The 2020 Iowa Legislature Adjourns: End of Session Highlights

The 2020 Iowa Legislature adjourned on Sunday, June 14. From this date, Governor Reynolds has 30 days to sign or veto legislation. This is the last government relations post on this website for this year. If you have any questions about this legislative session, please email mary.braun@uni.edu.

Highlights of budget legislation adopted during the 2020 Legislative Session that have an impact on UNI.

HF 2643 Omnibus Budget Bill

• For FY 2021, reduces the overall Board of Regents state general fund appropriations by $8 million from the FY 2020 level, at the discretion of the Board, for all three public universities.
• Requires the Department of Management, in consultation with the Legislative Services Agency, to determine the amount of state and federal appropriations made in FY 2020 for all state agencies.
• UNI’s economic development state appropriations are funded at status quo.
• Codifies that the Board of Regents has the authority to hire our own outside counsel for matters not associated with court matters. The Iowa Attorney General’s office will continue to represent the Board in matters before the courts. Non-court matters would include such things as patent work, intellectual property issues, other specialized contracts, Title IX, etc.

HF 2642 Infrastructure Budget bill

• Fully funds UNI’s Industrial Technology Center request for renovation and expansion of the building over four years (total $40.5 million):

o   $1 million for FY 2021 (previously enacted)

o   $13 million for FY 2022

o   $18 million for FY 2023

o   $8.5M million for FY 2024

Policy bills that were adopted:

The Board of Regents regulatory relief bill, SF 2284, was adopted. The bill allows the Board to go into closed meetings to discuss UIHC issues the same as all other public hospitals’ boards, provides additional provisions to strengthen the universities economic development efforts and strikes/repeals outdated Code sections and reporting requirements.

The students’ medical amnesty bill, HF 684, was adopted. The bill establishes some immunity for persons under 21 for various alcohol offenses (being under the legal age, public intoxication, open container) if, in good faith, the person seeks emergency assistance for another due to an alcohol overdose. Requires the Board of Regents to adopt rules prohibiting sanctions by the universities.

The Governor’s Future Ready Iowa bill, HF 2629, which the Board of Regents supported, was adopted. It makes changes to last year’s Future Ready Iowa Act, including establishes requirements for K-12 computer science education for instruction in elementary/middle school and HS standards and allows for online education.

The Board of Regents supported the justice reform bill, HF 2647, which has been signed into law and is effective June 12, 2020. The bill prohibits choke holds by law enforcement unless an officer is in a life threatening situation, prohibits officers with misconduct from moving from one law enforcement entity to another, requires law enforcement agencies to provide annual training in de-escalation techniques and the prevention of bias in law enforcement, and empowers the attorney general to investigate a death caused by a law enforcement officer.

Other bills of interest:

HF 594 Prohibits the court’s authority to have a minor child removed from life-sustaining procedures when there is objection of the minor child’s parent or guardian, unless there is conclusive medical evidence that the minor child has died and any electronic brain, heart, or respiratory monitoring activity exhibited to the contrary is a false artifact. Adds the requirement of a 24 hour waiting period before an abortion is provided.

HF 2197 defines primary care residency programs as psychiatry, obstetrics, gynecology, family medicine, internal medicine, and emergency medicine for the purposes of qualifying for the medical residency training state matching grants program.

HF 2359 makes the Praxis Core entrance exam into teacher preparation programs voluntary instead of mandatory.

HF 2561 prohibits a hospital, doctor or procurement organization from determining the recipient of an anatomical gift based on the recipient’s disability unless that disability is medically significant.

HF 2585 updates deaf and hard of hearing terminology.

HF 2589 makes changes to Iowa’s Medical Cannabis law giving additional health care providers the authority to write prescriptions and by increasing the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) cap to 4.5 grams for a 90-day period.

HF 2627, the Governor’s bill, which recognizes out-of-state licenses for several occupations and limits the reasons for disqualifying a person from receiving a professional license for a criminal conviction.

SF 2261 expands access to mental health services in K-12 schools via telehealth or in-person.

SF 2310 pertains to online learning coursework delivered to Iowa’s K-12 students. Online learning coursework offered by school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, and area education agencies is required to be rigorous, high-quality, aligned with the Iowa core and core content requirements and standards and the national standards of quality for online courses issued by an internationally recognized association for K-12 online learning. The coursework must be taught by an Iowa licensed teacher who has specialized training or experience in online learning, including but not limited to an online-learning-for-Iowa-educators-professional-development project offered by area education agencies, a teacher preservice program, or comparable coursework.

SF 2338 provides liability protections for business owners and health care providers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

SF 2356 requires the State Board of Education to adopt rules on an advanced dyslexia specialist endorsement for teachers, in consultation with the Iowa Reading Research Center and the Board of Educational Examiners.  Establishes the Iowa Dyslexia board, which will include a member from higher education.

SF 2357 expands the role of physician assistants in Iowa, enabling them to better serve patients by allowing for full prescriptive rights, legal protections similar to other health care professions, and the ability to be reimbursed by Medicaid.

SF 2360 addresses violent student behavior in the K-12 classroom.

SF 2398 establishes a Rural Veterinary Loan Repayment Program within the College Student Aid Commission to provide loan repayments for individuals who agree to practice as licensed veterinarians in rural service commitment areas or in veterinary shortage areas in Iowa for four years. The program received a $300,000 appropriation in the Omnibus Budget Bill.

Policy bills that did not pass:

HSB 585 would have required the Board of Regents to conduct a study regarding emergency preparedness and response at outdoor stadiums controlled by the Board.

HF 2192 would have required telehealth payment parity.

HF 2383 would have placed requirements on admissions to University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine and University of Iowa Dental College.

HF 2519 would have created an interstate Curing Disease Compact.

HF 2539 would have established measures for deaf and hard of hearing language and literacy development (LEAD-K).

HF 2572 would have prohibited all governmental entities, including the Board of Regents institutions, from using design build alternative delivery method for construction projects and would have allowed all governmental entities to use construction manager at risk alternative delivery method. 

SSB 3017 would have required a custodian of a public building to only be authorized to raise the flags of the United States of America, the State of Iowa, the national league of prisoner of war/missing in action families, and an official flag adopted by the political subdivision that owns or operates the public building.