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HOUSE REPUBLICANS UNVEIL EDUCATION REFORM PACKAGE
FOCUSING ON STUDENTS, PARENTS AND TAXPAYERS
This week,
House Republicans introduced an education reform plan that focuses on student
performance, parental involvement and better accountability to the taxpayer.
Targeting these three stakeholders will provide a better classroom experience
for all involved.
First is
student performance. We propose increasing the actual time students are in the
classroom, focusing on hours rather than days. We also offered a new,
“jump-start” plan that allows a student who completes his or her education at
the end of their junior year the opportunity to attend college a year earlier.
We also emphasize career exploration, and will offer students a high school
course-of-study plan.
As for
parental involvement, House Republicans want to give parents the “real picture”
when it comes to proficiency. For example, the Iowa Department of Education
defines a student as proficient if he or she scores in at least the 41st
percentile on the Iowa Test of Basic Skills. However, this number does not even
necessarily mean the student is reading at grade level.
Our bill
will also require a parent or guardian to sign the report card of those students
in kindergarten through third grade that are not performing at grade level.
Finally, we
want taxpayer accountability. Iowa schools receive $3.5 BILLION in state,
property and sales taxes. More than two-thirds of the state’s general fund
budget goes toward education. Republicans believe schools should offer an annual
report card to communities, listing all property tax levies, state dollars spent
per student, and teacher salaries and benefits, among other items.
VETERANS DAY ON CAPITOL HILL
Veterans
from across the state came to the Capitol on Wednesday to meet with legislators
and talk with them about veterans issues, which are slated to come before the
newly-formed Veterans Affairs Committee. The day was co-organized by
legislators and veterans.
That same
day, in a unanimous vote, the House passed a supplemental bill that allocates $2
million for the Guard and Reserve Homebuyer Benefit program and $1 million
toward Iowa’s injured veterans program.
The Guard
and Reserve Homebuyer Benefit Program was established during last year’s
session. It is a matching grant program to assist with down payment and closing
costs for current and former National Guard, Reserve and active duty armed
service personnel who buy a home in Iowa, and have served on active duty in
support of the war on terrorism. The grant is a dollar-for-dollar match of the
service member’s contributions toward the purchase price.
“This has
been an overwhelmingly popular program with the service members,” Dennis Dietz,
of Iowa Finance Authority, and Col. Vincent Reefer stated in a statement to the
House Government Oversight Committee. “In addition, it appears that eight
service members may have elected to purchase a home in Iowa and become Iowa
residents because of the grants.”
The injured
veterans program was proposed by Gov. Vilsack in his Condition of the State
address last week. This program will provide a stipend for injured veterans as
they transition from recovery to the workforce.
Also this
week, a bill was filed that changes the length of active duty service required
for former members of the United States armed forces to be eligible to receive
the military service property tax exemption and credit.
Currently, the required active
duty service is three years. The bill would move that up to 18 months. |
Drug
Policy Coordinator Van Haaften Delivers Report to General Assembly
on the Impact of Last Year’s Meth Control Bill
On January 17,
Governor’s Office of Drug Control Policy Director Marvin Van
Haaften presented a report to a joint House Public Safety-Senate
Judiciary Committee meeting on the impact of last years
methamphetamine abuse and related criminal activity act. Passed
last year and commonly referred to as Iowa Pseudoephedrine (PSE)
control or meth lab reduction law, removed all cold and allergy
products containing PSE from store shelves and placed the vast
majority of them behind the pharmacy counter to be dispensed on an
controlled non-prescription basis. While these findings are
extremely positive, meth use continues to be a problem as demand
appears to be on the rise.
Van Haaften reported were
staggering. Between June and December of 2005, Iowa meth labs
incidents plummeted nearly 80 percent compared to the same
period in 2004.
What is more impressive
about this report is the effectiveness of the Iowa law as compared
with other states that passed similar legislation last year. Just
last year, Iowa had the second highest number of meth lab incidents
of any state in the nation. Currently, Iowa leads the nation in the
reduction of meth labs. Below are the state by state results which
demonstrate that, while legislation in those states is helping to
reduce meth labs, Iowa’s law seems to be the most effective.
Since Iowa passed the
Pseudoephedrine (PSE) control or meth lab reduction law, Kansas,
Missouri, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and most recently Illinois
(patterned after Iowa’s law, and effective last month) have all
passed similarly restrictive PSE control laws. The Office of Drug
Control Policy is particularly excited about the Illinois law due
to intelligence data that points to a large amount of imported meth
originating in Illinois. If their law has a similar impact on meth
labs as the Iowa has had, Iowa could realize a dramatic reduction in
importation of meth. Nebraska, Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee
have also adopted similar, yet less restrictive, laws. Oregon has
passed a “prescription only” law, which will codify what has been
effective through administrative rules for several months.
Congress is set to pass a federal
law modeled after Iowa law, designed to control pseudoephedrine.
The bill is awaiting action in the Senate and is not nearly as
restrictive as Iowa law. However, as it is currently written, the
federal bill would NOT preempt, and subsequently weaken, Iowa law.
Ways
& Means Update
Bills introduced in committee this week:
HJR 3-Paulsen-ch, Carroll, Kaufmann, Hogg, Shoultz
HF 236-Drake-ch, Huser, Lalk
HF 266- Struyk-ch, Paulsen, Shoultz
HF 534- Lalk-ch, Eichhorn, Hogg
HF 606- Kaufmann-ch, Tomenga, Huser
HF 751- Drake-ch, Jochum, Tomenga
HF 756- Drake-ch, Frevert, Paulsen
HF 766- Van Fossen-ch, Kurtenbach, Shomshor
HF 788- Carroll-ch, Upmeyer, Winckler
HF 843- Struyk- ch, Kurtenbach, Jochum
HF 851- Tomenga-ch, Boal Davitt
HF 852- Soderberg, ch-Lalk, Schueller
HF 874- Drake, ch- Kaufmann, Huser
HF 848- Paulsen,ch- Tymeson, Winckler
SF 409- Van Fossen, ch- Kurtenbach, Shomshor
SF 414- Van Fossen, ch- Kurtenbach, Shomshor
SF 416- Van Fossen, ch- Kurtenbach, Shomshor
Bills passed out of
committee this week:
No Bills passed out of committee this week.
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