Hawkeye Reporter

DES MOINES – On May 4, Gov. Reynolds released the following statement in response to the conclusion of the 2023 legislative session:  

“Iowa’s national profile is rising, and Americans are taking notice as states around the country are looking to Iowa as a beacon for freedom and opportunity. This year's historic legislative session saw transformational education reform that kicked off a national school choice revolution, a consequential alignment of state government, much-needed property tax relief, and stability for our health care system across the state.

“Iowans will be able to look back upon our promises and know we delivered for them. Our state is on a new path, one that was forged by our hard-working people, has their families at the forefront, and is a place where everyone has the freedom to flourish.”

Lt. Governor Gregg released the following statement:  

“At the beginning of session, Governor Reynolds outlined a bold legislative agenda to empower parents, make state government more intuitive, and create reforms in the health care field to address workforce shortages. She accomplished all that, and more. Through her steady leadership and with the support of Iowans, Governor Reynolds has created an Iowa that is better for all its citizens —  for children and parents, for health care employees and the people they serve, and for taxpayers that have a stake in how our state is operated. I am proud to serve alongside Governor Reynolds as she works on behalf of our state.”

Key legislative priorities that passed during the 2023 Legislative Session:

Supporting Success at School

Provided universal school choice, funding students instead of systems and giving parents the power to determine the best educational setting for their children. (HF68 – Governor's Bill)

Created flexibility for schools to increase teacher pay. (HF68 – Governor's Bill)

Provided public schools with approximately $1,205 in new funding for each resident student who attends an accredited non-public school. (HF68 – Governor's Bill)

Increased flexibility for public schools to share operational functions through 2034. (HF 68 – Governor's Bill)  

Enshrined parents’ rights into law, increased transparency, and set boundaries to allow parents to protect their children from woke indoctrination. (SF 496 – Governor's Bill)

Reduced repetitive reporting requirements and administrative red tape while creating pathways for public schools to deliver high quality education in ways that best suit their students. (SF 391 – Governor's Bill)

Increased funding to public schools by $106M (SF 192)

Increased iJag funding by $1 million to establish 15 new programs across the state. (SF 560)

Streamlined teacher licensure for applicants from another state or country. (HF 614)

Changed the composition of the Board of Educational Examiners. (HF 430)

Created a platform for prospective students at Iowa’s regent universities to have information they need to make smart choices regarding different career paths and student debt. (HF 135)

Provided teachers more tools in dealing with student behavioral issues in the classroom. (HF 604)

Aligning State Government to Better Serve Iowans

Aligned state government structure and operations to improve collaboration among state agencies, create efficiencies, and elevate services to Iowans. (SF 514 – Governor's Bill)

Reduced the number of cabinet-level departments from 37 to 16, creating significant savings for taxpayers. (SF 514 – Governor's Bill)

Promoted greater efficiency and standardization within our state law enforcement by moving the Motor Vehicle Enforcement officers from the Department of Transporation to the Iowa State Patrol within the Department of Public Safety, increasing the number of state troopers on the road.  (SF 513 – Governor's Bill)

Economic Development, Consumer Protection, and Tax Relief  

Clarified legislative intent on the multi-residential assessment limitation and prevented a property tax increase of $112M. (SF 181 – Governor's Bill)

Extended and modernized key economic incentives and tax credits including the Renewable Chemical and Workforce Housing & Innovation Fund. (SF 575 – Governor's Cabinet Bill)

Reduced property taxes by $100 million by curbing the growth of local governments. (HF 718)

Provided additional property tax relief for older Iowans and military families and required property tax bill transparency. (HF 718)

Updated notification requirements and created greater transparency on energy rate increases. (HF 601)

Prevented predatory real estate transactions by limiting length of contracts. (HF 475)

Established the captive insurance marketplace in Iowa, providing companies with the independence to self-insure and avoid some of the inefficiencies of the commercial insurance market. (SF 549)

Reformed the premium insurance tax rate, lowering the rate to 0.9% by 2027. (SF 549)  

Increased funding to the beer and wine promotion board by diverting barrel tax to the board. (HF 205)

Removed weight restrictions from roadways to promote large projects (SF 153)

Established an independent review of utility rate making to determine if revised provisions or procedures would lead to more cost-effective rates for all consumers. (HF 617)

Appropriated $6.5 million to a permanent Destination Iowa grant program following the successful rollout of the Governor’s Destination Iowa statewide grant program. (SF 577)

Expanded commercial air service vertical infrastructure grants with an additional $10 million to fund commercial aviation terminal construction. (SF 577)

Agriculture

Expanded the Innovative Butchery Program to include Iowa meat lockers and butcheries with 50 -75 employees. (HF 185)

Expanded the scope of practice for veterinary technicians. (HF 670)

Continued to support the Veterinary Diagnostic Lab with $40 million in state and local fiscal recovery funds, along with $18 million in state funding (SF 577)

Increased funding for Renewable Fuels Infrastructure by $15 million. (SF 577)  

Created a new funding stream to provide grants and loans for upgrades to dairy farms in Iowa. (HF 700)

Promoting Healthy Families and Communities

Capped non-economic damage awards in medical malpractice cases to protect and improve Iowans’ access to health care services. (HF 161 – Governor's Bill)

Designated the state mental health institute (MHI) in Independence for specialized treatment of behaviorally complex youth and the MHI in Cherokee for specialized treatment and security of adults who are court ordered into state custody. (HF 471 – Governor's Cabinet Bill)

Increased the maximum payment for non-recurring expenses related to adoption from the foster care system to $1,000. (SF 561 – Governor's Cabinet Bill)

Established a state-funded Family Medicine OB Fellowship program to provide obstetrical training to up to 4 Family Medicine physicians per year in exchange for practicing in a rural community for a minimum of 5 years. (SF 561 – Governor's Bill)

Increased Medicaid funding for mental health and substance use disorder provider reimbursement rates by $13 million. (SF 561 – Governor's Cabinet Bill)

Added outpatient competency restoration as a core service for state mental health regions. (HF 471 – Governor's Cabinet Bill)

Established rural emergency hospitals as a new hospital licensure category to protect rural Iowans’ access to critical health care services in their communities. (SF 75 – Governor's Bill)

Became first state to join the dental and dental hygienist interstate licensure compact to reduce barriers to license portability across state lines. (HF 656)

Removed the requirement that a physician assistant practice under the supervision of a physician; required PAs in independent practice to have 2 years of physician supervision.  (HF 424)  

Codified rights of licensed foster care providers concerning information sharing, privacy, visitation, and communications concerning children in their care. (HF 584)

Prohibited the use of non-compete clauses in mental health professionals’ employment contracts to maintain continuity of care for patients and improve access. (HF 93)

Strengthened penalties for human trafficking offenses involving a minor to protect young Iowans and further combat human trafficking. (HF 630)

Increased front door eligibility for Child Care Assistance (CCA) to families earning up to 160 percent of the federal poverty level, increased provider payments and work requirements. (HF 707)

Building Workforce  

Established the Iowa Office of Apprenticeship to oversee and expand apprenticeship programs at the state level and promote opportunities to build Iowa’s workforce. (SF 318 – Governor's Bill)

Expanded employment eligibility and work-based learning opportunities for young Iowans seeking to gain experience in the workforce. (SF 542)

Established a cap for non-economic damages in civil actions involving commercial motor vehicles to promote stability and certainty for Iowa trucking companies. (SF 228)

Extended peace officer benefits under the IPERS protected occupation class to include State Fair Police Officers. (HF 138)

Combating the Fentanyl Crisis

Strengthened penalties for crimes involving fentanyl and increased access to life saving overdose medication to combat and protect Iowans against the opioid crisis. (HF 595 – Governor's Bill)

Reducing Red Tape (Cutting Regulation and Barriers to Licensure)

Established a Red Tape Review process to reduce burdensome regulations and simplify Iowa’s administrative code through a comprehensive review all administrative rules. (Executive Order 10)  

Repealed a total of 31 pages of rules, including 6 rule chapters, 56 rules, and 215 restrictions.  (HF 688)  

Modernized education and experience requirements for land surveyors making the profession easier to enter while maintaining high quality. (SF 197)

Specialized scope of practice for registered interior designers and allowed registered interior designers to stamp and seal building plans that do not make structural or life safety code changes that require review by an architect, reducing unnecessary costs for building plans.  (SF 135)

Allowed individuals that train and register as a removal specialist to transfer a deceased body from the place of death in lieu of obtaining licensure as a funeral director.  (SF 193)

Removed requirement that a tattoo artist obtain a high school degree.  (SF 219)

Combined board of cosmetology and board of barbering. (HF 652)

Reduced number of hours for cosmetology licensure from 2,100 to 1,550. (HF 652)  

Allowed high school students to start their professional cosmetology training before completing high school.  (HF 652)

Allowed breweries and brewpubs to share brewing capacity. (HF 478)

Allowed an individual under the age of 21 to obtain teacher licensure.  (HF 256)

Reduced the costs to operate large industrial boilers, while reducing the risk to employees and the public from boiler shutdowns.  (HF 461)  

Prohibited state and local building codes from requiring energy benchmarking on private property.  (HF 605)

Codified the professional counselor multistate compact, reducing barriers to license portability for professional counselors.  (HF 671)

Countering China

Prohibited the investment of public funds in companies that are owned or controlled by the Chinese military or government services. (SF 418)  

Banned the purchase of faulty Chinese steel armament with taxpayer dollars. (HF 701)

Original source can be found here.