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Senate
Democrats
Expanding health care coverage to middle-class
Iowa families
Educational opportunity signed by Governor
Fair treatment for Iowa’s workers & children
Protecting dependent adults from abuse
Making government more efficient
Protecting Iowans’ personal information
Revitalizing Iowa’s communities & neighborhoods
Improving student achievement for our military families
Making Iowa a great place for seniors
Improving safety & recreational opportunities for
Iowans
Making travel safer by limiting distracted driving
Improving Iowa’s disaster response
Iowa nurses deserve better
IPERS officials discuss state of retirement benefits
I’m working to
make affordable health care available to all Iowans. As we make progress, we
help middle-class Iowa
families and strengthen our state’s economy. At the same time, we solve
health care problems that have troubled Iowans for years.
How bad is the
health care crisis? A new poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that:
- 53 percent
of Americans cut back on health care last year
- 35 percent
used home remedies instead of a doctor
- 34 percent
skipped dental care
- 27 percent
put off needed medical care
- 21 percent
opted not to fill a prescription
- 15 percent
cut pills in half to stretch a prescription
- 13 percent
emptied their savings for medical bills
- 12 percent
were called by collection agencies about medical bills
Thanks to strong
bipartisan support, Iowa
is on the verge of being the first state to provide affordable health care to
all children. If our proposed reforms become law, 30,000 Iowa kids who are currently uninsured will
have health insurance.
Providing health
insurance to children in working families is a bargain for taxpayers. Here’s why:
- Children
are healthier than adults.
- Providing
preventive health care to children is much less expensive than treating
neglected health care problems in emergency rooms.
- The
federal government matches every state dollar for children’s health
insurance with two federal dollars.
- We are in
the second year of a three-year effort and have already set aside the
necessary state dollars.
 Our
health care reforms also offer relief to adults looking for affordable
insurance options. A new state “Iowa Insurance Exchange” will outline a
high-quality, affordable health care plan and invite private insurers to bid
on providing it. This will increase options while reducing complexity for
adult Iowans struggling to find quality health care they can afford.
The legislation
includes a host of other health care reforms, including banning gifts to
doctors from pharmaceutical companies. We will also use some of the federal
stimulus dollars to reverse our impending shortages of nurses, doctors and
other medical workers.
As I continue to
work on this issue, I’d appreciate your thoughts on how to ensure that all
Iowans have access to affordable health care.
While visiting a
history classroom at Central Academy in Des Moines
on February 28, Governor Chet Culver signed legislation that will provide a $60
million increase in basic state aid for Iowa’s K-12 schools for the 2010-11 school
year.
By investing in
educational opportunity, we can help our state recover from the national
recession, prepare our young people for the jobs of tomorrow, and grow Iowa’s middle class.
I supported the 2
percent increase in basic state funding for local schools because this money
is used for textbooks, heating bills, technology and other necessities that
help students, teachers and schools succeed.
I also took steps
to improve student achievement and keep the best teachers in Iowa classrooms by
voting for a 2 percent increase in support for teacher quality, professional
development, class-size reduction, and reading and early intervention
strategies.
In these tough
economic times, I am committed to making the difficult decisions necessary to
protect Iowans’ priorities and balancing the state budget without raising
taxes. By investing in our local students, teachers and schools, we maintain
our commitment to top-notch educational opportunity while being fiscally
responsible.
The series of
labor and human rights violations at AgriProcessors
Meatpacking Plant in Postville exposed problems with wage payment and child
labor violations in Iowa’s
labor laws.
Failing to
enforce wage laws and follow minimum standards cheats legal workers, drives
down wages and is unfair to Iowa
businesses that play by the rules. Iowa wage and labor enforcement efforts
are among the weakest in the nation. Postville is just one example of
why we must make changes.
This week, the
Senate Labor & Business Relations Committee voted to toughen Iowa’s labor laws.
Employees should be paid for work they’ve done. We’ll ensure that happens by
increasing the civil penalty to employers who fail to pay wages.
In addition, the
bill creates a civil penalty and increases criminal penalties for child labor
violations. In short, I’m working to deter those few employers who refuse to
do the right thing by their workers and to protect the vast majority of
businesses who play by the rules every day.
Following the Government Oversight Committee’s initial round of hearings
on the scandal surrounding Henry’s Turkey Farm in Atalissa, Governor Chet
Culver established the Dependent Adult Task Force to prevent similar abuses
in the future.
Henry’s Turkey Service is a Texas-owned business
that recruited mentally retarded men to live in a decrepit, unsafe bunkhouse
while working in a nearby meatpacking plant for almost no pay.
The Governor’s Task Force, a multi-agency group
charged with recommending legislation and policy changes, will help protect
vulnerable Iowa
workers. The Task Force will make legislative recommendations by April 1,
providing an opportunity for the Legislature to approve them this year.
The Government Oversight Committee has temporarily
suspended hearings to allow the Department of Criminial Investigations to act
without interference. The Committee will resume hearings as soon as it is
appropriate.
During this
national recession, we must make state government leaner and more efficient.
That’s why the Senate State Government Committee voted this week to save tax
dollars by improving purchasing practices, such as increasing bulk purchasing
by state agencies, and consolidating and coordinating the state’s information
technology systems.
If you have
specific suggestions for improving government and cutting spending, I’d like
to hear them. You can contact me directly or fill out the survey at www.legis.state.ia.us/aspx/SurveyForm/Improving_StGvt/.
The Senate’s
Local Government Committee voted this week to require the removal of critical
personal information from Iowa’s
internet-based land records system.
In 2003, the
Legislature directed the Iowa County Recorders Association to develop a Web
site with a statewide database to allow Iowans to access and submit land
records electronically.
The counties
created the Iowa Land Records system at the www.iowalandrecords.org.
It now has more the 10 million records and 36,000 registered users. All 99
counties are on the system, with 96 currently accepting electronic documents.
In 2008, it was
discovered that Social Security numbers and other confidential information
could be obtained from documents on the system. As a result, the system was
shut down to protect private information. Unfortunately, this created
difficulties for people who legitimately need to use the system.
A committee will review
bids for removing confidential information. Preliminary figures suggest it
will cost about $2.4 million, which will be paid for by user fees.
Revitalizing
Iowa’s communities & neighborhoods
Vibrant communities are key to
making Iowa
a great place to live, work and raise a family. Preservation and
revitalization projects provide widespread economic benefits, including
creating local jobs and housing, as well as enhancing property values.
One way we can protect the character of our older
buildings while revitalizing surrounding neighborhoods is through Historic
Preservation and Cultural & Entertainment District tax credits.
Improvements to the program passed the Senate Economic Growth Committee
recently.
Senate File 309 increases available tax credits each year
from $20 million to $50 million. Here’s where the money would go:
- 10 percent to smaller projects costing $500,000 or
less
- 30 percent to new projects in Cultural &
Entertainment Districts
- 20 percent for disaster recovery projects or
emergency preservation projects
- 20 percent to projects that create more than 500
jobs, and
- 20 percent for any other eligible projects
statewide
In addition, Iowans who restore historic buildings may be
eligible for a 25 percent state income tax credit. For more information, go
to www.iowahistory.org/historic-preservation/.
The bill now moves to the Senate Ways & Means
Committee, which votes on all tax policy before going to the full Senate.
The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee is working to
improve educational opportunity for our military families by joining the Interstate
Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children.
More than half of all military personnel support families,
making the impact of deployments and reassignments far-reaching. On average,
children in military families will attend schools in six to nine different
school systems. Students transferring late in high school often face the
biggest challenges.
The Interstate Compact makes school
transitions smoother for families by easing enrollment, student placement, transfer of records, course sequencing, and on-time high
school graduation. It also helps students fulfill varying requirements so
they can participate in extracurricular academic, athletic and social activities.
The bill, HF 214, passed the Iowa House unanimously and
now goes to the full Senate for consideration.
Making Iowa a great place for seniors
The Senate Local Government Committee unanimously passed a
bill to strengthen Iowa
communities through senior-friendly certification.
The “Senior Friendly Communities” designation helps
promote Iowa
as a destination and home for retirees.
At the same time, the program helps Iowa communities market themselves and add
to their workforce.
Certifying communities as Senior Friendly Communities is
an economic development tool with little cost to the state. To earn the
designation through the Department of Elder Affairs, communities would take
steps to make it easier for seniors to live on their own. These could include
improved road signs, transportation options, preventive health care,
meal-delivery and home modification programs, and improved access to
information and other services.
On February 26, the Senate passed a bill to improve
recreational opportunities in Iowa
and keep cyclists safer on our roads.
The Bicycle Safety Bill, Senate
File 117, is in response to the increasing number of deadly accidents
involving Iowa cyclists—both adults and children. Twenty-seven cyclists have
been killed in Iowa
since 2005 and thousands have been injured. In 2006, 40 percent of injuries
were to children.
By updating our transportation laws to include bicycle
safety, we can prevent tragic accidents and make our roads safer for
both bicyclists and motorists.
A Senate subcommittee is considering a bill to limit
distractions while driving. This includes
using a cell phone or Blackberry, which distract drivers and create a hazard
on our roads. Research shows that distracted drivers are more likely to have
accidents, causing injury or death.
Under the new proposal, if a person is involved in a motor
vehicle accident or commits a moving violation while driving, that person can
be charged with careless driving (a simple misdemeanor) if there is evidence
that they were distracted by such activities as using a cell phone, text
messaging or playing a video game.
Improving Iowa’s disaster response
The Senate Rebuild Iowa Committee took steps this week to
improve how Iowa
will respond to future disasters.
New legislation would allow the state’s Executive Council
to provide up to $3.5 million to local governments when the Governor declares
a disaster. To encourage more Iowans
to volunteer, ‘Good Samaritans” would be granted legal immunity when they, in
good faith, provide emergency assistance during a proclaimed disaster.
The Rebuild Iowa Committee also moved to make it more
attractive for Iowans to secure loans through the Jumpstart Housing Program.
Currently, forgivable loans made through the program are
forgiven over a 10-year period. The bill that passed the committee would
shorten the forgiveness period to a five-year period
We will continue to look for ways to improve our response
in times of disaster.
Iowa
nurses deserve better
Did you know that Iowa
ranks 50th in average nurse pay? Our nursing shortage is one of the worst in
the nation, and it’s going to get worse.
Iowa’s
nurses are essential to quality health care. That’s why I’m working with my
colleagues to give Iowa
nurses hope that conditions will improve.
The Government Oversight Committee has criticized some Iowa hospitals for
failing to abide by an agreement to use an increase in Medicaid money to
bolster nursing salaries.
We have lots of great hospitals, but many failed to live
up to the agreement made last spring, under which the state provided an extra
one percent in Medicaid money, based on a promise by affected Iowa hospitals
that the additional dollars would be used to provide pay bonuses to Iowa
nurses above and beyond pay increases already negotiated or planned.
Despite this setback, I will continue to work on efforts
to make salaries more competitive for Iowa
nurses so that our hospitals and other health care facilities can provide
quality, affordable health care for all Iowans.
The Government Oversight Committee recently heard from
officials with the Iowa Public Employees’ Retirement System (IPERS) who
testified that Iowans’ public pensions are not in danger.
The reassuring words from IPERS officials come despite the
freezing of $339 million invested with a brokerage firm currently under
investigation for securities fraud.
IPERS Chief Executive Officer Donna Mueller and Chief
Investment Officer Karl Koch explained that the frozen funds represent only 2
percent of IPERS’ assets and will not impact pension benefits. IPERS has
retained legal council, and they are optimistic that much of the funds will
be recouped. Approximately $29 million was returned to IPERS after the
fraudulent firm was shut down by the National Futures Association.
Mueller and Koch assured the Oversight Committee that
IPERS will take all steps necessary to learn from its mistakes. As regulators
uncover an increasing number of fraudulent investment schemes around the
country, investors must be vigilant in vetting the firms with whom they do
business, they said.
The IPERS officers said the greater threat to IPERS is the
deepening global economic recession, which has eroded the fund’s earnings.
Down the road, it may become necessary to restructure the fund, but benefits
already earned would not be affected, they said.
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