The Iowa House moved quite a few bills on the House floor this week as we approach the second funnel deadline. If you’ll remember, the first funnel week meant that any House file that hadn’t passed in its originating committee was no longer able to be considered. Next week, any House files that haven’t made it out of Senate committees and any Senate files that haven’t made it out of House committees will no longer be up for consideration. These rules are in place to help us narrow down our legislation each session.
More Parental Choice in Education
Giving parents more choice in their children’s education has been a top priority for this caucus, and yet again we have delivered. We want to ensure every student has access to quality education. HF 813, which passed the House around 12:30 am Thursday after a lengthy debate, will provide more educational opportunities to more students, particularly those who need it most.
What the bill does is establish an additional path for the creation of public charter schools by allowing them to be established by either a school board or a founding group. Additionally, it lays out specific rules and guidelines to ensure charter schools adhere to public school guidelines such as standards of transparency, quality, oversight, and admittance.
Budget Work Begins
After receiving the Revenue Estimating Conference’s most updated projections last Thursday, serious conversations about the budget for Fiscal Year 2022 began this week. The House budget subcommittees worked on their budget targets so that when we return to the Statehouse next week we can really dig into the decisions we need to make in regards to the budget.
Thanks to a decade of responsible budgeting practices by Iowa House Republicans, Iowa’s financial position continues to look strong. Responsible, conservative budgeting is what got us to where we are today. Iowans can trust that the Iowa House will continue with that approach as we address the state’s budget for Fiscal Year 2022.
