The sixth week of the legislative session included our first deadline of the year, keeping us busy in subcommittee and committee meetings as we worked to get important legislation through our first hurdle. This also meant we covered a wide range of issues while we worked towards our deadline.
One of the bills that was passed by committee last week was the Patient’s Right to Save Act, Senate File 431. It creates incentives for people to make price transparency work by rewarding patients who shop for lower cost, high-quality care.
This bill addresses the rising cost of health care by rewarding patients who shop for more affordable care by requiring cash rate disclosures from all providers, offering deductible credit for lower-cost cash care, and letting patients share in insurance company savings post-deductible. Lower health care costs are consistently one of the top issues of Iowans and the goal of this bill is to lower costs, reduce premiums, and empower patients.
The Senate also advanced Senate Study Bill 3073, the bill to reform Iowa’s Area Education Agencies (AEAs). Since this idea was originally announced, we have received a lot of comments, questions, and feedback. We have listened to the stakeholders and people interested, taken that feedback, and several positive changes have been made to the bill as a result.
Under the bill, as amended in the Senate Education Committee, AEAs will still be able to provide schools with the same services they do now with funding provided. This is a major change from the original bill.
The bill also requires the Department of Education’s special education division to oversee special education compliance with all applicable federal and state laws related to special education and provide guidance and standards. This is not only accountability for the AEA system, but also accountability for the Department of Education to ensure that they are doing their job as expected in Iowa Code and federal law.
The goal is to help not only students with disabilities, but all students, and ensure they are getting the support they need to succeed. The focus will remain on that goal as we continue working on this important legislation.
Supplemental school aid (SSA) has advanced through committee and is eligible for debate on the floor. The Governor proposed 2.5%. I am looking to improve on that number, especially in our current economy. This needs to get moving as schools are deep into developing their budgets and contract negotiations.
There is also continuing discussion to raise the minimum teacher salary. The minimum teacher salary in Iowa for a first-year teacher is currently $33,500. The average starting salary for a teacher in Iowa is currently $46,251. I expect some movement on this during the current session.

It is truly an honor to serve Senate District 3 and rural Iowa at our state capitol. Please feel free to reach out to me with comments or concerns at lynn.evans@legis.iowa.gov

Following our first legislative deadline, the seventh week of session in the Iowa Senate focused on debate and sending bills to the House of Representatives for their consideration.
One bill that passed the Senate is Senate File 2161, which raises the penalties for swatting. Additionally, the Senate passed Senate File 2096, ensuring Iowa can have the most qualified applicants considered for appointments to a board, commission, committee or council, regardless of their gender. Senate File 2251 also passed the Senate, expanding Medicaid benefits to pregnant women and preserving these benefits for those who truly need them.

Recently, Iowans for Tax Relief released a poll showing Iowans overwhelmingly support the constitutional amendment proposed earlier this legislative session. According to the poll, over 67 percent of Iowans support requiring a supermajority vote by the Legislature to raise income tax rates in Iowa. Iowans also overwhelmingly support putting the flat tax into the Iowa Constitution, ensuring a single tax rate for all taxpayers in Iowa.
Tax reform for hard-working Iowa families has been a priority for Senate Republicans since 2017. By requiring a supermajority to raise income tax rates in Iowa, we can protect all these reforms we have worked hard on, further protect the dollars of hard-working Iowans, and make sure that if there was ever a need to raise taxes in the future, it would likely require bipartisan support.
The Senate also passed Senate File 2204, giving Iowans more information about who owns Iowa’s farmland and helping us protect one of our greatest resources. Senate File 2204 requires nonresident aliens, foreign businesses, and foreign governments to register their farmland with the Secretary of State. It also requires them to include their legal name, address, nationality, and authority to purchase agricultural land. If a foreign entity fails to register in a timely manner, they would be subject to a penalty of up to 25 percent of the assessed value of the land, and they must register land within 60 days of acquisition. The bill also requires this registration to be updated twice a year, and if a foreign entity fails to file the biennial report or provides false information, they will be subject to a fine of no more than $10k per offense. As an agricultural state, Iowans have a strong and vested interest in protecting our land and knowing who owns it.

Additionally, the Iowa Senate passed SF 2095, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. It does not pick a winning religion or a losing religion, and it does not legalize discrimination. The bill says the state must have a compelling state interest, the highest legal burden, to intrude on an Iowan’s religious expression. Further, if the state does have a compelling interest, the impact on someone’s free exercise of religion must be in the least restrictive manner possible. Ultimately, this bill simply gives people who believe their free exercise of religion has been impeded a day in court.
It is an honor and a privilege to serve in the Iowa Senate and serve as a voice for northwest Iowa at the capitol. Feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns at lynn.evans@legis.iowa.gov