Iowa Senate Democrats

Fighting for a Better Deal for Iowans.

  • TODAY: Tell your senator to stand up for injured workers

    This is an action alert for Monday, March 27. Please e-mail state senators to urge them to support Iowa workers by rejecting two bills Iowa Senate Republicans have placed on the daily debate calendar for today:

    1. House File 518 – the bill to gut workers compensation for injured and disabled workers.
    2. House File 295 – the bill to take away local minimum wages and reduce the minimum wage for tens of thousands of Iowa workers.

    You can find their email addresses at www.legis.iowa.gov/legislators/find, or call the Iowa Senate switchboard at 515-281-3371 to leave messages for specific individual Senators.

    On social media, urge Iowa’s state senators to #SaveIAWorkers and #RaiseTheWage.

     

    Update on Rest of “Dirty Dozen”

    1. Prohibit Local “Pre-Qualification” for Bidding (SF438) – passed Iowa Senate, pending in Iowa House
    2. Circumvent “Buy American” on local road projects (HF203) – passed both Iowa House and Iowa Senate, now signed into law by Governor Branstad
    3. New Government Barriers to Voting (HF516) – passed Iowa House, amended by the Iowa Senate to shorten the window for absentee voting from 40 to 29 days, pending again in the Iowa House
    4. Make Planned Parenthood Ineligible for Medicaid Reimbursement (SF2) – passed Iowa Senate, still pending in Iowa House
    5. Create Religious Exemptions for Boarding School Regulations (SF443) – still pending in Iowa Senate
    6. Eliminate Permits to Acquire Firearms, Other Firearm Changes (HF517) – passed Iowa House, pending in Iowa Senate
    7. Unfunded Mandate on Local Officials to Enforce Immigration Laws (SF481) – still pending in Iowa Senate
    8. Dismantle Des Moines Water Works (HF484/SF456) – still pending in both Iowa House and Iowa Senate
    9. End Bottle and Can Deposit Law (HF575) – pending in Iowa House Ways & Means Committee
    10. Restrict Right to Bring Nuisance Lawsuit (SF447) – passed Iowa Senate and Iowa House, now pending consideration by Governor Branstad. Call his office at 515-281-5211 to urge him to veto it.

  • March 20 action alert on anti-worker bills

    Two of the “dirty dozen” are on the debate schedules for today, one in the Iowa House and one in the Iowa Senate. This update is to ask for your help today, and to encourage you to keep speaking up on other “dirty dozen” issues and on the revised Branstad-Reynolds-Republican budget we expect to see any day now.

     

    Speak Up For Iowa Workers

    In the Senate, we continue to need your help to stop the legislation (SF435/HF518) that would gut Iowa’s highly-rated workers compensation system.

    The Insurance Journal rates Iowa’s system as the third best in the country. Premiums have fallen three of the last four years. Case filings are down. This bill is NOT an Iowa solution to an Iowa problem. Republicans did not campaign on this issue. This legislation is being pursued at the request of big-money, out-of-state special interests.

    By speaking up, you have slowed down this legislation, but it did pass the Iowa House on Thursday and is now back on the debate schedule for today—Monday, March 20—in the Iowa Senate.

    With your help, we can find 4-5 Senate Republicans who will finally stop this bill and give Iowans a chance to consider this legislation more carefully before next year’s legislative session.

    Please e-mail Republican Senators today and call the Senate switchboard (515-281-3371) to leave messages for specific individual Republican Senators this afternoon. E-mail contact information for Republican Senators is available at www.legis.iowa.gov/legislators/find.

    Here are some of the provisions in SF435/HF518 that would create new barriers to workers’ compensation or arbitrarily reduce compensation:

    • Additional barriers due to alcohol or drug use, even if unrelated to employment.
    • Reduction of compensation for all shoulder injuries.
    • Reduction of compensation for all second work injuries.
    • New “light duty” requirements that could reduce or bar compensation.
    • New and unrealistic time deadlines for asserting a claim.
    • Discriminatory age limitations against people age 67 or older.
    • A new “predominant factor” test that will take away compensation from injured workers because of pre-existing conditions such as age, weight and prior work injuries.
    • New provisions that allow or encourage employers and their insurers to delay paying compensation.

    Stop the Attack on the Des Moines Water Works

    Just like we need your help in the Senate, House Democrats need your help today to stop the bill (HF484) that would take over the Des Moines Water Works, dismantle the utility, and deprive voters from having their say on what should happen to its $300+ million in assets.

    HF484 is on the debate schedule today in the Iowa House, so e-mail state representatives or call the House switchboard (515-281-3221) to leave messages for specific individual Representatives. If House Democrats can find 9-10 House Republicans to oppose this bill, they will be able to stop it.

     

    Update on the Rest of the “Dirty Dozen”

    Here is the status on the rest of the “dirty dozen”:

    1. Prohibit Local “Pre-Qualification” for Bidding (SF438) – passed Iowa Senate, now in Iowa House
    2. Lower Local Minimum Wages (HF295) – passed Iowa House, now in Iowa Senate
    3. Circumvent “Buy American” on local road projects (HF203) – passed both Iowa House and Iowa Senate, and is now pending Governor’s signature. You can call his office at 515-281-5211 to urge Governor Branstad to veto HF203.
    4. New Government Barriers to Voting (HF516) – passed Iowa House, now in Iowa Senate
    5. Make Planned Parenthood Ineligible for Medicaid Reimbursement (SF2) – passed Iowa Senate, now in Iowa House
    6. Create Religious Exemptions for Boarding School Regulations (SF443) – still in Iowa Senate
    7. Eliminate Permits to Acquire Firearms, Other Firearm Changes (HF517) – passed Iowa House, now in Iowa Senate
    8. Unfunded Mandate on Local Officials to Enforce Immigration Laws (SF481) – still in Iowa Senate
    9. End Bottle and Can Deposit Law (HF575) – still in Iowa House
    10. Restrict Right To Bring Nuisance Lawsuit (HF468/SF447) – passed Iowa Senate, now in Iowa House

    Almost every day there is another misguided bill added to our daily debate calendar. Today, the Iowa Senate is expected to debate new caps on noneconomic damages in medical malpractice cases (SF465) that would be particularly hard on children, seniors and others who do not have “economic” losses—such as lost wages—to recover in the rare cases when medical providers make mistakes that cause harm. This bill is in the Iowa Senate now, and if it passes, will go to the Iowa House for more consideration.

    Last Thursday, the Iowa Senate passed a proposed Constitutional amendment (SJR9) that would incorporate today’s budgeting rules into our Constitution (99 percent spending limitation and revenue forecasting) and would also place a hard cap of 4 percent annual budget growth in our Constitution, regardless of inflation or other emergency health or safety situations that may arise. This amendment is at best unnecessary, and at worst, would tie the hands of future Legislatures at the exact moment when action is most needed. This resolution has passed the Iowa Senate, so please speak up with Iowa House members about it.

  • Contacting Iowa’s Republican State Senators


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  • Bolkcom: Republican policies are train wreck for working families

    Iowa Senate News Release
    State Senator Joe Bolkcom: (319) 330-9541
    For Immediate Release: March 14, 2017 

     

    Statement by Senator Joe Bolkcom, lead Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Committee, on the updated revenue estimates

    “In 2010, Governor Terry Branstad and Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds were elected to office based on two promises: Raise family incomes by 25% and create 200,000 new Iowa jobs within four years.

    “They failed and made life worse for Iowa families and their communities.

    “Now, with complete control of the Iowa Statehouse, Republicans are pursuing an agenda that is driving down incomes and destroying jobs.

    “Their agenda includes grossly underfunding our local schools; turning Iowa’s respected, state-run Medicaid safety net into a national disaster; weakening the rights of workers and driving down wages; and showering out-of-state corporations with an all-you-can-eat buffet of tax cuts and tax credits.

    “Senate Democrats stand ready to work with legislative Republicans, the Governor and Lt. Governor on a mid-course correction that will restore fiscal stability to our state budget by investing in our schools and job-creation initiatives, and taking a serious look at out-of-control spending on tax credits.”

    – 30 –

     

  • “Keep Iowa Beautiful” recognizes Allen for community improvement efforts

    Iowa Senate News Release
    For Immediate Release: March 13, 2017

    On Monday, March 13, Governor Terry Branstad presented Senator Chaz Allen with a special award from Keep Iowa Beautiful. The organization helps communities and organizations with cleanup and beautification projects while promoting anti-littering education programs.

    Senator Chaz Allen was recognized today for his leadership on a successful, bipartisan effort to continue state support of Keep Iowa Beautiful. In 2016, Allen worked with Iowa House Republican Pat Grassley to continue state support for Keep Iowa Beautiful.

    “Keeping Iowa beautiful by cleaning up garbage and educating people about the damage caused by littering is important to economic development,” said Allen. “Iowa is a great and beautiful place to live, and keeping it that way makes our state a more attractive place in which to live and invest.”

    -end-

  • Workers deserve protections for on-the-job injuries

    Our state’s workers’ compensation system is the only recourse for Iowans injured on the job, but it may soon be turned upside down by a bill scheduled for debate today in the Iowa Senate.

    Iowa’s workers’ compensation has delicately balanced the interests of employers against the need to provide reasonable medical care and fair benefits for workers who suffer disabling on-the-job injuries.

    The system exists to protect those who are injured, become sick or lose their hearing because of the dangers of their employment. However, SF 435 makes sweeping changes that gut those protections, reduce an employer’s liability for workplace injuries, and encourage employers and insurance companies to avoid paying claims.

    This is another attempt by the Legislature to fix something that isn’t broken–and another act that cuts away workplace rights for hard-working Iowans. Our workers’ compensation system earns an “A” grade from the Insurance Journal, and the Iowa Economic Development Authority raves that our state is below average for workers’ compensation premiums.

    In addition, work injury claims are down in Iowa, dropping by 21 percent over the last eight years, according to the National Council on Compensation Insurance. The costs of workplace injury and illness are already borne primarily by injured workers, their families and taxpayers. The bulk of workers’ compensation dollars in Iowa goes to medical providers for care.

    Some of the worst measures in SF 435 include:

    • Discriminating against older workers. Iowa workers permanently and totally disabled by a work injury prior to age 67 lose their benefits at age 67; and those injured at age 67 or older are limited to 150 weeks of benefits. This leaves taxpayers to pick up the costs when these older workers become disabled simply because they need to work later in life to make ends meet.
    • Eliminating protections based on an employee’s loss of earning power if the employer returns the injured employee to work for a made up job, but then terminates them, leaving them with no compensation for lost earning ability due to injury.
    • Reducing protections for workers who suffer a shoulder injury, one of the most common work-related injuries that can easily end a career for a manufacturing, construction or meat-packing worker. A workers’ loss of earning capacity would no longer be taken into account when calculating benefits for severely limiting shoulder injuries.

    SF 435 is an overreach that does nothing to help workers or move Iowa’s economy forward. It’s phase two in the attack on the working Iowans whose labor is the very backbone of our economy.

    It’s unforgivable to do this to the workers who literally sacrifice their bodies to provide for their families and Iowa’s economy as a whole.

  • Action Alert: Help stop bad bills today

    Two bad bills on today’s debate schedule are SF184/HF203, which would circumvent federal “Buy American” requirements on state and local road projects, and SF435/HF518, which would gut Iowa’s workers compensation system for work-related injuries and disabilities (see more below).

    You can help by e-mailing Republican Senators today and by calling the Senate switchboard (515-281-3371) to leave messages for specific individual Senators this afternoon.

     

    Workers Compensation

    Let me be more specific about how SF435/HF518 would gut our workers compensation system for work-related injuries and disabilities. Provisions that would create new barriers to compensation or arbitrarily reduce compensation include:

    • New and unrealistic deadlines for asserting a claim.
    • Discriminatory age limitations against people age 67 or older.
    • A new “predominant factor” test that will take away compensation from injured workers because of pre-existing conditions such as age, weight and prior work injuries.
    • Additional barriers due to alcohol or drug use, even if unrelated to employment.
    • Reduction of compensation for all shoulder injuries.
    • Reduction of compensation for all second work injuries.
    • New “light duty” requirements that could reduce or bar compensation.
    • New provisions that allow or encourage employers and their insurers to delay paying compensation.

    If you speak up today, we may be able to get 4-5 Senate Republicans to help us stop or amend this legislation. Please e-mail and call today to save Iowa’s injured and disabled workers.

     

    Speak Up For Iowans to Stop the Rest of the “Dirty Dozen”

    We expect other damaging and dangerous bills to come up, perhaps as early as this week, in the Iowa House and the Iowa Senate.

    Here are 10 other bills where we need your help:

    1. Prohibit Local “Pre-Qualification” for Bidding (SF438) – passed Iowa Senate, now in Iowa House
    2. Lower Local Minimum Wages (HF295) – passed Iowa House, now in Iowa Senate
    3. New Government Barriers to Voting (HF516) – passed Iowa House, now in Iowa Senate
    4. Make Planned Parenthood Ineligible for Medicaid Reimbursement (SF2) – passed Iowa Senate, now in Iowa House
    5. Create Religious Exemptions for Boarding School Regulations (SF443) – still in Iowa Senate
    6. Eliminate Permits to Acquire Firearms, Other Firearm Changes (HF517) – passed Iowa House, now in Iowa Senate
    7. Unfunded Mandate on Local Officials to Enforce Immigration Laws (SF481) – still in Iowa Senate
    8. End Bottle and Can Deposit Law (HF575) – still in Iowa House
    9. Take Away Local Control of Water Supply (HF484/SF456) – Has not passed either chamber
    10. Restrict Right to Bring Nuisance Lawsuit (HF468/SF447) – Has not passed either chamber

    If you keep speaking up, we will be able to stop some or all of these bills.

  • McCoy requests Oversight Committee review of “root causes” of the abuse of Glenwood residents

    March 6, 2017

    Senator Breitbach,

    As Ranking Member of the Senate Government Oversight Committee, I am formally requesting you to convene and hold a meeting to review the Iowa Department of Human Services report to determine “root causes” of physical and verbal abuse of residents of the Glenwood State Resource Center, which houses 230 people with severe intellectual disabilities.

    The report states that “Many of the administrative and supervisory staff interviewed were overwhelmed and felt they could not adequately supervise and complete all of their required workload.”

    The Iowa Department of Human Services runs the facility and disclosed in January that seven residents were physically abused and 13 residents were subjected to verbal abuse or neglect. Thirteen staff members were fired or quit over the allegations, and six face criminal charges.

    The 34-page report was written by the Joint Commission Resources consulting company, which the state hired to investigate what led to alleged physical and verbal abuse of the Glenwood institution’s residents by staff members. The Department says it spent up to $65,000 to commission the report because it wants to understand and fix problems at the facility.

    I believe it’s imperative that the Legislature review this report closely.  That is a large amount of money to pay for a report and recommendations.  We need to make that cost worthwhile by very seriously reviewing and making the necessary changes to keep residents safe.

    I am requesting that the Senate Government Oversight Committee meet next week to review this report.  I would ask that you invite the Department to testify to what recommendations they have already implemented, which would take more time or resources to implement and if any of the report recommendations are inconsistent with the Department’s future plans to increase oversight and support to the Glenwood campus.

    I look forward to hearing from you regarding this request.

    Sincerely,

    Senator Matt McCoy
    Ranking Member, Senate Government Oversight Committee

     

    PDF: McCoy letter to Government Oversight Chair requesting meeting on Glenwood report

    Des Moines Register news story on Glenwood report

    Report on Glenwood Resource Center, which failed to properly train and manage staff, paving way to abuse allegations.

  • Mid-session Update: Let’s make progress for working families

    Governor Branstad, Lt. Governor Reynolds and legislative Republicans promised to focus on economic prosperity, fiscal responsibility and public schools.

     

    Republican Broken Promises & Wrong Priorities

    • Shortchanging public schools again this year with the third-lowest increase in basic school funding in the state’s history. This will force more consolidations of smaller school districts and lead to bigger classes, teacher layoffs and fewer learning opportunities (SF 166).
    • Gutting the collective bargaining rights of 180,000 public workers in Iowa (HF 291). This bill is government overreach that attacks Iowa workers and their families.
    • Weakening the voting rights of thousands of Iowans with a big voter suppression bill (HSB 93 & SSB 1163).
    • Outlawing most forms of birth control and prohibiting abortions in cases of rape/incest/health of mother (SF253/HF297).
    • Lowering wages for 65,000 hard-working Iowans and preventing local governments from having strong civil rights enforcement (HF295).
    • Lowering wages for construction workers and allowing Chinese steel to be used on Iowa road projects (HF203).
    • Imposing deep, mid-year budget cuts that led to job losses, higher tuition at community colleges, scholarship cuts, and endangers public safety. The cuts could have been avoided if Republicans hadn’t focused all their energy on giving huge tax breaks to corporations (SF 130).
    • Defunding Planned Parenthood (SF 2) and reducing access to cancer screenings, birth control and other health care services for thousands of Iowans, especially in rural areas.

     

     Democrats believe we should work together to make progress for working families again

    • Investing in K-12 schools and preventing more school closures
    • Rejecting mid-year budget cuts
    • Raising the minimum wage for 200,000 Iowans
    • Taking a serious look at reducing or eliminating tax breaks for big, out-of-state corporations that put the state budget in the red and don’t create jobs in Iowa
    • Keeping health care affordable and accessible for all Iowans
    • Guarantee every Iowan can exercise their right to vote
    • Keeping down the cost of college & job training
    • Make child care more affordable for working parents and those training for better jobs
    • End wage theft so that workers are paid what they’re owed
    • Making sure women receive equal pay for equal work
    • Coupling with changes in the federal tax code so that teachers, homeowners, college students, and other hard-working taxpayers will get a break

  • UI right to reverse scholarship cuts

    Iowa Senate News Release
    For immediate release: March 1, 2017
    Contact: Senate Democratic Leader Rob Hogg, 515-281-3901

     

     

    Iowans should speak up for affordable, world-class universities

                            

    Statement by Senate Democratic Leader Rob Hogg of Cedar Rapids

    “Since the session began in January, Republicans have twice taken back millions of state dollars already allocated to Iowa’s public universities and community colleges.

    “The University of Iowa’s response to these Republican takebacks was to renege on scholarships already awarded to Iowa students.

    “I reached out to UI officials and asked them to reconsider.  I’m glad they have reversed that decision.

    “Now Iowans should speak up and tell Republican legislators to support higher education so we can have world-class universities that are affordable to Iowa families.”

     

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