Part 1 of the Muscatine county legislative forum 2/2/2019. 45 minutes.
Our weekly listing of forums and other get togethers with legislators. These are listed in time and date order. As always, click on the city you wish to attend a forum in for the exact location. Once again, big thanks to http://www.infonetiowa.org/calendar/events/. We are getting down to the critical part of the session. As most of you already know one of the annual major issues – school funding – has already been decided. However, Republicans are trying to push some really bad bills on the state, especially the change in judicial nominations.
February 2019
02/23/2019 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM Eggs & Issues – Rock Rapids
02/23/2019 8:30 AM – 10:00 AM Eggs & Issues – Fort Dodge
02/23/2019 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM Legislative Forum – Baxter
02/23/2019 8:30 AM – 9:30 AM Eggs & Issues – Oskaloosa
02/23/2019 8:30 AM – 10:30 AM Legislative Breakfast – Mount Pleasant
02/23/2019 8:45 AM – 10:00 AM Legislative Wake-Up – Nevada
02/23/2019 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM Legislative Coffee – Council Bluffs
02/23/2019 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM Town Hall – Plainfield
02/23/2019 9:30 AM – 10:30 AM Legislative Forum – Oelwein
02/23/2019 9:30 AM – 10:30 AM Town Hall – Ida Grove
02/23/2019 9:30 AM – 10:30 AM Legislative Forum – Coralville
02/23/2019 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM Legislative Forum – Sioux City
02/23/2019 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM Legislative Forum – Davenport
02/23/2019 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM Legislative Forum – Clarinda
02/23/2019 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM Legislative Forum – Carroll
02/23/2019 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM Office Hours – Clive
02/23/2019 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM Legislative Forum – Urbandale
02/23/2019 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM Town Hall – Frederika
02/23/2019 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM Legislative Forum – Lamont
02/23/2019 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM Legislative Forum – Swisher
02/23/2019 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM Legislative Forum – Tiffin
02/23/2019 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM Legislative Forum – Lone Tree
02/25/2019 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM Coffee with Marti-Des Moines
March 2019
03/01/2019 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM Legislative Forum – Eagle Grove
03/01/2019 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM Office Hours – Ankeny
03/01/2019 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM Legislative Forum – Clarion
03/01/2019 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM Legislative Forum – Marshalltown
03/01/2019 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM Legislative Forum – Sheldon
03/01/2019 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM Legislative Forum – Belmond
Issues:
- Judicial nominating process
- Anti-solar power bill
- Eliminate permits for concealed carry; allowing guns on school grounds
- Affordable, Accessible Health care (see below)
From Iowa Statehouse Progressive Network:
Affordable, Accessible Health Care
The rising cost of health care is a heavy burden too many Iowa families face today. Coupled with changes made by GOP lawmakers in recent years that have also reduced access, health care has become a crisis in Iowa. The first step in making health care affordable and accessible for Iowans is fixing Iowa’s broken Medicaid system. We should work together to protect our most vulnerable citizens who need long-term services and support (LTSS) because of chronic illness, aging or a disability. These Iowans need help with daily tasks like bathing, dressing, and eating. As Republicans and the Governor continue to ignore problems with privatization, Iowans with disabilities have been denied critical services and equipment, kicked out of their current living arrangements because of reimbursement issues, or had to switch case managers who understand their complex needs best. The bills we are working on this year (House File 135/Senate File 156) will move these vulnerable Iowans out of managed care, to not only improve their access to health care, but also make it more affordable. Other action we take to improve Medicaid includes making sure providers are paid for the work they do and having Iowans make critical health care decisions, not out of state companies. Here are some other ideas we’ll be working on this session to make health care more affordable and accessible: • Protecting Iowans with pre-existing conditions • Making family planning services available to Iowans statewide • Expanding mental health care • Protecting seniors from financial exploitation, neglect and abuse Bill Watch Below is a list of bills we’re tracking this session that may be of interest to you. As session continues, we’ll be updating this list for you to keep you up to speed on the legislative process and take action. |
Democratic Bills: Improving Life for Everyday Iowans | |||
Bill # | Bill Description | Current Status | Take Action |
HF 135/SF 156 | Fixing Medicaid Privatization | House/Senate Human Resources | |
HF 383 | Investing in public schools beyond rate of inflation | House Education Committee (GOP passed another record low investment in public schools) | |
HF 147/SF 176 | Restoring the rights of Iowa workers | House/Senate Labor | |
SF 107 | Protect the wages earned by employees | Senate Labor | |
HF 109/SF 117 | Reasonable accomodations for prenancy/child birth | House/Senate Labor | |
SF 72 | Affordable housing/revitalizing old homes | Senate State Government | |
HF 91/SF 247 | Raise Minimum Wage | House/Senate Labor | |
Bad Ideas from GOP Lawmakers | |||
Bill # | Bill Description | Current Status | Take Action |
SJR 9/HJR 5 | Constitutional Amendment banning abortion in all cases | Senate State Government/House Judiciary | Contact your lawmaker |
SF 237/HSB 110 | Politicize judicial branch by allowing GOP to appoint all judges | Senate Floor/House Judiciary Committee | Contact Judiciary Committee members |
HJR 3 | GOP Eliminate Background Checks Bill | House Public Safety Committee | |
HF 257 | Eliminate education funding to Planned Parenthood | Subcommittee on 2/21 at noon | |
SF 27 | Prohibits tenure at state universities/community colleges | Senate Education | |
SF 240 | Religious exemptions, license to discriminate (similar to North Carolina) | Senate Local Government | |
SF 28 | Vouchers + eliminate Iowa Dept. of Education & Iowa Public TV | Senate Education | |
HF 259 | Allows concealed weapons in schools, courthouses, and workplaces | House Public Safety | |
HF 51 | Allows concealed weapons in places of worship | House Public Safety | |
HF 160 | Expands & reduces requirements for Charter Schools | House Education | |
HF 246 | Loosens requirements on immunizations | House Human Resources | |
HF 249 | Legalize the date rape druge and other hallucinogenic drugs like LSD | House Public Safety | |
HF 248 | Legalize mushrooms and other psychedelic drugs | House Public Safety | |
HF 118 | Eliminates permits to carry concealed guns; allows guns on school grounds | House Public Safety | |
HF 62 | Reinstates the death penalty | House Judiciary Committee | |
HF 194 | Requires Iowa kids to read a Russian book before graduating high school | House Education Committee | |
HF 187 | Prohibits fluoride in drinking water | House Environmental Protection | |
HF 172 | Repeal the state inheritance tax | House Ways & Means | |
SSB 1149 | One week waiting period for unemployment | Senate Commerce | |
DONE | |||
HF 306/SF 172 | Low funding for public schools | Passed House and Senate |