From the ground up

Guest Column
By: 
Dan Zumbach
Iowa State Senator, 48th Dist.

SF 1 Jobs Impact Statements for Administrative Rules


     At the beginning of this session, we set out a number of priorities for the coming months. One of those priorities is Senate File 1, which requires a job impact statement for administrative rules. This would put into code what is currently found in Executive Order 71. We believe this is so important to job growth in Iowa, we want to codify this requirement so future governors cannot remove this requirement with the stroke of a pen.

     Jobs impact statements identify the purpose of a rule and the anticipated costs for state agencies, local governments, the public, regulated industries (including regulated businesses and self-employed individuals) to comply, and whether a rule would have a positive or negative impact on private sector jobs and employment opportunities in Iowa.

     This bill will help ensure businesses and jobs are not overburdened by excessive regulations from the State. Requiring a jobs impact statement forces agencies to consider how a rule will impact jobs, a consideration which is vital to creating job growth in our state.

SF 180 – Apprenticeships

     Helping create an environment for job growth in our state is something we have been focusing on for a long time. Along with SF 1, the Senate on Wednesday unanimously passed SF 180 (bipartisan support really does happen more often than reported!), strengthening Iowa’s apprenticeship programs. The bill clarifies in order to qualify for an apprenticeship-training grant under the Iowa Economic Development Authority; the applicant must be an Iowa resident.

School Funding Equity

     One common issue I discussed in the district related to education and education funding is the challenge of school funding for rural schools. Rural schools cover a much larger geographic area than urban or suburban districts. Consequently, those districts have much higher costs per pupil to transport those students between school and home. All those dollars spent on transportation are then unavailable to spend in the classroom, creating more disparity in resources between rural schools and urban schools.

     Senate Republicans have offered several proposals to address this inequity in recent years but have not been able to see this policy advance through the legislative process. This year the majority Republicans has filed Senate Study Bill 1124 (SSB 1124), which will start to bring equity to the funding levels between small and large geographic districts. Funds approved may only be spent on transportation costs.

     This bill was approved in subcommittee last week and will be discussed in the Education Committee this week. We have long believed student educational opportunities should not be determined by a student’s zip code. This bill is important to many rural districts across the state as they seek to provide the best education to their students regardless of where they live in Iowa.

Election Integrity in Iowa

     The integrity of Iowa’s elections has long been a priority of many Iowans. It is also a priority of mine.

     Several of my colleagues have long considered a requirement to prove who a person is when voting a fail-safe measure to guarantee the integrity of our election process. This simple and reasonable measure was squashed in the past in the Senate. The inability for the Senate to act was an unfortunate situation, because more than two-thirds of Iowans supported the Voter ID concept and still do.

     The Des Moines Register recently released an Iowa Poll that indicated the issue has significant support. In fact, 69 percent of Iowans favor having a government-issued ID to vote while 28 oppose. It has favorable support among Republicans (88 percent), Democrats (51 percent) and Independents (71 percent), according to the Iowa Poll.

     When it comes to the voting process, we want to ensure the integrity of Iowa’s great voting and election process. Senate Republicans are working on legislation that would require all voters to provide an approved identification document at a polling site or when they vote absentee. This ensures each Iowan’s vote counts once and they are who they say they are.

     The Senate also wants to continue to boost voter participation. That also is the goal of our Secretary of State Paul Pate. The Secretary of State has been promoting his voter integrity proposal across Iowa in recent weeks. His plan includes requiring an ID such as a driver’s license, passport, military ID or state-issued free ID for voting purposes.

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