Week nine has wrapped up here in Des Moines; here are the highlights.
This week, the Iowa House took the first steps in passing the State Budget. The Justice Systems, Transportation, and Agriculture and Natural Resources budget bills were the first to clear their first hurdle in the Iowa House.
I have served as the Vice Chair of the House Justice Systems Appropriations Subcommittee for the last two sessions. We have again brought forward a great budget proposal that shows the Iowa House Republicans’ commitment to ensure our men and women in law enforcement have the resources they need. The Department of Public Safety will get an additional $3.1 million in FY 2023. The majority of that increase will go to the Iowa State Patrol, which will have a budget of $71.5 million for Fiscal Year 2023. This budget also provides $2.5 million for the Public Safety Equipment Fund. This fund was created last year to ensure the Department of Public Safety has the most up-to-date equipment and can stay on top of equipment maintenance. The Department of Corrections will receive an additional $7.1 million in the next budget year. With this increase, the Department of Corrections will have increased their budget by almost $29 million since FY 2021.Our workers in the Department of Corrections are brave men and women doing an essential service for our state, and we want to ensure they have the funding they need to do their jobs. For the Judicial Branch, state spending would increase by $7.36 million for fiscal year 2023. The increase in funding will cover the costs of adding four new associate judge positions, and providing judges and magistrates with a 5.9% salary increase.
This week, the Iowa House passed a bill to require testing for radon gas in Iowa Schools.This legislation was written in honor of Gail Orcutt, a retired Iowa teacher who lost her battle with radon-induced lung cancer in 2020. An estimated 400 Iowans die each year due to radon-induced lung cancer and this bill takes a meaningful step to reduce that number.
It is an honor to be in Des Moines representing District 95 and the people of Iowa. I encourage my constituents to contact me using my legislative email ([email protected]) with any comments, questions, or concerns. I look forward to another great week of representing the people of District 95!