This Week at the Statehouse – Week 7
The Senate release their fiscal year (FY) 2020 budget targets this week. The Senate is at the same level as the current FY 2019 budget; the House is $48.6 million more than FY 2019 and the Governor’s recommendations are $39 million more. The education budget target for the Senate is $34.3 million more than FY 2019 and the House is $48.4 million higher than last year. The budget chairs are currently working behind the scenes on the budget bills. We will not see any specific details until after the March Revenue Estimating Committee meeting, which is scheduled on March 15.
| BUDGET TARGETS | FY 2019 Net | FY 2020 GOVERNOR | FY2020 HOUSE | FY 2020 SENATE | Gov v. FY 2019 | House v. FY 2019 | Senate v. FY 2019 |
| Administration & Regulation | 48,466,893 | 60,515,985 | $52,420,985 | $55,576,149 | $12,049,092 | $3,954,092 | $7,109,256 |
| Ag & Natural Resources | 39,357,522 | 46,682,522 | $41,107,522 | $39,961,522 | $7,325,000 | $1,750,000 | $604,000 |
| Economic Development | 40,216,345 | 44,378,345 | $41,028,345 | $41,628,345 | $4,162,000 | $812,000 | $1,412,000 |
| Education | 912,675,487 | 963,275,618 | $961,044,271 | $946,955,971 | $50,600,131 | $48,368,784 | $34,280,484 |
| Health & Human Services | 1,962,894,820 | 1,920,888,698 | $1,941,888,698 | $1,928,358,285 | ($42,006,122) | ($21,006,122) | ($34,536,535) |
| Justice Systems | 751,532,636 | 762,328,881 | $770,370,901 | $763,240,901 | $10,796,245 | $18,838,265 | $11,708,265 |
| State Aid to Schools & other standing appropriations | 3,864,188,258 | 3,860,410,443 | $3,860,115,038 | $3,843,610,788 | ($3,777,815) | ($4,073,220) | ($20,577,470) |
| GENERAL FUND TOTAL | $7,619,331,961 | $7,658,480,492 | $7,667,975,760 | $7,619,331,961 | $39,148,531 | $48,643,799 | $0 |
The end of next week, March 8, is the Legislature’s first funnel date (Senate policy bills need to come out of a Senate committee and House policy bills need to come out of a House committee to remain eligible for debate this legislative session; this does not apply to budget, tax or oversight bills). There was a lot of subcommittee and committee work this week. Highlights include:
- The House State Government Committee amended and passed their sports wagering/fantasy sports betting bill, HSB 198. The bill will now go to the House Ways and Means Committee. The Senate’s sports wagering/fantasy sports betting bill is SF 366 and is currently in the Senate Ways & Means Committee.
- The House Public Safety Committee amended and passed HF 259, which among other things says an employer cannot prohibit employees from carrying a gun to their workplace if it is out of sight and in a locked vehicle. Language is included that the employer will be immune from liability; any claim must be paid by the injured employee’s private insurance policy. The Senate Judiciary Committee amended and passed a similar bill, SF 213. Both bills are now eligible for debate in their respective chamber.
- The Senate Education committee adopted SF 428, eliminating 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. The bill is now eligible for Senate floor debate.
- The Senate Education Committee adopted SF 376, which requires mental health awareness, coping skills and suicide prevention be included in 7-12 grade health education courses. The bill is now eligible for Senate floor debate.
- SF 352 passed out of subcommittee this week. The bill requires alternative pathways to teacher and administrator licensure. The full committee will debate the bill next week. At the subcommittee meeting, we explained to the lawmakers the current Regents Alternative Pathway to Iowa Licensure (RAPIL).
This link is where you can find the complete list of bills the Board of Regents is registered on (in the box marked as lobbyist, type in Mary Braun).