This Week at the Statehouse – Week 8

Today marks the Legislature’s first deadline to have policy bills passed out of a Senate or House committee for them to remain eligible this legislative session. This self-imposed deadline does not apply to budget, tax and oversight bills.

Here’s some key bills that remain alive this session we are monitoring:

HF 276/SF274 – free speech on campus

HF 392 – exempts contracts for professional services from competitive bidding requirements; the conflicts-of-interests statutes in the Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board chapter would still apply

HF 477/SF 228 – bioscience-based economic development

HF 513/SF 159 – allows Iowa Dept. of Education to determine passing cut score for end of teacher preparation program exam (Praxis)

HF 636/SF 459 – carrying weapons in public places; employees can leave in locked vehicles at work

HF 648/SF 366 – sports wagering/fantasy sports betting

HSB 175/SF 342 – medical amnesty for alcohol cases

SF 188 – allows nonprojectile stun guns on campuses

SF 376 – requires mental health awareness, coping skills and suicide prevention be included in 7-12 grade health education courses

SF 428 – eliminates certain regulations for K-12 schools; the bill does not include the original sections that would have eliminated the requirement of hiring a school nurse and teacher librarians

Here’s some key bills that died during this week’s funnel:

SF 27 - prohibits the establishment or continuation of a tenure system at the Regents universities.

SF 289 – repealing statewide registration requirements for interior designers

SF 352 – required alternative pathways to teacher and administrator licensure

HF 91/SF 247 – minimum wage increases

HSB 2/HSB 56/HSB 57/SSB 1213 – all the bills making changes related to alternative delivery methods for construction projects on campus

April 5 is the Legislature’s second funnel date. This is when Senate bills and joint resolutions must be reported out of House committees and House bills and joint resolutions must be reported out of Senate committees.