Legislative Update for 02/14/2020

Legislative Update for 02/14/2020

The chatter at the Capitol this week was pretty consistent. Many expressed amazement at the sheer quantity of bills that were being introduced and the pace with which bills were making their way through the legislative process. 

Both the House and Senate passed their Transportation/Per Pupil Equity and State School Aid bills.

SF 2164 - Transportation/Per Pupil Equity – Adds $7.253 million for transportation to get all school districts down to the state average and adds $10 to the state cost per pupil, which the current gap is $165. The bill passed in both chambers and is on its way to the Governor for signature.

SF 2142 - State School Aid - Establishes a 2.1 percent growth rate in school aid, which would provide schools with an instructional day amount of $144 per pupil. The bill passed in the Senate on a vote of 31-17, and was sent to the House. The House amended the bill and set the growth increase amount for 2.5 percent which would provide schools with an instructional day amount of $172 per pupil. The bill passed in the House on a vote of 52-48 and was then sent back to the Senate. The two chambers will need to reconcile an amount prior to the bill being sent to the Governor.

HF 2384 - Future Ready Iowa - There are seven divisions included in the bill and the description was provided in last week’s legislative update. The bill passed in the Commerce Committee on a 19-4 vote and has been referred to Appropriations.  

There was movement on two of the Department's proposed bills.

HSB 642 – Senior Year Plus Proficiency Requirements - To enroll in college credit courses via concurrent enrollment or Postsecondary Enrollment Options (PSEO), a high school student must meet academic standards set by the postsecondary institution, which are the same for regularly-enrolled college students and high school students. Currently, high school students also have to be proficient at grade level in reading, math, and science to take any courses via concurrent enrollment. With the changes to the new Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP) proficiency standards, many students will lose access to college credit courses. The bill would eliminate the state proficiency requirements for eligibility. Students would still be expected to meet all general college requirements, and if required, program specific entrance requirements. The bill passed subcommittee and is scheduled for a vote in the House Education Committee next week. 

HSB 644– State Accreditation Standards and Process - Provides an additional option for instructors to meet the state accreditation standards by combining education and experience in the occupational area. The bill permits an instructor to teach Career and Technical Education (CTE) classes at a community college if they possess an associate degree in the CTE field of instruction, and they have at least 3,000 hours of recent and relevant work experience in the area in which they plan to teach. A subcommittee was held and passed with an amendment, which also allows an instructor to meet state accreditation standards if they possess a baccalaureate degree in any area and if at least 18 of the credit hours completed are in the CTE field in which the instructor teaches. The bill passed subcommittee and is scheduled for a vote in the House Education Committee next week. There is a companion bill, SF 2154, which passed unanimously in the Senate Education Committee and is eligible for debate on the Senate floor.

Bills that passed Senate subcommittees:

SF 199 - Voluntary Diversity Plans – Strikes the use of voluntary diversity plans as a reason to deny open enrollment. The bill passed in subcommittee and is scheduled for a vote in the Senate Education Committee next week.

SF 2004 – Iowa Learning Online (ILO) – Strikes Iowa Code language that places ILO under the Department and transfers the ILO program to the Area Education Agencies (AEA). The AEA’s ability to provide ILO is contingent upon an appropriation. The bill passed a subcommittee and is scheduled for a vote in the Senate Education Committee next week.

SF 2009 – Minor Driver’s License - Allows a special, minor driver's licensee, who attends public school, to travel to certain extracurricular activities provided that the distance between the origin and destination does not exceed 50 miles. The bill passed in a Transportation subcommittee and is eligible for a vote in the Senate Transportation Committee.

SF 2066 – Concussion Care Providers - Adds occupational therapists to the definition of “licensed health care provider” for purposes of state law regarding concussion and brain injury policies for extracurricular interscholastic activities. The bill passed a subcommittee and is eligible for a vote in the Senate Education Committee.

SF 2101 – Declaration of Independence - Requires every school district and accredited nonpublic school to display the first sentence of the preamble of the Declaration of Independence. The bill passed in subcommittee and is scheduled for a vote in the Senate Education Committee next week. 

SF 2102 – Teach Iowa Scholar Program - Modifies the Teach Iowa Scholar Program to give first priority to applicants who are minority persons, with subsequent priority to residents of Iowa, and raises the annual grant limitation from $4,000 to $7,500 and the total grant limitation over a five-year period from $20,000 to $37,500. The bill passed a subcommittee and is scheduled for a vote in the Senate Education Committee next week.

SF 2174 – School Immunizations – Requires school districts to have written parental consent prior to administering immunizations. The bill came through State Government and passed subcommittee, making it eligible for a vote in the Senate State Government Committee.   

Bills that received a vote in the Senate Education Committee:

SF 2041 – Physical Education Exemption for Show Choir - Allows a high school principal to excuse a high school student from the physical education requirement if the student is participating in show choir for at least the equivalent amount of time as is required for one-eighth unit of physical education. The bill passed unanimously in the Senate Education Committee with an amendment to add marching band as an exemption. The bill is eligible for debate on the Senate floor.

SF 2100 – Telehealth - Expands the opportunities for students to access mental health services in schools by offering parents/guardians access to services with a licensed professional mental health provider and to receive services through an electronic encounter in the school setting. The bill passed unanimously in the Senate Education Committee and there will be an amendment considered when the bill is debated on the Senate floor.

SF 2184 – Carrying on School Grounds – Allows a peace officer to carry a gun on school grounds, even when not on duty. The bill passed unanimously in the Judiciary Committee and is eligible for debate on the Senate floor.

SF 2224 - Guns and School Transports - Allows individuals with a valid nonprofessional permit to carry a firearm on school grounds if they are on school grounds to transport a person to or from, or delivering an item to the school; and if they remain in a parking area or driveway. The bill passed in the Judiciary Committee on a 10-3 vote and is eligible for debate on the Senate floor.

SF 2258 – Guardianship Verification – Requires a guardian to provide verification of guardianship when enrolling a child in a school district. The bill passed in the Senate Education Committee with an amendment, which allows the use of a notarized letter as verification. The bill is eligible for debate on the Senate floor.  

Bills that passed House subcommittees:

SF 438 – Omnibus bill - Makes changes to Iowa Code that pertain to school district responsibilities and authority, including dental, vision, and lead screening data collection and reporting. A subcommittee was held in the House and legislators are awaiting on an amendment that would direct the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) to form a technology workgroup to determine needs of creating an electronic system to collect childhood screenings information. More to come on this bill.

HSB 531 – Special Minor Driver's License - Allows a person holding a special minor driver’s license who resides or works on a farm to drive during the hours of 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. for the purpose of farm work as long as the destination is no more than 50 miles. The bill went through Agriculture and passed in subcommittee, making it eligible for a vote in the House Agriculture Committee.

HF 663 - Education Savings Grants - Creates an education savings grant program by granting $2,000 to every student in kindergarten entering a private school or competent private instruction and for students who received such a grant in the prior year. The bill requires the student to be above average proficiency on state tests to continue to receive the grant. The bill passed in subcommittee and is eligible for a vote in the House Education Committee.

HF 2048 – Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program (SWVPP) - Expands eligibility for participation in SWVPP to include children turning five years old on/after March 15 and on/before September 15 of the school year. The expansion of eligibility dates will create a time-frame within which some children may be eligible for both SWVPP and kindergarten enrollment. Local school districts would make local decisions as to how many children they would serve. Local school districts would also identify their criteria to be used for prioritizing enrollment. The bill is scheduled for a vote in the House Education Committee next week.

HF 2169 – Stop the Bleed - Requires every student by the end of twelfth grade to successfully complete a certification course for bleeding control developed by the American College of Surgeons Committee on trauma or the Department of Public Health. The requirement would apply to the 2021 school year. The bill passed in subcommittee with an amendment to include the requirement of Stop the Bleed as part of the Health Education requirement. The bill is scheduled for a vote in the House Education Committee next week.

HF 2194 – Special Minor Driver's License Minimum Age - Increases the minimum age for a special minor driver's license to 15. The bill came through Transportation and passed in subcommittee making it eligible for a vote in the House Transportation Committee.

HF 2201 – Sexual Orientation Instruction - Allows pupils to be excused from any program, curriculum, material etc. relating to sexual orientation or gender identity. The bill passed in subcommittee and is eligible for a vote in the House Education Committee.

Bills that received a vote in the House Education Committee:

HSB 576- English Proficiency Weighting - Establishes two categories for weighting to support students with limited English proficiency into two categories. The bill defines both categories and assigns a supplementary weighting of 0.3 to emergent English Language Learners (ELL) and a supplementary weighting of 0.25 is assigned to progressing English-language learners. Currently the weighting for all ELL students is .22. The bill passed in the House Education Committee with a 21-2 vote.

HF 2340 – Iowa 529 Plans - Permits use of Iowa 529 plan funds for certain beneficiaries to attend out-of-state elementary and secondary schools. The bill passed in the House Education Committee making it eligible for debate on the House floor.

HF 2147 – School Budget Review Committee (SBRC) – Authorizes the Department to notify the Board of Educational Examiners (BoEE) if an error in reporting impacts an individual’s licensure experience. The notification from the Department certifying that a district error in a basic education survey within the last three years would have impacted an individuals licensure will be sufficient for the BoEE to correct any licensure experience based on incorrect information. The bill passed unanimously in the House Education Committee and is eligible for debate on the House floor.

HF 2359 - Teacher Preparation Reports – Requires the Department to publish passing rates by higher education institutions for exit tests. There are two tests required in statute for teacher preparation program candidates. One is to be admitted into the program, one is to exit. The bill also removes the admission test requirement. The bill passed unanimously in the House Education Committee, making it eligible for debate on the House floor.

SF 316 - Special Education Interim Study Committee - Requires an Interim Study Committee to learn about special education state and federal requirements, IEPs, inclusion and least restrictive environment, teacher training, practices and strategies to best accommodate students with severe emotional, social and behavioral problems. The report is due December 18, 2020. The bill passed in the House Education Committee and is eligible for debate on the House floor.

Bills scheduled for subcommittees next week:

HSB 680 – Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children - Provides for development and dissemination of a resource for parents/guardians of deaf or hard of hearing children. It also requires the Department to employ an Early Language Coordinator. Provides educators with identification tools which can be used to assess language and literacy development. Establishes an advisory committee to solicit input from experts on language development milestones. The bill also requires the Department to annually compile and publish a report that is specific to language and literacy development of deaf and hard-of-hearing children from birth to eight years of age, regarding compliance with IDEA.

HF 2349 – Language Equality and Acquisition for Deaf Children Task Force - Requires the Director of the Department to convene a language equality and acquisition for deaf children task force. The task force will make recommendations and submit a report to the General Assembly by January 15, 2021.

HSB 666 – Modified Supplemental Amounts/At Risk and Drop-out - Increases the ratio of the amount of modified supplemental amount compared to a school district's total regular program cost of up to 5 percent.

There is one week remaining until first funnel arrives. Legislators will be working hard to ensure their bills get passed out of a Committee to remain alive. This means there will be several subcommittees as well as Committee meetings with a full docket of bills to receive a vote this week. There are also several bills that have now reached the stage in the process where they can be debated on the House and Senate floors, so don’t miss out. I have included the link to“In the Chambers” where you can choose audio or video to keep up on the debates. You can tune in live or watch archived videos of bills being debated. Stay tuned! Until next week…

Shan Seivert
Policy Advisor/Legislative Liaison
Iowa Department of Education
Cell: 515-326-5595
Office: 515-281-3399
shanlyn.seivert@iowa.gov