|
Senate
Democrats
·
Making
tough choices that keep our promises
·
Supporting Iowans during
national recession
·
Stopping wage
discrimination will grow Iowa’s middle class
·
Expanding health insurance
coverage for Iowans
·
Supreme Court strikes down
discriminatory statute
·
Additional disaster
assistance for small businesses
·
Encouraging small business
growth in our local communities
Because the national recession shows no sign of letting up
soon, we’re moving forward with a fiscally responsible budget that
drastically cuts spending while maintaining Iowa’s priorities.
For example, when the Senate recently passed an
Education Budget, we focused on funding programs that best improve student
achievement for all Iowa
students. We reduced funding for programs that don’t meet that core mission,
don't serve all Iowa
children or don’t directly impact kids.
That’s the approach we’re using with every budget bill we
take up in the Senate. We’re making tough choices while maintaining our
commitments to creating good-paying jobs, making health care more affordable
and improving student achievement.
By focusing on these priorities, we can prepare Iowa for a brighter
tomorrow and balance our state budget without raising taxes.
During this national recession, Iowans are losing the jobs
they depend upon to support their families. More than ever, Iowans need
employment services and job training to help get them back to work.
That’s why the Senate recently passed an Economic
Development budget that boosts job-creation efforts and supports Workforce
Development.
Senate File 469 appropriates more than $18.5 million for Iowa’s 55 workforce
field offices. These local workforce centers provide Iowans with job
counseling, training, placement and other assistance. They help Iowans
connect with employers and help businesses find the workers they need to
succeed locally.
In addition to state dollars, Iowa’s Department of
Workforce Development can expect to receive more than $20 million in federal
stimulus dollars to help unemployed and laid off Iowans get back to work.
For more information on employment services or to contact
your local field office, go to www.iowaworkforce.org.
The Iowa Senate approved a measure to outlaw wage
discrimination based on age, race, religion, gender and the other protected
classes cited in the Iowa Civil Rights Act.
The legislation is particularly good new for Iowa women and their
families. Iowa
currently ranks 37th among states when it comes to equal pay for men and
women.
Senate File 127 seeks to change that by punishing
employers who discriminate. The Iowa Civil Rights Commission could award
double the shortfall for the time discriminatory wages were paid and up to
three times that wage shortfall in cases of willful violation.
The legislation applies only to employers who have four or
more employees. It does not apply to wage differences resulting from
seniority and job performance.
The bill now goes back to the Iowa House for its approval.
For more information about the Iowa Civil Rights
Commission, go to www.state.ia.us/government/crc/file_complaint/index.html.
The Legislature has approved a bill to require most heath
insurance to cover medically-necessary prosthetic devices designed to replace
all or part of an arm or a leg.
This change is
especially beneficial for children, who may need several prosthetic
replacements as they grow.
House File 311 requires that insurance coverage be at
least equal to that provided under federal Medicare, which currently covers
prosthetics with no annual or lifetime benefit cap. The prosthetic device
must be prescribed by an Iowa-licensed physician for loss of a limb due to
catastrophic injury or illness.
The bill applies to individual and group insurance, but
federal law exempts self-insured employees from state insurance regulation.
The requirement would take effect for policies issued or renewed as of July
1. The bill now goes to the Governor.
To learn more, view remarks from Senator Tom Rielly, an
Oskaloosa insurance agent, at www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIxrEEWgjU0.
Last week, a unanimous Iowa Supreme Court said that Iowa’s law specifying
that marriage can only be between a man and a woman is unconstitutional.
The Court, in its role as interpreter of Iowa’s
Constitution, declared in a landmark ruling that Iowa’s marriage law violates the Equal
Protection Clause.
This case originated in 2007 when the Polk County Recorder
refused to issue marriage licenses to six same-sex Iowa
couples, based on the Iowa
law. A Polk County
judge then ruled that denying them marriage licenses violated their
constitutional rights, but Polk
County appealed the
ruling to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court said the law excluding gay and lesbian
people from civil marriage has no relationship to any important governmental
objective and concluded that the statute must be stricken from the Iowa Code.
The Court ruled that the state’s current marriage law violated the Iowa
Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause because the State cannot make laws
that treat classes of people differently without a compelling reason.
The
Court thoughtfully acknowledged opposition from some religions to same sex
marriage, stating in its ruling, "Religious doctrine and views contrary
to this principle of law are unaffected, and people can continue to associate
with the religion that best reflects their views. A religious denomination
can still define marriage as a union between a man and a woman, and a
marriage ceremony performed by a minister, priest, rabbi, or other person
ordained or designated as a leader of the person’s religious faith does not
lose its meaning as a sacrament or other religious institution. The sanctity
of all religious marriages celebrated in the future will have the same
meaning as those celebrated in the past."
To implement the changes required by the Court’s decision,
the Attorney General is working with state and local officials to ensure
appropriate procedures are in place when the Court’s decision becomes
effective on April 27.
To review the Court’s decision, go to: www.judicial.state.ia.us/wfData/files/Varnum/07-1499.pdf.
Small businesses, family farms and non-profit
organizations impacted by the 2008 summer disasters can now apply for
additional financial assistance through the Small Business Disaster Recovery
Grant Program. The program, administered by Iowa Workforce Development,
provides grants for as much as $5,000 for damages from last year’s floods and
tornadoes.
The grants can be used to reimburse or pay for the cost of
repairing or replacing property and items damaged by the flood. The grants
can also be used to cover disaster-related insurance co-payments and
deductibles, as long as the costs are associated with the business and not
the individual.
About $1.7 million is available for the program statewide
on a first-come, first-serve basis. For more information and an
application, go to www.rio.iowa.gov/resources/assistance.html.
This week, the Legislature approved a bill that will help
keep our neighborhoods safer and help responsible small business owners.
According to Iowa
law, businesses that serve alcohol on premises are responsible for injury or
harm that results from serving intoxicated patrons. Bar owners that have a
bad track record pay higher insurance rates than those that have a good
history. Rates are based on the establishment’s history, not on the owner’s
history.
Senate File 379 makes changes to insurance laws for good
bar owners who buy and clean up additional bars. Under the bill, a bar owner
with a good track record who purchases a troubled bar may have their
insurance premiums for the new location re-examined and adjusted after 30
months.
This change is designed to encourage experienced bar
owners to buy “nuisance bars” and turn them around. The bill now goes to the
Governor.
|