~by State Senator Jesse Green
March 26, 2021
Greetings once again! Week 11 has been one of the most interesting weeks of the year. On Monday, I started the day off with a meeting that updated me on where the ethanol bill was heading. I’m pleased that the bill seems to be moving and adapting very well to the concerns the many groups that are involved have but keeps intact the heart of the bill, which is to future-proof our infrastructure to handle higher blends of ethanol. I look forward to giving you more information when the details are finalized.
After this meeting I had the pleasure to place a vote on one of our major campaign issues, which was constitutional carry. The Second Amendment is so important because it is the amendment that protects the rest of our rights. The most common misrepresentation is that this bill eliminates background checks for Iowans.
This claim is the direct opposite of the reality of the bill. HF 756 increases the amount of possible background checks because it permits Iowans to acquire a gun with either a permit to acquire, a permit to carry, or a national instant background check. Current law only uses either a permit to acquire or a permit to carry and those cards are valid for five years. An Iowan can purchase a weapon any time during that period without an update. The national instant background check process quickly identifies any change to the eligibility of someone to purchase a firearm, for example, criminal activity or a determination by a court of mental illness. The permits to carry and acquire are not updated with the same frequency.
This bill also puts more guardrails around private sales of guns. The seller breaks the law if they knowingly or should have known if the person to whom they sold the gun was ineligible to purchase a firearm. It also created a crime of having a firearm on school grounds unless the person is a member of law enforcement or the firearm is unloaded or inaccessible.
Ultimately, the purpose of this bill was to reduce barriers for law-abiding gun owners to exercise their Constitutional rights and implement other common-sense provisions to ensure the rights of law-abiding Iowans. HF 756 eliminated the requirement for lawful gun owners to seek a permission slip from the government to carry a firearm. As was demonstrated in Colorado this week, a state with some of the strictest gun laws in the country, criminals do not care about gun laws and they will not follow them. Consequently, excessive gun laws only inhibit the law-abiding from exercising their constitutional rights and HF 756 protects those rights.
The next highlight of the week for me was to be a part of passing a child care bill out of the Human Resources Committee. Child care seems to be a problem for all of Iowa, but Hamilton County in particular has made it clear to me that this is their most pressing issue facing them at this time. HF 301 provides child care workforce grants on a dollar for dollar matching basis from communities within the Early Childhood Iowa program. This bill creates the program but no dollars are appropriated in the bill. The governor has announced she is willing to provide $7 million of COVID-19 child care relief funds. This bill passed the House earlier this year 92-2 and I anticipate that if/when this bill is voted on in the Senate that it will have strong support as well.
The last major highlight of the week was passing out of committee a major property tax bill. SSB 1253 tackles many issues. It provides more state funding for mental health, simplifies the tax code and cuts property taxes for Iowans by over $100 million. In the first year, the bill provides $60 million in state funding for mental health and $125 million in the second year, while ensuring additional funding moving forward. Additionally, this bill eliminates property tax levies to ensure real property tax relief for Iowans, removes triggers from the 2018 tax bill, provides tax relief for middle-income Iowans, and puts more money back in the pockets of Iowans.
Senate Republicans have been dedicated to providing tax relief for hard-working Iowans, and this bill continues that goal, while also providing a more sustainable funding source for important mental health services in Iowa and controlling the growth of government. In 2018, Republicans passed the largest income tax cut in Iowa history, and now this legislation delivers real property tax relief for Iowans and their families.
As always feel free to call me if you have any questions or issues you would like me to look into. Once again, thank you for giving me this opportunity to serve and to be your voice!
