Week twelve has concluded in Des Moines; here are the highlights!
This week, House Republicans passed an education budget that appropriates $1,004,141,874 in General Fund dollars for the Department for the Blind, the College Student Aid Commission, the Department of Education, Community Colleges, Vocational Rehabilitation, Iowa Public Television, and the Board of Regents. One program in particular that should be highlighted is the new Iowa Workforce Grant and Incentive Program. This is a program focused on addressing Iowa’s workforce shortage problem. This program appropriates $6 million in scholarships to those students attending one of the Regents institutions who are in teacher preparatory programs and $6 million in scholarships to those students who are in majors that align with Iowa’s high demand jobs.
This year is a general election year and Iowans will have a chance to vote for candidates for the offices of U.S. Senator, U.S. House of Representatives, Governor and other statewide offices, state legislators, and county offices. Before the general election, Iowans who have registered their political party affiliation are eligible to vote in the June 7 primary. Iowa law allows voters to submit their request for an absentee ballot for the primary election up to 70 days before the election. Voters must submit a completed absentee ballot request to their county auditor in order to receive their absentee ballot.
Last week, the Iowa House passed a common-sense bill – Senate File 551 allows fire department and EMS responders to exceed the speed limit if they are responding to an emergency. When seconds matter in saving a life, this bill can make a difference. Iowa’s volunteer firefighters and paramedics are called to emergencies when they are not at the station or near the ambulance. They are called in from home, their work, or any of the other many places they spend time with their family and friends. They drive their personal vehicles to the station prior to going to the scene, and once they get in that firetruck or ambulance, they have the authority to drive over the speed limit.
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!