~by State Senator Jesse Green
March 12, 2021
This week was the ninth week of the legislative session, and much of our time was focused on floor debate in the Senate chamber. Some exciting news was released this week. Iowa ranked number one in the country for opportunity according to US News & World Report. This rating specifically measures affordability, economic opportunity and equality. Expanding opportunities for all Iowans has been a priority as long as Republicans have been leading the Iowa Senate, whether it was career opportunities, opportunities in education, or the opportunity to make Iowa home.
The Senate continued to work on opening up job opportunities for Iowans this week. One of these was Senate File 424, which brings apprenticeships to all occupational licenses regulated by the state that don’t currently offer apprenticeships. Apprenticeships prioritize on-the-job training, allowing workers to earn a paycheck while seeking licensure. Expanding apprenticeships will increase employer investments in the state and create more work opportunities. This will also address the state’s need for skilled workforce in the trade and vocational industries and is another step in easing burdensome licensing requirements in Iowa.
Senate File 494, authorizing an Iowa licensed barbershop to provide an apprenticeship training program, also passed the Senate this week. The supervising apprentice shall be a licensed barber with at least three years of experience. Currently, the only way for an Iowan to gain apprenticeship experience as a barber is if they go to prison. The Iowa Department of Corrections is the only operating barbering apprenticeship program. Inmates can sit for the licensing exam upon completion of the program. This bill fixes that obvious problem, creates more work opportunities for Iowans and allows expansion for new recruits to gain on-the-job experience while pursuing licensure.
Every Iowa family has experienced hardship and heartbreak throughout this pandemic, and it has been made even more difficult by not being able to see loved ones in nursing homes. Family members have gone months and months without seeing parents, grandparents or friends, gathering for special occasions, or celebrating the holidays. These rules and regulations have protected many from the spread of COVID-19 but it has had detrimental effects on the emotional wellbeing of long-term care residents. However, Iowa facilities have had limited recourse to change them. Many of the long-term facilities in Iowa receive payment under Medicaid or Medicare and must have certification from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), which requires they follow all the rules, regulations and guidance given. If nursing homes decided to allow any type of visitations, they risked losing their certification.
During tough times, seeing loved ones can bring comfort. The only way visitation rules could be changed in Iowa is if Congress approves legislation to give states more flexibility with visitation parameters and guidance. This week the Senate unanimously passed Senate Concurrent Resolution 5, urging Congress to give states more flexibility in visitation parameters in Iowa’s long-term care facilities. I was proud to support this resolution and see it receive unanimous support in the Iowa Senate.
Only one day after our resolution passed, CMS updated guidance on nursing home visitation. It is being reviewed by the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals and the Department of Human Services. While we are waiting to receive more updates, we are hopeful this updated guidance includes lifting a number of the restrictions on nursing homes and soon we’ll be able to see parents and grandparents in these facilities again soon.
The first role of government – The first function of government is to protect the people it governs and their property. It is the principal rationale for individuals to organize themselves into governments. If the government breaks that agreement, it violates the social compact and comes with major consequences to the government itself and the population it governs.
Furthermore, protection of life and property are fundamental tenets of economic growth. People are hesitant to work and invest in communities without protection of those fundamental rights. These concepts are not new and are outlined in the Declaration of Independence. Protecting the lives of Iowans and their pursuits of happiness are the reason Senate Republicans advanced a number of bills this week commonly referred to as “Back the Blue” bills.
SF 479 would deny state funding to cities that defund their police. This bill provides justifications for cities with one-time expenditures, decreases in population, or other possible routine reductions in a law enforcement budget.
SF 534 addressed the violent riots in Iowa last year and in several other parts of the country. This bill covers a number of problems uncovered in last year’s riots. One specific issue this bill addressed was criminalizing the act of purposefully shining a laser pointer into the eyes of law enforcement officers, potentially seriously damaging their eyesight. This bill does not impede anyone’s First Amendment right to protest, but it does protect innocent Iowans whose lives, homes, or businesses are threatened or destroyed by rioters.
Supporting our law enforcement is crucial to keeping our communities safe and ensuring they can do their jobs to the best of their ability. These bills protect Iowans exercising their First Amendment right to protest, Iowa law enforcement officers doing their job, and the community from property destruction.
Next week I anticipate that we will be closer to having a finalized ethanol bill to discuss. I believe once this is finalized all groups impacted will have some but not all of what they wanted out of this bill. The goal of the bill will remain intact, which is to future-proof our infrastructure for higher blends of ethanol and to provide more incentives for consumers and retailers to utilize bio-fuels. I also anticipate that we will be entering into more tax issues and conversations as we near the date where the Revenue Estimating Conference will release their new numbers for us to use for budgeting. As a result, the time I’ve spent within individual committees will probably be shifting a bit more to the Ways and Means committee assignments that are given to me.
