We have finished week three of the session. Committee work continues to be the focus as we work through our bills.
One of the priorities of the House Republicans is expanding Child Support. HF 2103 requires child support to apply while the child is still in the womb. This would mean a father’s obligation to pay child support would begin as soon as the mother is pregnant, not when the child is born. Our caucus has shown that we are strongly pro-life. We have passed strong laws to protect unborn children from abortion. We must also pass policies to ensure all children, especially those born into difficult situations, have the support they need. There are a lot of costs that occur during the pregnancy. From doctor’s appointments to the supplies new parents must have ready for when the child is born. Right now, child support laws imply only the mother must bear the responsibility for those costs. This bill ensures that fathers are held accountable as well. This bill is scheduled for a subcommittee next week.
Another priority for House Republicans is to disincentivize Illegal Immigration. While Iowa does not have an international border, there is still concern that the massive illegal immigration that the Biden administration is imposing on the nation will negatively impact Iowans. This week, the House introduced two pieces of legislation to ensure the State of Iowa does not have policies that incentivize or reward illegal immigration. House File 2128 requires proof that you are in the country legally before you can receive in-state tuition at Iowa’s regent institutions. House File 2112 ensures that no one who is in the country illegally qualifies for public assistance programs. This bill was introduced this week and is scheduled for subcommittee Tuesday. Hardworking Iowa taxpayers should not be footing the bill for individuals who are not in the country legally through any public assistance program or tuition benefits. Additionally, we cannot allow our state’s policies to essentially incentivize people to come to our country illegally. That would be unsustainable and unfair to those who do follow the proper process to immigrate legally.
And then, there is the absurdity of Gender Identity. On Tuesday, House Republicans passed a bill out of subcommittee to create a definition of a woman in Iowa code. The definition reads simply, “woman” means an adult female human. The entire bill is less than half a page. In my opinion, it’s silly that we even need to add this definition into Iowa code. However, as evidenced in the subcommittee, there are some folks who don’t agree that gender is a simple biological fact. During the subcommittee meeting, an organization known as “One Iowa” handed out a crazy and complex “infographic” flowchart reflecting the various decision points one has as they contemplate if they are a woman.
As always, I look forward to seeing you at the capitol or out in the district.
