Capitol Update

July 22, 2023

On July 11th, the Govenor called a special session so that the Legislature could pass (once again) the Heartbeat Bill with even more support than what was present in 2018. The day was certainly filled with lots of energy on both sides of the abortion debate!

I made it very clear when I campaigned last year that I would always take a stand for life and especially life at conception. Life is precious and to be valued. May we never lose respect for the intricate value of human life!

The bill passed as expected and Planned Parenthood immediately sued. This was quickly followed by an injunction (from a Des Moines District Court judge) on the bill to stop it from being implemented and enforced. This week, Governor Reynolds made an appeal to the judge's decision. This certainly causes all pro-lifers to look to the future to other possible bills (such as a life at conception bill I cosponsored last session) and methods for a successful way we can protect babies.

Roughly 2000 babies are killed each year in Iowa after the heartbeat is detected, which is after 6 to 8 weeks gestation. The heartbeat law includes exceptions for rape, incest, fetal abnormality, miscarriage, and the physical life of the mother. Except for miscarriage, these exceptions comprise an extremely small percentage of abortions committed-roughly 1%. The vast majority are elective or on-demand.

Recently, the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) and Iowa Finance Authority certified Innovation Park in Oskaloosa as an Iowa-certified site. (Bear in mind that this special recognition has nothing to do with the proposed SCRAA regional airport or the additional land along Highway 163 that the City of Oskaloosa proposes to annex.)

Site Certification tells industry that a site is development-ready and demonstrates that the community is open for business. The site is located on the southeast side of Oskaloosa along Highway 23 (see map below.) The 500-acre site is zoned as General Industrial which makes it suitable for a wide variety of industrial uses including manufacturing, biotech industries, warehousing and distribution.

IEDA launched the Iowa Certified Sites program in 2012 to address the lack of project-ready industrial sites in the state. Iowa’s program is one of the nation’s most robust and effective certification programs. Site certification remains one of the fastest growing trends in the site selection business, and by introducing certified sites to the market, Iowa is better able to compete for projects. To date, Iowa has attracted more than $1.3 billion in capital investment because of these development-ready sites. Throughout the certification process, developers – working closely with local officials and utility partners – are better prepared to market their sites with specific site-related information and community data. The process also assures business prospects that site due diligence has been completed and mitigation and infrastructure plans are in place – meaning sites are relatively “risk-free.”

For more information on Iowa’s Certified Sites Program, visit iowaeda.com/locations.

Nineteen legislatures have combined their voices against the Carbon Pipeline agenda by filing a joint Petition to Intervene in the recent fact tracking of Summit's eminent domain hearings. Currently, there are 1,034 parcels that Summit is requesting permission from the Iowa Utilities Board to grant the use of eminent domain.

Joining me to spearhead this movement will be Representative Steve Holt, floor manager of the 90% Voluntary Easement Bill that the House passed this year but was not introduced in the Senate, and Representative Charley Thomson, a freshman colleague who also served his first term in the Iowa House with me. He is an experienced attorney who will carefully guide us through the IUB Intervening process.

Our Petition to Intervene was approved by the IUB, although somewhat unwillingly.

Three members are currently drafting written testimony for submission. Here is an excerpt from Representative Holt's testimony on our behalf to the IUB:

"Just like building an unnecessary and inconvenient pipeline across someone’s property without their consent, violating the law and breaking trust is something that cannot be undone. Once you do that, you have fundamentally destroyed not just private property rights in Iowa, but in citizens’ very ability to rely on the rule of law and our sacred constitutional protections. You are, as I am, obligated to defend both for every single Iowan. That includes Iowans exercising their property rights. To do otherwise is to undermine the rule of law so essential to our Republic. 

For all the reasons I have stated, I urge the IUB to: 

-          Take these considerations seriously, and with the sense of purpose shared by Iowans statewide who are tired of being pushed around and threatened with the loss of their land; 

-          Recognize that the Legislature meant what we enacted, and therefore not add to it, regardless of what a company wants;

-          Avoid the dangers of rushing headlong into an ill-advised, and in my view, unlawful greenlighting of this company’s attempt to take private property away from Iowans;

-          Follow the requirements in Iowa Code and the Constitution and disapprove the use of eminent domain for these CO2 projects."

“Freedom and property rights are inseparable. You can’t have one without the other.” – George Washington 

Illegal Immigration – we hear about in a news broadcast, on the radio, in the old-fashioned print form faintly known as the newspaper… but in time, it becomes to us nothing more than a dull, distant soundbite. But what if YOU could walk the dry paths along that soaring Trump wall that winds through the brush near the Rio Grande River? I did. Along with six other legislature colleagues of mine. And what was once to me “just a federal issue” became a first-hand experience that I want to share with you.

I invite you on my Journey to the Border in the upcoming 10-part mini-series.

Part 1: The Heros

On June 11th, myself and six other members of the Iowa House of Representatives traveled to the Mexico border for a single purpose – to better understand the immigration issue.

We did so at our own will and on our own dime.

Meet the agencies, individuals, and organizations we came into direct contact with:

1.     Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) – The largest federal law enforcement agency of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. They ensure the security of Americas borders and ports of entry. Ports of entries include all bridges, airports and rail that permit travel in and out of America. While in Texas, we toured the largest commercial point of entry along the border where an average of 2,000 trucks cross daily – the Pharr International Bridge, complete with an x-ray machine large enough for semi-trailers, drug-sniffing dogs, customs inspections, and entomology lab.

2.     Border Patrol – a division of CBP that does the actual patrol walks along land borders. This is an important distinction because it is the agency that most people think of when discussing the border. It is worthy to note that border patrol agents are law enforcement officers employed by the Texas Department of Public Safety and are the “boots on the ground” when it comes to the actual, physical watch and enforcement of illegals along the southern border.

3.     Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) – Much like the Iowa Department of Public Safety, the Texas DPS also has the greatest responsibility of government – to protect its citizens. In Iowa, we know the role of the highway patrol officers include speeding tickets, vehicle enforcement and valid driver’s license. But in Texas, this department also deals with the Mexican Crime Cartel, non-stop smuggling of drugs, guns and illegal immigrants, and the daunting task of “enforcing the border” – physically walking and watching the banks of the Rio Grande River and finding those people who come into the country illegally. A key thing to know is that the Texas DPS also implements Operation Lone Star, a discussion too long for this post so watch for more to come later!

4.     Texas National Guard – like Iowa’s National Guard, they are also a reserve component of the U.S. Army with dual federal and state missions. The National Guard functions under the control of the governor as an asset in times of emergency or natural disaster and can also administer martial law. But in Texas, their National Guard members also work with DPS in the implementation of Operation Lone Star.

5.     Non-governmental Organizations (NGO’s) – volunteer and church organizations (such as Catholic Charities) that assist with immigration. I’ll will have much to say later regarding the alarming role they play in processing and moving illegal immigrants into our country.

6.     Texas Property Rights Association – vibrant landowners who fight property rights unlike anything Iowa faces!! They know firsthand how the disturbing trend of massive illegal immigration has resulted in higher numbers of gang members, drug runners and human traffickers not only trespassing on their private property but also doing damage.

These are the six groups that we worked with in tours, debriefs, meetings, and presentations – men and women of real courage, endurance, and experience. I wish I could tell even a fraction of their stories.

Part 2: Drugs, Sex and Slavery

The Drugs:

It’s true… Iowa once had “meth houses” but not many are left anymore. Why? Because drugs like meth, cocaine, heroine and the recent influx of fentanyl are brought up through the Mexican border. One official described Mexico to us as the “most corrupt country in the world.” The amount being smuggled is staggering and heartbreaking. I saw first-hand that Iowa has been the destination of incredibly large shipments recently. Drugs are often carefully hidden within boxes of entire semi loads of vegetables, inside wheel wells or other products and even carried on the backs of men traversing the hot, dry brushland of Texas private property. To say that this is an evil attempt to make money while addicting and destroying America is an understatement. Texas Border Patrol confirmed with us that ingredients to make fentanyl are shipped from China to Mexico where they are mixed and then sent across the border.

The Sex:

I did not get to see the “underwear trees” where girls and women’s underwear are left hanging once they have been raped after crossing the border but Iowa is a well-known driver in the sex trafficking world. Undoubtably, the most heartbreaking stories of illegal immigration are the vulnerable women and children who unknowingly or unwilling are put into tragic and desperate situations. Officials shared with us that many women and children simply pass through the state of Texas on to their way to a final destination like Iowa. The sex trade functions as a convenient byproduct of induced mass migration where, unlike in the woke culture, true victimhood really occurs.

The Slavery:

Just like the sex trade, illegal immigration feeds the demand for modern day slavery where people, who do not want to be found by the American government, are exploited by businesses and systems in a trapped cycle of bondage. But surely not in Iowa, right!?! We could only wish… large livestock confinements and organic farming have created our own complicated system of stash houses and a hidden workforce that most of us are not aware of.

Many of those we meet in Texas kept telling us, “Every state is a border state.” By this they mean that every state reaps the consequences of our current “open border policy” – policies that encourage and grow the drug, sex and slavery industries in America. I was also amazed how many times I heard those in Texas state that we must finish the wall. But here in Iowa, most of us do not see or feel the direct and indirect consequences of bad federal immigration policy which leaves us to conclude, “It’s a federal issue.”  

Next up in Journey to the Border – Cartels, Coyotes and Chaos/Unaccompanied Children

Governor Reynolds has announced that 29,025 K-12 students applied for a Students First Education Savings Account (ESA) during the program’s monthlong application period which closed on June 30.  

The program is part of the governor’s landmark Students First Act which was signed into law in January and promotes school choice by providing ESAs for eligible students who choose to attend accredited private schools in Iowa. Universal eligibility will be phased in over three years. All incoming Kindergarteners and all public-school students are eligible in year one with the start of the 2023-2024 school year. Eligibility for families of children currently enrolled in accredited private schools will be income based over the first two years. During the 2023-2024 school year, private school students with household incomes at or below 300% of the federal poverty level (FPL), currently $90,000 or less for a family of four, are eligible. The following year, income eligibility expands to include household incomes up to 400% FPL, currently $120,000 or less for a family of four. Beginning in the 2025-2026 school year, all K-12 students in Iowa are eligible regardless of income. 

This year, ESAs will be funded with $7,635—the same amount appropriated by the state to support the education of each public-school student during the 2023-2024 academic year. The funds must first be used to pay tuition and fees; remaining balances can then be used to cover other approved educational expenses or held for subsequent school years. 

To date, 17,481 ESA applications have been approved. The remaining applications are pending additional review. The state has 30 days following the close of the application period to complete the review process and determine the eligibility status of all pending applications.   

Of the applications approved at this time: 

• 40% are for students planning to move from public to accredited private schools, while 60% are for students already attending accredited private schools whose families qualify based on income eligibility for the upcoming school year (at or below 300% federal poverty level (FPL), or up to $90,000 for a family of four). 
• The average net household income for ESA applicants planning to move from public to accredited private schools is $128,507 (more than 400% FPL); and $62,199 for private school applicants. 
• 14% of applicants have household incomes less than 100% FPL (less than $30,000 for a family of four); 31% have incomes ranging from 101% to 200% FPL (above $30,000 and up to $60,000 for a family of four); 36% range from 201% to 300% FPL (above $60,000 and up to $90,000 for a family of four); the remaining 19% are above 300% FPL (above $90,000 for a family of four). 

In addition to applying and being approved for an ESA, families must separately apply to the accredited private school of their choice and, if accepted, update their ESA account indicating the school their child plans to attend. Then, the school is able to invoice the family for tuition and fees through their ESA account. Once parents approve the payment, funds are transferred from the ESA account and payment is made to the school. ESA funds remain in the state’s possession until a student’s parent or guardian approves payment to the school.  

Approved ESA accounts may be funded as soon as July 15. The first payment from an ESA must be used for tuition and fees to an Iowa accredited private school.   

If a student is approved for an ESA but does not attend an accredited private school by September 30, the ESA account will be closed for the school year. The funds remain with the state and are returned to the general fund. 

The final number of ESA program participants and other program details will not be available until certified school enrollment numbers are finalized later this fall. 

The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) announced that it offers a free, searchable online directory to connect Iowa farmers who have hay or straw to sell with buyers who are interested in purchasing it. IDALS Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig is encouraging farmers or those with hay or straw to sell to update their listing at least once per year or as they have new inventories to offer.  Organizations associated with promoting and marketing hay and straw can also access the free online tool.

To search by product and county, visit the online directory. Anyone can view the hay and straw directory, but only Iowa sellers can be included on the list. If you are an Iowan interested in selling hay or straw or need to update your information, you can do so by creating an account in the online system.  You may also contact Judy Allison with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship at 515-281-8604.

Above: Future freedom fighters at the Southern Iowa Fair this week!

The amazing Southern Iowa Fair Queen, Aliveah Brinegar, stopped by our Protect My Innocence booth to get one of our new tattoos! Congrats to Miss Brinegar! She's off to the Iowa State Fair next!

Above: Two of our great PMI warriors - Darlene Martinson and Michelle Warin manned our booth at the Marion County Republican Fundraisor. PMI seeks to push back against the sexualization of Iowa minors. Please visit our website HERE to learn more.

Fiscal Year 2023 came to an end with the state nearly matching the record revenue levels of the previous year, according to the Legislative Services Agency’s June revenue memo. For the full year, the state took in $9.6278 billion in net receipts. That is decline of just 0.4 percent when compared to Fiscal Year 2022. The numbers were in line with the 0.5 percent reduction that the Revenue Estimating Conference had projected at its March meeting.

Personal income tax –Personal income tax collections were down a bit in June, with the state collecting $433.5 million in payments. This was a slight decline from the amount received in June 2022. For the fiscal year, personal income tax collections declined by $182.8 million, or 3.1% less than FY 2022. The decline was expected, as last year’s tax reform law lowered tax rates on January 1 and was slightly more than what the REC had projected in March.

Sales and use tax – Sales and use tax collections saw a slight increase in June. For the year, sales and use tax receipts grew by $83.5 million or 2.2 percent over Fiscal Year 2022. This is much stronger than the Revenue Estimating Conference’s prediction of a 3.5 percent decline for the year. The continued strength of sales and use tax payments for a third year reflects the sustained strength of Iowa’s economy.

Corporate income tax – June was another solid month from corporate income tax payments, even though not meeting last year’s levels. Collections were $141.2 million for June, which is $23.9 million lower than June 2022. But for the year, corporate income tax collections exceeded predictions. The state collected $984.1 million for the year, which is $65.2 million higher than FY 2022. The increase of 7.1 percent is higher than the 4.6% growth forecasted by the REC in March. FY 2023’s amount is virtually the same as FY 2021’s record high level, another sign of a healthy Iowa economy.

Refunds – State revenue growth would have been higher, but for a spike in tax refund payments. The total amount of refunds paid by the state through June 30 was $1.177 billion. This is a 12.9 percent rise in refunds from the amount paid back to taxpayers in FY 2022. 

While we have now reached the end of the fiscal year, the state’s books on Fiscal Year 2023 do not officially close until the end of August. During this time, revenue and refunds that should be counted as part of FY 2023 will be accounted for. This process will change the numbers slightly. Even before those potential changes are factored in, it is clear that Fiscal Year 2023 was another strong year for state revenue.

Photos above and below: Had a great time at the second annual Jefferson County First Responder Fundraiser! Thank you, Jefferson County Pork Producers and Cattleman's, for the grilled food. Yum! And also to all the many sponsors and supporters! Wherever you live, be sure to support your local first responders!

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