***   GOP Gridlock Pushes Session to Overtime   ***

The 2018 Legislature was scheduled to adjourn this week, but we’re now in overtime thanks to Republican gridlock.  It’s bad news for  Iowans and ridiculous that Republicans who are in complete control of state government right now can’t get their work done on time.

With no agreement, Republican leaders sent lawmakers home early this week while they try to hammer out a deal behind closed doors. It’s a troubling sign when duly elected lawmakers from both parties are sent home while a handful of leaders work in secret to make all the decisions on the budget and taxes. It’s even more troubling when there are more corporate lobbyists and special interest groups trying to influence the secret negotiations without lawmakers around.

It’s unclear as of today when we will be called back to the State Capitol to complete our work. It could be next week or it could take months. The only certainty is the longer the GOP gridlock continues, the worse it will be for everyday Iowans.  Once Republican leaders finally make a decisions, things will move quickly so Iowas should be ready.  Here’s what to watch for in the days and weeks ahead while the session is in overtime:

Vouchers
The GOP’s voucher bills are still alive and could be rushed through at the last minute. We need more Iowans to weigh in and stop this terrible plan.  Please click the image below and stand up for our public schools.

Abortion Ban
The Senate bill is still alive and would ban abortion after 6 weeks, before many women even know they are pregnant.  The future of the bill is uncertain as GOP leaders negotiate behind closed doors.  You can take action by clicking on the link below to lend your voice and stop this bill before adjourn for the year.
https://secure.ppaction.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=22369&_ga=2.119657352.1239307731.1524163552-1755494449.1524163552

Ending the Backfill & Raising Property Taxes
GOP lawmakers are poised to break a promise this year that will lead to higher property taxes for homeowners and farmers. Created when the Legislature passed a huge property tax cut for businesses, the state promised to replace or “backfill” state money to schools, counties, and cities to make sure the property tax burden wasn’t shifted from corporations to Iowans who own a home or farm. Since the state budget has been in deficit the last two years, Republicans plan to end those backfill payments in order to balance the state budget and free up additional state money for more tax breaks.

New Tax Giveaways to the Wealthy & Special Interests
GOP leaders have offered up four different tax plans so far this year but little progress has actually been made on the final bill because they are stuck in a game of tug of war. The House GOP wants $1 billion in income tax breaks that overwhelmingly benefit the wealthy while the Senate GOP plan costs billions more and includes hundreds of millions in new tax giveaways to the special interests and corporations. Neither plan will balance the state budget and both will make the state’s budget crisis even worse.  Most Iowans agree the state should take care of critical needs like public schools and lowering health care costs before another round of tax breaks are approved.

Budget & Debt
In the last two years, the state budget has been in deficit four times and Republican lawmakers have put over $144 million on the state’s credit card because they spent more than the state took in. To balance the budget next year, Governor Reynolds has recommended those credit card payments be delayed next year and paid back another time. If Republicans can’t pay back the debt they borrowed last year, they have no business passing another tax break for the wealthy or special interest.

Democrats believe it’s time to work together to balance the state budget, restore fiscal discipline, and end the 2018 session. The sooner this overtime session ends, the better news it will be for Iowans.

Learn More about Legislation

 

Bill #	Bill Description	Current Status	Take Action
SSB 3206	Voucher program to divert millions from public schools to private schools	Senate Appropriations Committee	Email or Call your Senator
SF 359	Bans abortion at 6 weeks; even in cases of rape or incest (fetal heartbeat)	Passed Senate; House Floor	Email or Call your Senator & Representative
SF 2383	Senate GOP $1 Billion/year corporate tax giveaway & tax break plan	Passed Senate; House Ways & Means Committee	Contact: Rep. Guy Vander Linden (R), Chair of House Ways & Means Committee; 515-281-3221
SF 2081	Ends state property tax backfill for local governments, reduces police/fire services & shifts tax burden to property taxes	Senate Appropriations Committee	Email or Call your Senator
HF 2489	House GOP $1 billion tax giveaway to the wealthy	House Ways & Means Committee	Email or Call your Representative
SF 2311	Deregulates electricity companies; discriminates against Iowans using solar energy or other renewable energy options	Passed Senate, House Floor	Email or Call your Representative
HF 575	Repeals the bottle bill and creates new programs for recycling paid for by a tax on beverage containers	House Ways & Means Committee
SF 2043	Eliminate inheritance tax	Senate Ways and Means Committee
SSB 3078	Eliminate energy efficiency programs at Iowa utilities	Senate Ways and Means Committee
Signed in to Law
SF 2117	GOP deappropriations includes cuts to higher education, human services, skilled worker training fund	To Governor	Call Gov. Reynolds at 515-281-5211 and tell her to veto the bill
HF 2230	GOP school funding at 1% (State Supplemental Aid or SSA)	Signed by Governor
HJR 2009	Expand 2nd Amendment gun protections in Iowa Constitution; could eliminate all gun laws	Passed House and Senate	Resolutions aren’t signed by Governor; HJR 2009 must be passed again by the next General Assembly before it would be voted on by Iowans
SF 2349	Allows unregulated health care plans that can deny people based on pre-existing conditions	Signed by Governor
SF 475	Directs more state money to out-of-state, for-profit online k-12 schools	Signed by Governor
SF 481	Anti-Immigrant Ban Sanctuary Cities	Signed by Governor
No Longer Eligible After 1st Funnel
SF 108	End ban on machine guns	Senate Judiciary Committee
SF 41	Eliminates tenure system at Iowa’s state universities and community colleges	Senate Education Committee
SF 54	Defines abortion as murder, even in cases of rape or incest	Senate Judiciary Committee
SF 45	Ends retirement security for public employees, including teachers, fire fighters, and police officers (IPERS, POR & 411)	Senate State Government Committee
HSB 569	Brings back death penalty to Iowa	Public Safety Committee — Did not have enough votes to make it out of subcommittee
SF 335	Reinstate the death penalty	Senate Judiciary Committee
HSB 138	End licensing for occupations like social work, mental health counselors, respiratory therapists	House State Government Committee
HF 2017	Eliminate the Iowa Dept. of Public Health	House State Government Committee
SF 2107	Requires Senate GOP to pay for $1.75 million sexual harassment suit instead of taxpayers	Senate Labor & Business Relations Comittee
HF 2036	Make Iowa Supreme Court Justices part-time and pay them the same as lawmakers	House Judiciary Committee
SF 2058/HF 2104	End Medicaid privatization	Senate Human Resources; House Human Resources	Sign the petition to End Privatization
HF 2031	Adds Bible literacy class to Iowa public schools	House Education Committee	Contact Subcommittee Members (515-281-3221) orSkyler.Wheeler@legis.iowa.gov(R); sandy.salmon@legis.iowa.gov(R);mary.mascher@legis.iowa.gov (D)
HF 2164	Removes gender identity protections from Iowa Civil Rights Code	House Judiciary Committee
SF 288	Political discrimination for university faculty	Senate Education Committee
SF 26	Intimidate abortion providers in an effort to limit health care choices for women	Senate Judiciary Committee
HF 2310	Allows guns in county courthouses	House Calendar
SF 2370	New requirements & drug testing for recipients of Medicaid, SNAP, and FIP + limits on SNAP eligible food items	Senate Calendar
SF 2338	Religious exemptions, license to discriminate (similar to North Carolina)	Senate Calendar

Stay Connected!

House Democrats          Senate Democrats