Before Iowa repeals the bottle bill signed by Governor Bob Ray nearly 40 years ago, it is important for legislators and the public to know how it is actually working today.
Iowa’s outstanding health insurance for children is at risk due to the Congressional failure to reauthorize the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Without federal action, the state of Iowa faces millions more in costs even though 44,000 fewer children would be insured.
In a letter emailed today to Governor Reynolds and Republican lawmakers, Iowa’s Democratic state legislators are asking for bipartisan cooperation during the 2018 session to end Iowa’s failed Medicaid privatization experiment.
Statehouse Republicans adopted a my-way-or-the-highway approach to budget and policy decisions during the 2017 session. They ignored the voices of working Iowans who were begging them to keep their two biggest campaign promises: Raise family incomes by 25 percent and create 200,000 new Iowa jobs.
“IPERS and Iowa’s other public pension plans are secure, strong, and sustainable. Some current legislative proposals to change IPERS could break the promise we have made to hard working Iowans since 1953,” said Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald.
Under new committee assignments announced this week, Senator Allen was named Ranking Member of the Commerce Committee. He also serves on the Local Government and Veterans Affairs committees, and on the Economic Development Budget Subcommittee.
Citing continuing turmoil for Iowa’s Medicaid recipients, state senators are calling on Gov. Reynolds to grant an additional 30 days for more than 200,000 former AmeriHealth members who are being denied a choice of Medicaid providers to choose either UnitedHealthcare or a fee-for-service system.
Sen. Petersen: “This is another partisan response to the serious problem of sexual harassment in the Iowa Capitol. Senator Dix, Senator Whitver and other Senate Republicans still have not apologized to Kirsten Anderson for the sexual harassment she experienced and they refuse to acknowledge that she was fired for being a whistleblower.”
In the wake of a $1.75 million settlement, Senate Democratic Leader Janet Petersen today called on the top two Senate Republicans leaders — Senate President Jack Whitver and Senate Majority Leader Bill Dix — to release to the public the findings of their internal investigation of sexual harassment.
State Senator Tod Bowman of Maquoketa and State Representative Andy McKean of Anamosa have scheduled listening posts in Jackson, Jones and Dubuque counties. The legislators encourage constituents to bring their concerns and suggestions for the 2018 session.