In This Issue
Federal Policy Update
State Policy Update
Legislation
Important Dates

Quick Links

January 20, 2017  

Federal Update
Federal policy could see a shake-up with the confirmation of new secretaries of several key departments in the President's Cabinet, including Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education. Respectively, President Donald Trump has nominated Andrew Puzder for Department of Labor Secretary, Representative Tom Price for Health and Human Services Secretary, and Betsy DeVos for Education Secretary. 

Find out more about Mr. Puzder  via USA Today. Find out more about US Congressman Price via Time, and find out more about Betsy DeVos via the Washington Post. 

State Policy Update
The 2016 elections changed more than who will occupy the Oval Office. In Iowa, the election shifted the majority in the State Senate from Democrats to Republicans, giving the GOP control of both legislative chambers and the Governor's office.

To find bios, contact information, and photos of all the legislators, go to the Legislators page on the Iowa Legislature website. Select either "Senators" or "Representatives" on the left-side menu to see a complete list of all members, including links to their information page and district map. You can also filter the list by party and chamber, and sort by name, district, and county. 

For an updated list of legislators listed by their workforce regions, click here. For a complete list of committees and members, click here. 
Legislation
House File 23 Establishes a worker shortage student loan forgiveness program. Sponsored by Representative Hunter. Referred to House Economic Growth Committee. 

House File 47 Relates to the administration of postsecondary education assistance by the college student aid commission. Sponsored by Representatives Winckler, Staed, Hunter, Gaskill, Lensing, and Hanson. Referred to House Education Committee.

Senate File 29 Eliminates the Iowa Department of Education. Sponsored by Senator Zaun. Referred to Senate Education Committee and assigned to a subcommittee with Behn, Quirmbach, and Rozenboom.

Senate File 63 Establishes a feasibility study on a state paid family and medical leave program. Sponsored by Senator Petersen. Referred to Senate State Government Committee and assigned to subcommittee with Feenstra, Brown, and Petersen.

Senate File 66 Requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to employees for pregnancy and childbirth. Sponsored by Senator Petersen. Referred to Senate Labor and Business Relations Committee and assigned to a subcommittee with Chapman, Boulton, and Schultz. 

Senate File 80 Addresses the wage payment collection issues between employers and employees. Sponsored by Senators Bolkcom, Taylor, Petersen, Hart, Boulton, Bisignano, Dotzler, Dvorsky, Bowman, Kinney, Jochum, Lykam, Hogg, and McCoy. Referred to Senate Labor and Business Relations Committee and assigned to a subcommittee with Zaun, Dotzler, and Guth.
Important Dates
January 9        First Day of Session

January 31      AIWP Legislative Breakfast
                          7:00 - 9:00 a.m.
                          Legislative Dining Room, State Capitol

March 3           First Funnel 
Final date for House bills to be passed out of House committees, and Senate bills out of Senate committees.

March 31         Second Funnel
Final date for Senate bills to be passed out of House committees and House bills to be passed out of Senate committees.

April 28           Target Adjournment Date
100th calendar day of the session and the date per-diem expenses will end.

This update is a bi-weekly publication intended to share information and resources regarding legislative activities, events, and bills related to workforce issues in Iowa. If you have questions or need more information, please contact Gracie Brandsgard at gbrandsgard@sppg.com or 515-237-0340.