From the Desk of Senator Weiner
It’s spring – the trees are blooming, the grass is growing, it’s warmed up, and the legislature *should* be adjourning soon. The last official day of the session is Friday, May 2. Will we be done by then? Probably less than a snowball’s chance in hell that we will finish on time. Everyone, including Republican leadership in both houses and the governor, knew when we gaveled in back in January when the last day of session was slated for. Why are we not ready to finish? Because the Legislature has to finish the people’s business – the budget bills.
Budgeting these days is tricky, no doubt. With income tax rates cut, less money is coming into the Iowa Treasury. With more layoffs in Iowa, there will also be fewer dollars coming in. Then there’s the federal level – we simply don’t/can’t know how much more will be stripped, funds on which this state depends. That includes USDA and ag funding, programs and grants; NIH funding and grants; Medicaid funding; Head Start; education, including block grants. We simply do not know. So how do you build a budget standing on air? A budget that is already a deficit budget, dipping into one time funds? Maybe that’s part of the problem. I don’t know because our Republican colleagues don’t share.
I also believe that returning to regular budget order – with joint subcommittees starting early in the session, shared information and an open process – would lead to more transparency and timeliness, instead of battles waged behind closed doors.
If there is one thing they have made clear this session, it’s that they don’t want to depend on Democrats for a single vote. It’s as if the state senate consists of 34 senators and they would be in some sort of quicksand if they consulted or asked us for votes on … anything. You may have seen press reports of a dust up on the floor (after debate) on eminent domain for CO2 pipelines. One of our Republican colleagues tried to pin the failure to bring a clean eminent domain bill to the floor (wait for it) … on us. I asked my colleagues – no one could recall a single time since 2017 that Republicans have asked Democrats for votes. Heaven knows I’ve offered – especially on the budget, since this is the people’s budget – it’s your tax dollars. I maintain that this state would work much better with some balance, and until we get there, we are going to continue to see really bad bills with no checks on them.
Speaking of bad bills – the governor’s continuum of childcare bill (SF445) ran through the Senate this week. It’s part of a series of bills we’ve seen over the past few years that consolidate and centralize power within the executive and, in particular, Health and Human Services (HHS). Do we need to improve access to quality childcare and full day preschool in this state? Absolutely. This is not how to do it. It’s the next round of gutting local control, local coalitions and organizations, and centralizing them. It will defund many of those groups that have existed for years, and fund yet-to-exist groups. And Iowa’s families and kids will be the ones impacted. It will also impact school districts such as ours that have already created partnerships with childcare centers, and who will not be eligible for grants because those partnerships already exist. It risks hurting areas without actual childcare centers but with certified in-home child care, because that option is not included. Can the system be improved? Of course it can. But you bring everyone to the table, you don’t pull the tablecloth off. (See more details, below.)
Our Republican colleagues regularly accuse us of catastrophizing when we speak on bills. We were right on vouchers, especially now that the floodgates have opened to the wealthiest Iowans. We were right on the Area Education Agencies. This bill is the childcare continuum version of the AEA bill. We’re right on this, too. Working together, having balance in the legislature, would go a long way toward solving those problems. We could be doing so much good for Iowans – lowering costs, improving how the unemployment system works, working with our schools and universities.
Now we are waiting for the budget bills – so we can wrap up and go home. We hope it will happen as soon as possible after May 2 and that the budget bills don’t end up looking like the legislative version of Christmas trees, with ornaments strung on in the form of policy bills they were otherwise unable to pass. Stay tuned! And please continue sending your stories about how you’ve been impacted by state or federal issues – to janice.weiner@legis.iowa.gov. Thank you!
A Caucus United in Defense of Iowans
In these first few months under a new Administration in Washington, D.C., my constituents have reached out with a growing list of concerns about troubling developments and proposals from officials within the federal government.
I’ve responded to worries about tariffs and their ongoing effect on the American economy; I’ve spoken about the shuttering of the Department of Education and how our Iowa students will be affected; and I’ve answered questions about the reckless actions of the world’s richest man, among many, many others.
But, without question, the most consistent fear I hear from my constituents is about cuts to critical programs like Social Security, Medicaid, and SNAP. These programs provide monthly benefits to hundreds of thousands of Iowans and have far-reaching effects that extend beyond the immediate recipients. Medicaid, for instance, is a key factor in keeping many of our rural hospitals and healthcare facilities afloat. These programs help us care for children, the elderly, the vulnerable, and the hungry. They’re lifelines preventing Iowans from falling through the cracks.
In the past week, my colleagues and I sent a series of letters to each member of Iowa’s federal delegation (our two U.S. senators and four members of Congress) urging them to defend Iowans’ access to these critical programs and to push back against cuts to their funding and operation. We believe our elected officials in Washington have a responsibility to stand up for Iowans and the essential services on which they rely.
You can see each of those letters at the links below.
A Child Care Shell Game
Childcare represents one of the largest ongoing expenses Iowa families face each month. The monthly cost can rival a family’s mortgage payment. This financial burden presents a significant barrier for parents trying to re-enter the workforce AND for Iowa businesses trying to recruit and retain top talent.
Taking meaningful action to address Iowa’s childcare crisis would positively impact thousands of working families and children in need of care while also helping to grow Iowa’s economy.
That’s why access to quality, affordable, reliable childcare is such a game changer, and why my colleagues and I are fighting so hard to expand childcare accessibility and affordability around the state. This week, the Iowa Senate had an opportunity to address some of Iowa’s persistent childcare deficiencies by improving on a proposal from Gov. Kim Reynolds.
The governor’s bill, SF 445, began with the intent of expanding wrap-around childcare services wherein a child could attend half-day preschool in the morning and move to after-school childcare in the afternoon.
But instead of proposing new funding for the expanded programming, the governor’s bill amounted to little more than a shell game. Rather than investing in new programs and increased access, SF 445 would move around existing money – forcing effective community-based childcare programs to try to do more with less and actually cutting existing child care slots. My colleagues and I find flaws with that approach, especially considering the state is sitting on nearly $100 million specifically earmarked for childcare.
So, Senate Democrats offered a series of amendments to try to improve the governor’s bill and provide greater access to early childhood education and affordable childcare options around the state. Our proposals would have done the following:
- Allowed communities to institute full-day preschool, expanding early childhood education opportunities for Iowa kids.
- Created a working group to study existing Early Childhood Iowa service areas and determine whether or not they should be consolidated – as the governor’s bill proposed – and what effect consolidation may have on children, families, and communities.
- Expand the eligibility limits for state assistance for childcare to thousands more working families and automatically qualify children for state childcare assistance if they have a parent under 18 or have a sibling already receiving assistance.
- Increase wages for childcare workers by building on the success of the Child Care Solutions Fund pilot program, by appropriating $6 million in new state funding to expand the program that offered state matching dollars for local fundraising.
Senate Republicans unanimously voted against each of our proposals, and SF 445 was passed along party lines. Instead of expanding access to quality, reliable, affordable childcare and expanding early childhood education opportunities, the Republican-led Legislature is just moving money around in the hopes that Iowans won’t notice.
Quick Updates
- Safe Disposal Options for Prescription Drugs: Iowa’s Office of Drug Control Policy is encouraging all Iowans to participate in National Prescription Drug Take Back Day on Saturday, April 26, 2025. This biannual event is an opportunity for Iowans to dispose of unused or expired prescription medications safely and anonymously. Find your nearest disposal site here, and for year round options, check out this map.
- National Fentanyl Awareness Day is April 29th. Check out their webpage for events, resources, and toolkits. While we’ve made progress, fentanyl still presents a danger to our communities. I’m hopeful this is the year the legislature finally acts on Iowa’s opioid settlement fund.
- Awards for Excellence: Five Iowa educators have been named as finalists for the 2025 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. This year’s list of finalists includes mathematics educators Catherine Leipold (Waterloo West High School), Curtis Martinek (Gilbert High School) and Adam Paulson (Waukee High School) and science educators Gregory Barord (Central Campus Regional Academy, Des Moines) and Matt Harding (Iowa City Liberty High School). The awards are the highest recognition that a K-12 teacher may receive in the United States for science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and computer science.
- Workers Memorial Day: Celebrated annually on April 28, Workers Memorial Day is an international day of remembrance and action for workers killed, disabled, or injured on the job. Instituted in 1989 by the AFL-CIO, it marks the anniversary of the date the Occupational Health and Safety Act went into effect, guaranteeing all workers the right to a safe work environment. Here’s where you can join in an event locally:
- Iowa City: Monday, April 28; Noon-1 p.m. Iowa City Public Library 123 S Linn St Iowa City IA 52240
- Celebrate and Explore Apprenticeships in Iowa: April 30 is National Apprenticeship Day! National Apprenticeship Day promotes and highlights the importance of apprenticeships across the country, showcases the benefits of on-the-job training where workers earn while they learn, and emphasizes the importance of Registered Apprenticeship programs in strengthening our economy, developing a highly skilled workforce to that meets industry needs, and creating pathways for career seekers to catapult into in-demand jobs.
- Iowa Youth Crop Scouting Competition: Youth teams can now register for the 2025 Youth Crop Scouting Competition, hosted by Iowa 4-H and the Iowa State University Integrated Pest Management program. The event will be held July 24 at Wyffels Hybrids in Ames. Middle and high school students in grades 7-12 are invited to put their crop scouting skills to the test, competing against other youth teams across the state.
- International Award for Iowa Professor: Christopher Merrill, the director of the International Writing Program (IWP) at the University of Iowa has been announced as the winner of the 2025 Ottaway Award for the Promotion of International Literature from Words Without Borders. Merrill’s efforts have significantly expanded the IWP, which has welcomed writers from over 160 countries, including three Nobel laureates. Merrill served on the National Council on the Humanities under President Barack Obama and led the initiative that resulted in Iowa City being named a UNESCO City of Literature in 2008 – at the time, the third such city anywhere and the first in the United States.
This Week in the Capitol
