Iowa Senate Democrats

Fighting for a Better Deal for Iowans.

Senator Staed’s March 7 Newsletter

From the Desk of Senator Staed

Gotta have Trust. It’s clear that Iowans deeply value their natural resources and outdoor recreational spaces, as demonstrated by the overwhelming opposition to the Defund the Natural Resources & Outdoor Recreational Trust Fund bill. After receiving hundreds of emails from concerned citizens, lawmakers took notice, and the pressure led to Republicans ultimately pulling SJR6. This victory highlights the power of civic engagement and public advocacy, proving that when communities come together to protect what matters most, real change can happen. Ensuring the preservation of Iowa’s natural landscapes remains a priority, and continued vigilance will be essential in safeguarding these important resources for future generations. I hope you’ll continue to pressure the legislature now to actually fund the Trust – promised to voters back in 2010.

Economic Security for Iowa Workers

This week, my colleagues and I introduced a legislative package designed to re-prioritize Iowa’s workers. The package would protect Iowans from unfair labor practices and reinforce the critical safety net of unemployment insurance. I believe that safeguarding Iowa’s workers is crucial to ensuring the long-term health and stability of Iowa’s economy.

Protecting Iowa’s Workers Against Wage Theft

Wage theft is a widespread problem that isn’t limited to any one industry. Iowa’s existing laws against wage theft are too weak and leave our workers unprotected against bad actor employers. According to a report by Common Good Iowa, 250,000 Iowa workers lose over $900 million a year due to wage theft violations.

My colleagues and I have introduced SF 147 to better protect Iowans against these violations because all Iowa workers deserve the chance to earn a paycheck that respects their work, supports their family, and ensures their economic security.

Expanding Iowa’s Unemployment System

Unemployment insurance is an earned benefit provided to workers in receipt for their labor. It is a protective safety net that helps stave off further financial harm should the worst come to pass and an employee loses their job. After repeated cuts to the state’s unemployment system, the safety net Iowa workers rely on has been severely diminished.

My colleagues and I have introduced a series of bills to rebuild the safety net and make the unemployment process less burdensome for Iowa’s workers.

  • SF 157 restores unemployment benefits to 26 weeks (from the current 16), bringing Iowa back in line with the 38 other states to offer at least 26 weeks of benefits.
  • SF 358 restores unemployment benefits for workers following a plant closure to 39 weeks (from the current 26).
  • SF 372 waives unnecessary work search requirements for seasonal employees that waste time for both the workers and the businesses fielding applications from workers who are simply fulfilling a UI requirement.

Restoring Collective Bargaining Rights for Public Sector Employees

Prior to a law change in 2017, public sector employees and employers across Iowa could sit down and work together to discuss and adopt mutually agreeable solutions in the workplace. Those collective bargaining rights served Iowans and employers well for more than 40 years before they were gutted.

My colleagues and I introduced SF 263 to repeal those harmful 2017 changes. We want to restore employees’ voices and bring workers back to the table. It will have the added benefit of addressing ongoing issues with the recruitment and retention of Iowa’s public sector employees in the long run.

After years of lax workplace protections, reduced unemployment benefits, and the elimination of collective bargaining rights, Iowa’s workers need a better deal. Showing that our state values its workers is a great way to start. Iowa Democrats have always been the party of working Iowans, and my colleagues and I are proud to introduce legislation to bring workers’ needs back to the forefront.

My colleagues and I have filed a bill, SF420, to eliminate Native American mascots in Iowa schools.

A few years ago, the Meskwaki Nation emailed 60+ Iowa schools, asking them to discontinue using Native American mascots. Not all have complied.

Participated in a zoom call with State Innovation Exchange regarding Bayer’s Cancer Gag Act currently before 8 state legislatures.

If the bill becomes law, Iowan will have no recourse when injured by pesticides as the bill grants immunity from responsibility and accountability. These bills are about preempting and limiting liability, not protecting food and farming in the state.

Legislation guaranteeing Iowan’s option for a day in court would better protect our right to hold large corporations accountable.

In Iowa, SSB1051/SF394 has passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee and is eligible to be voted on by the full Senate body.

BTW, did anyone explain to Republican legislators that Iowa’s cancer rates are on the rise and some of the highest in the nation?

This week, every Senate Democrat signed on to co-sponsor SF 485, a bill establishing accountability standards for nonpublic schools accepting vouchers. Your taxpayer dollars are funding the private school voucher program – to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars. We believe it’s only fair that private schools accepting vouchers should follow the same rules as public schools. SF 485 requires the following:

  • Nonpublic schools accepting vouchers must adhere to the same accountability and transparency requirements as public school districts.
  • Voucher accepting schools must adhere to the same data reporting requirements as public school districts.
  • Voucher accepting schools must adhere to the same minimum course offerings as public school districts.
  • Voucher accepting schools must follow the same educator certification, licensing, and child abuse reporting requirements as public school districts.

Starting the day off conversing with friends from Discovery Living: Bob Hebl, Executive Director; Krista Sigel and Sabrina Strella both Directors of Operation. They are at the Capitol to discuss legislation impacting Iowans with developmental disabilities. Key bills:

  • HF13, increases Medicaid reimbursement rates
  • SSB1174, establishes Work Without Worry program to allow those with disabilities and Medicaid coverage to work without losing health care coverage
  • SF255, increases the personal needs allowance for those on Medicaid to $65/month
  • SF283, develops transition program scholarships for those with intellectual or developmental disabilities who are 18

I agree with all of these initiatives.

Served on the sub-committee for SSB 1198 which restricts DNR from acquiring land.

Some points:

  • DNR only buys from willing landowners
  • DNR pays property taxes on land they purchase
  • DNR first evaluates property to ensure it’s not currently farmed as they would not take land out of production.

There was overwhelming opposition at the subcommittee, but my Republican colleagues moved the bill on (Sen. Shipley stating he’d not received any letters of opposition from his constituents).

Iowa has the least (tied with Rhode Island) number of public lands in the nation. I am strongly opposed to this legislation.

Fascinating conversation with Dr. Greg Tylka who is a Morrill Professor in the Department of Plant Pathology and Microbiology at Iowa State University with extension and research responsibilities for management of plant-parasitic nematodes. Nematodes (or roundworms) are present in soybean crops and Dr. Tylka explained various measures to prevent crop damage. So thankful for the research conducted at our Regents Universities.

Served on the sub-committee for SSB1196. This bill addresses the millions of lithium ion batteries going into landfills. (Some of these have caused dangerous fires in our solid waste facilities.) The bill creates standards for safe battery disposal. To sell batteries in the state, a producer must join or form a Battery Stewardship Organization.

I am strongly supportive of this initiative and the bill passed out of sub 3-0.

Several bills passed out of Tuesday’s State Government, but the bill that will probably get the most press is SF464 increasing the salary of legislators and state elected officials. I agree 100% that in order to encourage younger people to run for office we need to pay a living wage. But until we increase the minimum wage, I will be firmly against large increases to legislative salaries. The raise represents 3% – a percentage we couldn’t even give our public school students. (Also, the bill gives the executive branch an even larger cash cow… the governor receives a $100K increase!)

Other bills passed include:

  • SF198, requires a separate license and training for individuals operating crematories [YES vote]
  • SF316, makes a few edits to the state’s Barbering and Cosmetology code chapter [YES vote]
  • SF359, provides civil liability immunity for food dealers/commercial vehicle owners seeking to transport food to an Iowa food bank association affiliate [YES vote]
  • SSB1039 expands the ability for the state to continue providing health insurance coverage for spouses and children after a state employee dies from a traumatic personal injury during the employee’s work duties [YES vote]
  • And several bills relating to voting. I was a NO vote on all but one of them [SSB1196, YES vote] which continue the Republican path of restricting voting rights.

Bills passed out of Wednesday’s Natural Resources and Environment Committee:

  • SSB 1178 – Requires a county auditor to prepare and file with the county recorder a district parcel record that identifies all parcels contained within a county drainage or levee district. [YES vote]
  • SSB 1198 – Ties the hands of DNR when purchasing land for public use. Property owners should have the right to sell to whoever they wish even at auctions. [NO vote]
  • SSB 1196 — Implementation of battery stewardship plans and penalties. [YES vote]
  • SSB 1197 — Boat liveries permitting with retroactivity. Allegedly, a senator was upset with the rising costs of boat slips and filed this bill to make it more difficult for the owner to rent boats on the lake. [NO vote, the bill doesn’t solve the problem it contends to solve – which is congestion on the lake]
  • SF 108 – Jet ski life jacket exemption when driving at low speeds in no wake area. Allegedly, a senator was cited for not wearing a life jacket…hence the bill. [NO vote, bad for public safety]
  • SF 247 – Farm unit definition change for turkey and deer hunting [YES vote. I was initially opposed but they amended the bill to 20 acres which seems reasonable.]
  • SF 268 – addresses oil and gas production including hydrogen, reporting requirements, the authority of DNR, confidential information and pooling orders. [YES vote]

Met with members of the Iowa Chapter of American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), to discuss their public policy priorities which include:

  • strengthen and increase diversity in the HVAC workforce
  • advance design and construction of resilient buildings and communities
  • support adoption of the latest ASHRAE standards into building codes for energy efficiency
  • support sustainable building practices to mitigate climate change
  • promote healthy buildings and reduce indoor environmental risks

I’m appreciative of the group’s emphasis on sustainability and enjoyed visiting with Matt Swenka, Peter Ernzen, and Dan Blake.

Quick Updates

  • REAL ID is here, finally: After a series of long delays and setbacks, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has set May 7, 2025, as the date by which you must get your REAL ID. After that date, you will be required to carry REAL ID or a valid passport for all domestic air travel and for entry into secure federal buildings, like a courthouse. According to the Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT), almost 75% of Iowa drivers have their REAL ID already. In Iowa, REAL ID is signified by a yellow star in the upper right corner of your driver’s license. If you do not already have REAL ID, you’ll need to make an in-person appointment with the DOT. Be sure to remember the required documents for your appointment!
  • No New Investment in Early Childhood: SF 445 is the Governor’s proposal to restructure some early childhood programs. The bill would transfer some early childhood funding over to the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services to stand up a new “continuum of care” program, without creating a new funding mechanism. While there is little detail as of yet, providers are being told there will be very limited funding available for local ECI (Early Childhood Iowa) areas to fund current programs and services. Please contact your state senator and representative to ask for more information and share how local ECI funding and supports are critical for your area.
  • March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month! This month reminds us that individuals with developmental disabilities are valuable members of our communities and deserve full participation in all aspects of life, including education, employment, recreation, and civic engagement. That is why it’s so important to preserve Iowa’s share of funding for 504 plans for children with disabilities. Recently, the Texas lawsuit that Iowa Attorney General Bird signed onto has been in the news because, if it moves forward with everything it asks for, it could effectively end accommodations for Iowa kids with disabilities. Clearly written in the text of the lawsuit is a request to make the entirety of Section 504 unconstitutional and its provisions unenforceable. This means that employers and organizations such as hospitals, nursing homes, mental health centers, and human service programs could legally discriminate against Iowans based on their disability. If stripping disabled children of their accommodations is not her goal, then the attorney general should amend the lawsuit itself to say so or withdraw her participation in the lawsuit, period.
  • Department of Education Cancels Additional $1.2B in Grants The U.S. Department of Education canceled $350 billion in grants, largely made to Regional Educational Laboratories, which support research, development, and technical assistance activities. The department also canceled $226 million in grants to Comprehensive Centers, which support capacity-building services to states and education systems, and $600 million in grants that it characterized as supporting teacher training. All the programs were canceled for promoting “divisive ideologies.”
  • Women’s History Month is here: March is a time to honor and celebrate the contributions and achievements of women throughout history. Throughout Iowa, local libraries are hosting a variety of events to celebrate Women’s History Month in March 2025. Visit your local library to see a complete listing of events.