Government : HELLO HOUSE DISTRICT 75 FROM THE STATE CAPITOL!

The State House voted on some very important bills this last week, including K-12 Education funding and some immediate flood recovery for the very hard-hit areas in southwest Iowa and the Quad Cities.

The Education funding package voted on by the House amounted to an increase of $108 million includes almost $95 million in general aid, $7.65 million for more equity in rural school transportation costs, and $5.8 million to reduce per pupil inequity by $10 per student. Since 2011, there has been a 34.4% increase in Education funding, far more than the inflation of 13.5% during that period.

There has not been an Education budget cut since Republicans have controlled the House, and this is based on the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency data. Iowa needs to attract and retain quality teachers, and this is proof of our intentions.

The Flood recovery legislation includes $25 million, where $15 million will go for immediate flood relief and $10 million in housing tax credits to rebuild homes.

Also, very important House File 2280 was passed out of the Ways & Means Committee with a vote of 24-1, which includes all Republicans. This bill increases the Volunteer Fire Fighter and Volunteer Emergency Medical Services Personnel Member Credit and the Reserve Peace Officer Credit from $100 to $200 this year. This will help 13,000 to 14,000 taxpayers who volunteer their time and often pay for their own training!

This week, some of the great people from District 75 who visited me were James Johnson of Williamsburg, who discussed wind turbines, and Drew Retz of Atkins, who discussed the affordable housing situation.

Thank you, and as always, please be safe out there!

Pictured above, Drew Retz visited the capitol to expresses concern over the shortage of affordable housing for lower-income Iowans.