Sen. Evans: Week 5 legislative recap

Last Thursday marked the end of Week 5 in the Iowa Senate, and this week was the first major legislative deadline of the year. The upcoming deadline means we spent much of our week in subcommittees as we prepare legislation to go through committee. Just because a bill survives a subcommittee does not mean that it will make it to the floor for further action.

For bills to remain alive, they need to pass through subcommittees and through committee to be eligible to advance to the floor for debate. I am anticipating Week 6 will be equally busy. Up to this point, any legislator can draft and propose legislation on any topic in the form of a bill. That is the good, and the bad, of the legislative process. The sheer number of bills submitted can, at times, be overwhelming. The legislative process helps us sift through the bills and receive public comment prior to the bills advancing.

One issue that received some attention last week was Senate Study Bill 3140. Eligible women would now be covered during the months of pregnancy through a year following the end of the pregnancy. The bill reduces current income eligibility from over $93,000 annually for a household of three to over $53,000 annually for a household of three, while extending coverage from 60 days to 12 months. This policy is consistent with many of Senate Republicans' policies that advanced over the years to ensure public assistance programs are available for people truly in need and are not utilized by people with the means to provide for themselves.

The Senate Health and Human Services Committee also passed another bill to help support Iowa's mothers. Senate Study Bill 3114 would update the More Options for Maternal Support (MOMS) program to provide more accessibility to pregnancy support services for pregnant women in Iowa.

Recently the Senate advanced Senate File 2204, further protecting one of Iowa's greatest resources, its farmland, from being purchased by foreign entities like the communist Chinese government. For years Iowa has had one of the toughest laws in the country regarding foreign ownership of land.

This year the governor proposed to update and strengthen those laws to ensure Iowa's land stays in the hands of Iowans and Americans. SF 2204 increases reporting requirements from foreign corporations owning more than 250 acres of land from annual to twice per year.

One of the foundations of our country and a principle at the core of its founding is opportunity. Equal opportunity is at the center of a proposal of advancing in the Iowa Senate this week.

Last week, the Senate State Government Committee passed Senate File 2096, ensuring the most qualified applicants for boards and commissions in Iowa would be considered. This idea was proposed last year in the State Government Committee but has become more important recently.

Earlier this year, a federal judge ruled that Iowa's law requiring a judicial nominating panel be gender-balanced is unconstitutional, highlighting the need for us to get rid of this unnecessary restriction. This lawsuit occurred because a highly qualified woman was ineligible to serve on the commission because of the gender balance law.

Sen. Lynn Evans (R-Aurelia) represents all of O'Brien, Osceola and Buena Vista counties, and parts of Cherokee and Clay counties, in Senate District 3.