A version of every budget bill, including the Senate version of HHS which was introduced on Thursday, April 15, has now been introduced.  Legislators have two weeks to wrap up work on the FY2021-2022 budget and a number of outstanding policy issues, including major tax issues, before per-diem payments end on April 30.

Appropriations

Work this week was largely focused on appropriations. This week, the Senate introduced and voted five budget bills out of the full Appropriations committee:

• Agriculture and Natural Resources budget (SSB1261)
• Judicial Branch budget (SSB1262)
• Education budget (SF596)
• Rebuild Iowa Infrastructure Fund (RIIF) budget (SF600)
• Justice Systems budget (SF599)

The House introduced and voted out their version of the Economic Development budget (HF871). 

Each chamber has now finished committee work on most of the budget bills, with two exceptions: 

• The Health and Human Services budget (HHS) was just introduced in the Senate on Thursday, April 15 (SSB1267); the House has yet to introduce its version of the HHS budget.
• The Standings budget, which includes Standing appropriations and typically a number of outstanding policy provisions, is not yet introduced and is not expected until the final days of the session (this bill is typically the last train out of the station).

Even though each chamber has approved its own versions of almost every budget bill, the House and the Senate have not yet agreed on joint targets.  The House and the Senate will still need to agree on an overall number for the FY2021-2022 budget as well as the details for every budget.  There are a lot of negotiations ahead for budget subcommittee chairs, Appropriations chairs, and leadership.

Floor work

The House and the Senate continue to send bills back and forth, at least half a dozen bills were returned to their originating chamber for reconsideration (with new amendments).  Time is running short to resolve differences in these bouncing bills. 

On Tuesday, in a rare move, House leadership adopted a Time-Certain motion to finish debate on Commercial Vehicle Claims (HF772) by 6:30 PM, but then the chamber did not take up the bill.  This is one of two bills limiting liability (Commercial Vehicle Claims HF772 and Medical Malpractice Awards HF592) that have stalled on the House calendar.

The majority of the floor work on Wednesday in the House was devoted to the “Back the Blue” debate.  Much of the debate time was spent on a procedural issue; the House called up their Officer Discipline bill HF698 and attempted to–and after much conversation in the well, eventually did–conform it to the Senate Brady List Study bill SF342 and made additional changes. 

The original Senate bill restricted the use of Brady lists to discipline officers and called for an interim study on the issue; the Senate approved this bill unanimously.  The House offered a strike-after amendment and replaced SF342 with a number of new provisions, including: 

• qualified immunity for law enforcement
• increased penalties for crimes related to protests
• allowing retired officers to use accrued sick leave to pay for insurance
• changes to worker’s comp payments

The amendment also added back in the provision of the original bill related to the Brady List. 

Democrats were disappointed that Republicans did not provide the opportunity to add provisions to stop racial profiling by police and other criminal justice matters (earlier this session, Governor Reynolds introduced a criminal justice reform bill that included provisions on both “Back the Blue” and racial profiling). 

Democrats also stated during the debate that the amendment violates state law because Republicans did not have a correctional impact statement drawn up before passing the amendment.  SF342 as amended passed the House 63-30 with eight Democrats voting with the Republicans for the bill and two Republicans voting with the Democrats against the bill.  The bill now returns to the Senate for reconsideration.

Executive Branch

The Governor signed 11 bills on Monday, April 12.  All but two of these bills, Childcare Numbers HF260 and Fuel Choice HF555, were sent down with unanimous approval in both chambers.  See full Governor bill list below.

Governor Reynolds released a statement on the death of State Patrol Trooper Jim Smith, who was shot in the line of duty on Friday, April 9:

“It’s with deep sorrow that we recognize the loss of Iowa State Patrol Sergeant Jim Smith, a courageous hero who died in the line of duty. Sergeant Jim Smith was a loving husband, father of two, and a pillar of the community. I along with the entire state of Iowa grieve for his family and friends as they try to cope with this devastating loss. Today we are once again reminded of the selfless sacrifices the brave men and women in uniform make. Let us never forget their bravery and that of their loved ones.”