Government : McClintock's Week in Wrap: 03/23/23

National Agriculture day was on Tuesday, March 21st. Iowa has over 80,000 farms and is a leader in corn, soybean, livestock, and ethanol production. I am proud of our Iowans who work tirelessly to feed the world. The Iowa Senate consistently works to help strengthen agriculture in our state, and we will continue to do so. Again, thank you to our Iowa farmers and their families for their work to serve our state and the world

We have just completed week 11 of the legislative session. National Agriculture day was on Tuesday, March 21st. Iowa has over 80,000 farms and is a leader in corn, soybean, livestock, and ethanol production. I am proud of our Iowans who work tirelessly to feed the world. The Iowa Senate consistently works to help strengthen agriculture in our state, and we will continue to do so. Again, thank you to our Iowa farmers and their families for their work to serve our state and the world.

Senate File 547 was debated this week. SF 547, aka the "hands free" bill, will help keep Iowa roads safer from the dangers of cell phone usage while driving. Currently, Iowa law prohibits sending and viewing text messages while driving. This legislation will update the law and make using electronic devices while driving illegal unless they're used in a voice-activated/hands free mode. The bill passed the Iowa Senate on Wednesday, the 22nd, with bipartisan support. Hands-free legislation is supported by law enforcement and has been shown to reduce traffic deaths and injuries in states with similar legislation.

Several parents have been made aware that explicit materials are available to their young students. This caused concern amongst parents as many believe those delicate topics should be taught at home. These concerns are why SF 496 was introduced by Governor Reynolds to address and enhance parental involvement in their children's education. One of the items addressed by SF 496 is sexually explicit content. Sexually explicit content will be unavailable to elementary students in their taxpayer-funded school. This legislation passed the Iowa Senate on 3/22 with a 34-16 vote.

The issue of error, fraud, and abuse of Iowa's welfare system has been a priority of the Iowa Senate for the last five years. This legislative session, SF 494 was introduced and passed the Senate on a 34-16 vote on Wednesday, the 22nd. SF 494 puts additional policies into effect to help eliminate error, fraud, and abuse of Iowa's Welfare Systems. One of the policies implemented in this bill will establish updated and effective income and identify verification parameters for public assistance programs such as SNAP, Medicaid, FIP, and CHIP by using private-sector technology to identify possible errors and fraud. Eligibility will be examined through employment information, income records, incarceration, and other information from federal and state sources.

I encourage my constituents to contact me using my legislative email with any comments, questions, or concerns. I look forward to another great week of representing the people of District 42!