
Floor Debate
During floor date on February 20, the Iowa House passed 17 bills. Below is a summary of just a few of the House Files (HF) that were passed:
– HF 318, which I floor managed, requires insurers to provide the same cost-sharing requirements for supplemental breast examinations and diagnostic breast examinations as they do for mammograms. This means the cost-sharing burden is eliminated for women who need an MRI in addition to an annual screening mammogram. Twenty-seven other states have similar laws in place for no copay and deductible for supplemental and diagnostic imaging. Because Iowa’s incidence of breast cancer is rising faster than in other states, I vote we give Iowa women a fighting chance with prevention and earlier diagnosis.
– HF 330 strikes the age and benefit limits from the autism coverage requirements of health plans in Iowa.
– HF 303 improves access to quality care by requiring insurance companies to respond to an urgent request for a prior authorization from a health care provider within 48 hours. A nonurgent request must be responded to within 10 days. This bill also requires insurance companies must review all health care services that require prior authorization every year and eliminate those that don’t promote health care quality or reduce health care spending.
– HF 175 requires Iowa’s community colleges and regent universities to provide in-state tuition for veterans, their spouses, and their children. This would include the surviving wife and children of a deceased veteran.
– HF 312 aims to address the mental health crisis of individuals and get them the treatment they need before it reaches a point of serious mental impairment. This bill allows courts to order treatment for individuals experiencing psychiatric deterioration, which is defined as a condition where a person cannot understand the need for treatment and is unlikely to seek it.
Constituents in the Capitol
Iowa’s Grain Indemnity Fund was one of the main topics of conversation on Feb. 19 during Farm Bureau Day on the Hill. I enjoyed meeting with Farm Bureau members from Franklin, Story, Hamilton, and Wright Counties.
Joe DeVries, member services representative for the Iowa Cattlemen Association, brought a group of young cattlemen to the Capitol as part of the association’s leadership development program.
(TOP PHOTO: “Managing my first bill on the floor of the 2025 legislative session,” according to Latham.)
