STRONG WORKFORCE BUILDS A STRONG ECONOMY
Senate Democrats want to put more Iowans back to work, strengthen our middle class and grow our state’s economy. Several proposals we’re working on would do just that.

1. Keep childcare affordable. Iowa is third in the nation when it comes to households with young children in which both parents work. That means Iowa families need good childcare, which can come at a high price. A federal child and dependent care tax credit allows working families to deduct 20 to 35 percent of eligible childcare expenses from their taxes. The maximum credit is $3,000 for one child and $6,000 for two or more.

SSB 3181 improves our state tax credit by allowing Iowans to claim a state credit of up to 93.75 percent of the federal credit, increasing income eligibility to $67,410 and indexing for inflation. Another bill, SF 2143, allows parents who work and take classes to count the hours for both in calculating eligibility for childcare assistance. This encourages Iowans to continue improving their prospects for a better career and higher salary.

2. Increase pay. A higher minimum wage would put more money in the pockets of hard-working families, making them more self-sufficient and able to spend at local businesses. SSB 3194 would gradually increase Iowa’s minimum wage from $7.25 to $10.10 an hour by 2016. A full-time employee making $7.25 an hour lives below the poverty line, earning only $15,080 a year. In Iowa, 81 percent of those who’d benefit from a minimum wage increase are 20 and older. Many are raising children and may be the sole breadwinner for their family.

3. Ensure Iowans can get to work. Transportation should never be a barrier to employment. A new initiative (SF 2076) will offer grants to transit providers that help Iowans get to their jobs. Up to $150,000 would go to projects on a competitive basis and require a dollar-for-dollar match.

Transit providers might use the money to expand hours of service, create a ride-share program or offer shuttle service. Good transportation makes for reliable employees, and that’s always good for business.

4. Make sure workers get paid. Wage theft cheats Iowa workers out of $600 million annually. Failing to enforce wage laws means Iowans don’t get paid what they’ve earned, drives down wages and is unfair to businesses that play by the rules. SF 191 sets minimum standards to ensure Iowans get paid for the work they’ve done and allows wage investigators to more easily go after businesses that fail to pay what they owe.

Meeting With Catholics on Schools
On February 19, Kent Ferns and Dr. Lee Morrison of the Davenport Diocese talked with me about the contributions Iowa’s many Catholic schools have made to Iowa. One of the Iowa Catholic Conference’s top 2014 priorities is to increase state support for Catholic schools and other private schools. I’m strong supporter of all aspects of Iowa education. In the most recent fiscal year, more than $44 million in state and federal funds were used to increase services for Iowa students attending accredited, non-public K-12 schools. Those dollars helped pay for transportation, textbooks, shared-time students, and media and education services through Area Education Associations, school lunches and tuition tax credits. In state funding alone, Iowa invests more than $1,000 per year for each private school student.

STUDENT POVERTY INCREASES CLASSROOM NEEDS
The number of Iowa kids growing up in poverty is at a 50-year high, and our state’s childhood poverty rate is climbing faster than the national average. In fact, 41 percent of students in Iowa schools live in poverty and are eligible for free or reduced-price lunches.

Education is considered a great equalizer, capable of helping less advantaged kids improve their chances for success in life. But history has shown that children from affluent families tend to do better in school. While the achievement gap between white and black students has narrowed significantly over the past few decades, the gap in student achievement between well-off and low-income students is growing.

Schools with lots of students from low-income families send fewer graduates to college than schools with high-income families, according to a new study by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Schools with more than half of their students in poverty had lower rates of college enrollment and saw more of their students drop out of college than did higher-income schools.

We must do more to help students from low-income families. One idea is to provide schools with an extra $250 for each student who qualifies for free or reduced-price lunches (SSB 3160). That amounts to less than 10 percent additional funding for these Iowa students. The national average is an additional 29 percent. Schools use the money to boost student achievement among low-income students, through before and after-school education programs, summer school, intensive tutoring, mentoring and more.

Our students could benefit from these extra dollars now more than ever. Iowa is more than $1,500 below the national average in terms of how much we invest in each student. In recent years, we’ve fallen to 37th in the nation when it comes to per-pupil spending. With our state budget in excellent shape, it’s a trend we need to reverse.

Medical Cannabis

Sally Gaer of Des Moines spoke at a Statehouse news conference advocating for access to medical cannabis to help her daughter Margaret, who has a rare form of epilepsy that causes frequent violent seizures. Gaer appeared with several Democratic Senators when we announced we were unable to convince a single Republican member of the Iowa Legislature to support legalization of the medical use of cannabis.

PROTECTING SENIORS FROM ABUSE & EXPLOITATION
Thousands of older Americans are abused, neglected and exploited every year in the U.S. Many victims are particularly vulnerable, depending on others to help them with the most basic activities of daily living.

In 2001, Iowa implemented an Elder Abuse Initiative in 22 counties to focus on prevention, intervention, detection and reporting of elder abuse.

Between 2007 and 2011, the initiative received almost 12,000 referrals of potential elder abuse. Of these, 44 percent concerned financial exploitation.

With the demonstrated need, we must strengthen efforts to help vulnerable seniors throughout the state. SF 2117 creates an Elder Abuse Resource & Referral Program to work with area agencies on aging to increase awareness of elder abuse and to provide help.

Another bill will specifically address financial exploitation of Iowa seniors, which often occurs at the hands of family members or caretakers. Many seniors give a “power of attorney” to someone they trust so that person can make financial decisions on their behalf, including managing their money, paying their bills and purchasing necessities.

Power of attorney is exercised responsibly among most Iowans. Unfortunately, there is growing evidence of unethical people who prey on vulnerable seniors, stealing from them and abusing their power. Based on recommendations of Iowa’s Elder Abuse Task Force, the Senate Judiciary Committee developed an “Iowa Uniform Power of Attorney Act” to address the problem. SF 2168 will help prevent and detect power of attorney abuse.

Our seniors deserve respect and dignity. These are two steps toward protecting some of Iowa’s most vulnerable citizens.

Latino Legislative Day
February 18th was Latino Legislative Day. I met with members of the League of United Latin American Citizens of Iowa. We are working together to build stronger Iowa families by raising the minimum wage and increasing opportunities for all Iowans to improve their skills.

HELPING VICTIMS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING
Human trafficking is a form of slavery that often involves making money off the sexual exploitation of children. These atrocities take place right here in Iowa.

Human trafficking is thought to be the fastest growing and one of the most lucrative endeavors of organized crime. According to the Polaris Project, the total number of human trafficking victims in the United States reaches into the hundreds of thousands each year. Many of the victims are run-away teenage girls, who are forced into prostitution.

In response, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved SSB 3169, which aims to help law enforcement combat human trafficking and to provide assistance to victims. The legislation imposes a $1,000 criminal surcharge on anyone who purchases or offers to purchase the services of a prostitute, those who lure or force others into prostitution, and those convicted of human trafficking. The money will go toward efforts to combat human trafficking, including resources for victims and educating Iowans about this horrific crime.

In addition, the bill gives law enforcement new tools to fight human trafficking by:

• Extending the statute of limitations for sexual exploitation of minors from three years to 10 years.

• Giving authority to the Iowa’s Attorney General to request a court order to intercept communications relating to felony human trafficking.

• Clarifying that enticing a minor can be done through any medium, including all forms of communication.

To learn more about human trafficking, go to www.polarisproject.org.

ELIMINATE TEXTING WHILE DRIVING TO MAKE ROADS SAFER
Drivers who text endanger all road users and pedestrians.

In 2010, Iowa made it a crime to write, read or send a text message while driving. However, Iowa’s texting while driving law is a secondary offense, meaning a driver can only be cited if they are stopped for another violation, such as a broken tail light or speeding. Police say that makes Iowa’s texting while driving law difficult to enforce.

A new bipartisan proposal (SSB 3191) would make texting while driving a primary offense, giving officers the authority to pull over a driver specifically for texting. Why do we need to take this step? Research shows that texting is the most dangerous form of driver distraction because it takes our mind off driving, our eyes off the road and at least one hand off the steering wheel.

National Occupant Protection Use Survey show that, at any given daylight moment across America, approximately 660,000 drivers are using cell phones or manipulating electronic devices while driving. And at least 28 percent of vehicle crashes are caused by texting and cell phone use, according to the National Safety Council.

Teens have been the focus of most distracted driving outreach and laws. Texting results in car crashes that kill an average of 11 teens each day.

However, they aren’t the only ones practicing this dangerous behavior. A recent report from AAA indicates that drivers between the ages of 25 and 39 are the most distracted by their cellphones.

Mick Mulhern of the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau travels the state to talk with Iowa teens about the dangers of distracted driving. He’s learned that parents don’t always set the best example. When he asks students if their parents text while driving, half the hands in the room go up.

BEWARE OF IDENTITY THEFT DURING TAX SEASON
The Iowa Department of Revenue is warning Iowans to beware of phony calls or e-mail scams regarding state taxes. If somebody calls asking for personal information, such as a Social Security number, or contacts you via e-mail, it may be fraudulent. The Iowa Department of Revenue does not initiate contact with taxpayers via e-mail to request personal or financial information.

If you have any doubts about providing information, don’t do it. Contact the Iowa Department of Revenue directly to confirm if the call or e-mail

you received was official. The department can be reached at idr@iowa.gov or by calling the Taxpayer Services line at 515-281-3114. For more information, go to www.iowa.gov/tax/educate/ID.html.

Contact Tom
CAPITOL:
Iowa Statehouse
Des Moines, IA 50319
515-281-3371

HOME:
2609 Clearview Drive
Burlington, IA 52601
319-759-5334
tom.courtney@legis.iowa.gov
http://www.senate.iowa.gov/senator/courtney