The second week of the legislative session is now ending, and the pomp and circumstance is behind us. We have begun, in earnest, to do the work of the people of the State of Iowa.
With that being said, I thought I would give you a summary of the bills that I am personally introducing into legislation this year to give you an idea of what I am working on as your legislator.
First, many people have commented on a bill that I co-sponsored to eliminate the changing of our clocks ahead or behind twice a year by making the Daylight Savings Time, Iowa’s Central Standard Time. This bill has received overwhelming support all across the state and is one of the most talked-about bills that I have sponsored. Some oppose it, and we have to work out the kinks, but this is gaining momentum in Iowa. I predict within 10 years we may not have to change our clocks back or forward anymore.
Another issue that I am worried about is fraud with welfare and government assistance. To tackle this issue, I have created a bill that will require the state to verify that a person is who they say, that they do not have assets they do not attest to, and that they are not claiming benefits in another state. This bill will require our state to ensure that the information of people asking to be on public assistance is true and they actually need assistance. In other states where this has happened, there is a savings of anywhere from 1 to 8 percent, and I would assume this would be the same in Iowa.
I believe strongly that our federal government has overstepped its bounds for many years and it needs to be reined in. Therefore, I have authored a resolution that I hope the Iowa House will adopt that affirms the sovereignty of our state under the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution where it states that our Federal Government only has the authority to do things that are specifically stated in the U.S. Constitution, and all other authorities are given to the states.
I have co-authored another important bill that I believe will give an incentive to individuals and companies to cure diseases. The idea behind the bill is to form a compact between states and even other countries so that when a disease is cured, the organization who developed the cure would share the savings over several years. For instance, if a cure for Alzheimer’s disease were developed, then all the states who are part of the compact would realize a huge savings and half of that savings would go to the business that developed the cure for a period of time. This bill moves us away from incentivizing the alleviation of symptoms and toward developing real cures to diseases.
I have been and will continue to be a staunch protector of human life and I have co-authored a bill that restricts money that can be used for abortions. I think protecting human life from conception to natural death is of the utmost importance and whatever I can do to protect even one baby is well worth the effort.
I am very worried about school safety, and therefore, I have authored a bill that will allow school boards to voluntarily arm employees of the school district. The armed employees would have to receive special training and would need to meet certain criteria, but I don’t think we can put the lives of our children at risk by letting someone who wants to make a name for themselves act out and attack them. Our schools need to be protected, and our school boards can make the call on how that will work better than some legislators in Des Moines; however, they need options so that they can make the best decisions.
I always appreciate your feedback and your thoughts on my newsletter and any issue that we are dealing with in the Statehouse. I do my best and work hard to bring our NW Iowa Values to the concrete of Des Moines. I want to thank you for entrusting me to represent you and serve you. Together we can make a difference in Iowa and keep Iowa moving forward.
