Government : Representative Gerhold Newsletter

Week 6

February 18-22, 2019
Have we already completed week six already? This week has been another crazy time here at the State Capitol.
Being “funnel” week, many House bills are being killed in committee or passed through to the House floor for voting. I must say, again, that this experience has been truly fulfilling and humbling. I will continue working in being YOUR voice here at the Iowa State House of Representatives. If you have any concerns, or would just simply like to say hello, please, feel free to send me an email or voicemail on my switchboard.
House Republicans Release FY 2020 Budget Targets Development of the state budget took a major step forward on Tuesday when House Republicans unveiled their framework for a responsible, conservative budget in Fiscal Year 2020. The House proposal provides $7.668 billion from the General Fund to state programs beginning July 1, 2019.



HOUSE TARGETS     FY 2019 ADJUSTED     FY 2020 HOUSE     DIFFERENCE FROM FY 2019



Administration & Regulation 

                 $48,466,893                  $52,420,985                $3,954,092



Ag & Natural Resources 

                  $39,357,533                  $41,107,522               $1,750,000



Economic Development 

            $40,216,345                   $41,028,345               $812,000



Education   

             $912,675,487                 $961,044,271              $48,368,784



Health & Human Services 

              $1,962,894,820              $1,941,888,698          -$21,006,122



Justice Systems 

           $751,532,636                 $770,370,901             $18,838,265



State Aid to Schools & other Standing appropriations 

                $3,864,188,258              $3860,115,038            $4,073,220



GENERAL FUND TOTAL 

          $7,619,331,961             $7,667,975,760           $48,643,799



The House Republican targets are very close to what Governor Reynolds proposed in her Condition of the State speech last month. The House plan spends $9.5 million more than what the Governor recommended in her budget. Both plans spend below the limits imposed by Iowa’s expenditure limitation law ($7.8807 billion).       



Commerce Committee Continues to Work



Funnel week is quickly approaching, several subcommittees are being held and bills are being considered and passed out of committee. This week the House Commerce Committee worked to move three bills out of committee and on to consideration by the entire House. These bills will have a positive impact on business in our state and both passed with bipartisan support.
HF 262 - Defines and prohibits the establishment, promotion, or operation of a pyramid promotional scheme. This protects consumers and provides for the prosecution of offenders under Iowa’s consumer protection laws.
HF 264 – Iowa is a leader in the insurance industry. This establishes the process where an insurance company who may have merged can divide or split apart.
House Economic Growth Passes Small Business Legislation
The House Republican targets are very close to what Governor Reynolds proposed in her Condition of the State speech last month. The House plan spends $9.5 million more than what the Governor recommended in her budget. Both plans spend below the limits imposed by Iowa’s expenditure limitation law ($7.8807 billion).
This week the House Economic Growth Committee passed two bills with bi-partisan support that will help Iowa’s small businesses. House Study Bill 152 supports our Targeted Small Businesses by making it easier for them to contract for direct purchases from the state.
HSB 152- House Study Bill 152 will allow the state to directly purchase from a TSB if that purchase would comply with TSB procurement goals and the amount does not exceed $250,000. HSB 152 had strong support in committee.
HSB 91 - This bill allows an emergency project to be eligible for a grant from the Community Catalyst Building Remediation Program Fund. An emergency project is remediation of an underutilized building that may present a unique and immediate opportunity or a unique and immediate threat. This will be helpful to communities that are suddenly devastated by a tornado or flood and want to rebuild a business.
Firearms Legislation in the House Various firearms bills have been proposed this year, some to strengthen Iowans freedoms, some to take them away.
It’s easy to lose track of the bills with funnel quickly approaching. Below are a couple of bills being under consideration in the House.
House Joint Resolution 3 – Freedom Amendment
House Joint Resolution 3 adds firearms rights to the Iowa Constitution. The Federal Constitution has the 2nd Amendment (A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.), but Iowa's Constitution is silent on this right. The proposed language recognizes the right of the people to keep and bear arms and subject any infringement on this right to a strict scrutiny review by the Courts. This amendment does not invalidate any current firearms laws, but instead preserves the right for law-abiding Iowans to keep and bear arms, even if there are challenges in the federal courts. This bill has passed the subcommittee in House Public Safety by a vote of (2-1)
HF 385 – Constitutional Carry
Veterans Affairs
Earlier this week the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced that it has implemented the Veterans Appeals Improvement and Modernization Act of 2017, which was signed into law on August 23, 2017, and represents one of the most significant statutory changes in decades to benefit Veterans.
Effective today, Veterans who appeal a VA claims decision has three decision review options:
High-Level Review, Supplemental Claim, and Appeal to the Board of Veterans’ Appeals
• In the Higher-level Review Option, a more experienced adjudicator will conduct a new review of the previous decision.
• Veterans who selected the Supplemental Claim option may submit new and relevant evidence, and the VA will assist in developing new evidence under its duty to assist.
• If Veterans appeal to the Board, they can choose one of three dockets: direct review, evidence or hearing.
The VA’s goal is to complete Supplemental Claims and Higher-Level Reviews in an average of 125 days, and decisions appealed to the Board for direct review in an average of 365 days. Under the current legacy process, decisions averaged an inexcusable three to seven years.