This week was funnel week! This is the week when all bills must be out of committee or else they are considered dead for this session. Some committees are exempt from this rule such as ways and means, which I am a member of. This week was filled with multiple meetings in Judiciary, Commerce, and State Government. I stayed busy running around to a number of subcommittee meetings as well. We had little floor debate to accommodate our busy funnel week schedule! However, next week will see the hours of debate return to the house floor!
Over the weekend I received the Conservative Achievement award from the American Conservative Union. I received this award for my consistency in voting for and protecting Conservative values. I received the award in Orlando, Florida alongside Rep. Lundgren who is also a member of the Iowa House. I was proud to represent Iowa and I am proud of my legislative voting record! I promise to continue fighting for the taxpayers of District 84!
On Wednesday, I passed House File 638 out of subcommittee. The bill would remove the current $35,000 cap that small bakeries are allowed to make in a single year. This will help home bakeries make more sales and therefore increase profits! Small businesses, such as home bakeries, deserve less governmental regulation not more. I support bills that help improve people’s lives and I think that this bill will do just that. That is why I was happy to support the bill and I am excited to follow it through the rest of the legislative process.
The first legislative funnel deadline arrived this week. Unless a bill has been assigned to the Appropriations, Ways and Means, or Government Oversight committee, it must pass out of a committee by March 5th to receive further consideration this legislative session. The Commerce Committee passed a number of bills out this week, these include the following:
HSB 207 – This bill makes timing changes to fulfilling utility locate requests. It also requires locators to be certified by the Iowa Utilities Board and creates civil penalties for violations.
HSB 228 – This bill provides a framework for pharmacy reimbursements from pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs)
HF 677 – This bill allows car rental companies to place a hold on credit cards for incidentals or damages. The maximum hold amount must be clearly stated in the rental agreement. This brings parity to the industry as hotels already have the ability to place a hold on credit cards.
These bills all passed out of committee with bipartisan support. You can see all the legislation the House Commerce Committee is working on by visiting https://www.legis.iowa.gov/committees/committee?ga=89&groupID=696
Now that we are through our first funnel week, most bills will no longer begin in the house. However, I have several subcommittees for Ways and Means on the docket for next week. Next week will also bring about more nights of debate which will help us enact our legislative agenda! Feel free to reach out with any questions or just to leave a note. I always love hearing from constituents! Be sure to follow me on Twitter and Facebook, so you can stay up to date on the daily happenings here at the Capitol.
