Government : Hello, Iowa House District 84 from the State Capitol!

Benton Comm. FFA students & Advisor Krystal Wright (3rd from left) visit the Capitol on Jan. 22nd.

Vinton-Shellsburg FFA with Advisor Gabby Power (left) enjoying their visit to the Capitol on Jan. 22nd.

Rep. Gerhold in HSB 18 subcommittee on Jan. 22nd.

North Linn FFA members meet with Rep. Gerhold on Jan. 22nd.

Iowa Valley Marengo  and Advisor Marsha Kilgard visit the House Chamber on Jan. 22nd.

Vinton-Shellsburg FFA with Advisor Gabby Power (left) enjoying their visit to the Capitol on Jan. 22nd.

We completed a busy shortened week at the Iowa State Capitol this last week, where Monday, the 20th was Martin Luther King Day and happened to coincide with the inauguration of President Trump as the 47th president. This is only the second time both happened on the same day since MLK Day was signed into law by President Reagan as a federal holiday on Nov. 2nd, 1983.

On January 22nd, the legislators welcomed a multitude of fantastic FFA chapters for their 40th annual Iowa FFA Legislative Symposium. The chapters from District 84 that I had the opportunity to meet with were Benton Community, Vinton-Shellsburg, and North Linn. I also had a chance to visit with Iowa Valley of Marengo chapter, that was a part of District 75 I represented before reconfiguration resulting from the 2020 census. All these FFA members were very polite, asked great questions, and have a bright future!

Also on Wednesday, I had my first sub-committee, which was for House Study Bill (HSB) 18. This bill will help clarify some code after the enactment of the Boards and Commissions Reform bill, Senate File 2385, from the 2024 session, that eliminated 49 defunct, duplicative, or ineffective boards, commissions, and councils. It was passed and now goes to the full committee of Labor and Workforce for consideration.

On Thursday, I visited with Aron Brecht from HACAP, who had a table in the rotunda that highlighted the successful Choose Iowa Food Bank Pilot program (https://www.chooseiowa.com/) . These are grants through the Iowa Dept. of Agriculture and Land Stewardship that help Iowa farmers, businesses, and non-profits to diversify their products. The deadline for applying for a grant this year is this Friday, January 31st at noon and you can get more information from https://www.chooseiowa.com/grants.

I hope you have a safe and healthy week! January will be just a memory on Saturday and the customary "Ground Hog Day" is Sunday, Feb. 2nd. Take care!