Having trouble viewing this email? View it in your web browser

Hello friend,

Here is IEC's legislative news bulletin for January 30 – February 3, 2023.

It was a very busy fourth week at the Capitol with new bills being introduced daily and priority legislation swiftly being moved through the process. This included legislation to increase supplemental student aid, restrict gender identity education and acknowledgment in public schools, and cap medical malpractice noneconomic damages. The pace is constant, and we don’t expect it to slow anytime in the next four weeks as we head to the first funnel deadline and begin discussions on a multitude of other issues.

The governor's proposed bill to reorganize state government (HSB 126) dropped last week and is a daunting 1,500 pages long. The bill revises language for dozens of state agencies. Legislators, agency employees, policy professionals and many others are working their way through the legislation to better understand impacts. Several issues of concern to IEC are highlighted below. 

Additionally, Senator Dawson submitted a tax reform bill (SSB 1125) that includes funding for the Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund, also known as IWILL. The bill includes reforms to property tax and, similar to Dawson’s bill last year, would swap the current ability for cities and counties to charge a Local Option Sales Tax with a universal 1-cent state sales tax increase. IEC is registered as monitoring on this bill as we dig into the details to understand the implications of the tax reforms.  

Looking ahead
This week is expected to look very similar to last week with an intense number of subcommittee and committee meetings with some floor debate sprinkled in. Friday, February 10 is the last day for legislators to request individual bill requests.

IEC staff or our lobbying representatives expect to attend several meetings or committee hearings this week, including a House Commerce Committee hearing on the utility oversight bill (SF 198/HSB 73). 

Legislation
We continued to see new bills of interest pop up last week, in addition to action on bills we're tracking. View the bill tracker by clicking below.

 

Bill Highlights

  • HSB 126 – The governor’s proposed bill to reorganize state government revises language for dozens of state agencies. Of particular concern to IEC are changes to the Office of Consumer Advocate (OCA), the entity that represents the interests of utility customers in cases at the Iowa Utilities Board. Right now, the Consumer Advocate is appointed by the Attorney General for a four-year term subject to Senate confirmation and must be an attorney. OCA technical staff have “merit” protection which means they cannot be fired without cause. The bill would allow the Attorney General to remove the Consumer Advocate at any time and would no longer require the position to be held by an attorney. OCA staff would lose merit protection, even though professional staff in many other departments retain such protections, including at the Iowa Utilities Board (IUB). We are concerned these changes could threaten the independence of OCA staff who currently keep the consumer front and center, by creating job security risk if their work upsets powerful interests like the utilities. 

  • SF 198/HSB 73 – This bill, which moved through Senate Commerce last week, eliminates IUB oversight of MidAmerican and Alliant investments in pollution reduction equipment at their coal plants. This change is concerning for several reasons. It flips what was a process designed to balance the interests of customers and the utility and turns it into another opportunity for energy companies to make money. Iowans have no choice about where we buy our electricity and it is critical that the IUB have tools for oversight – this removes one of those tools with no way to ensure utility customers aren’t taking the hit financially from this change. Check out our talking points on this bill. We expect to see it before the House Commerce Committee this week and encourage you to contact your Representative if they serve on that committee

  • SSB 1077 – This bill places severe restrictions for siting solar on agricultural land that are not based on health or safety concerns, but appear designed to simply stop solar development in Iowa. The bill moved through a Senate subcommittee last week and IEC is registered opposed. This recent Des Moines Register opinion piece is a great primer on the issue and the reasons this bill is bad for Iowa. 

  • A number of bills have been introduced that would threaten the ability of all Iowans to participate in a just, healthy, and sustainable future. These bills go against the core values of our organization, as outlined in our Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Principles. Thus, we have registered against HF 7, HF 8, HF 9, HF 190, HSB 112, SF 81, SF 83, and SF 159. 

 

Legislative News of Interest 

•  Governor introduces 1,500-page bill to restructure state government (Iowa Capital Dispatch)
•  
Governor's plan would gut independence of Iowa Consumer Advocate (Bleeding Heartland)
•  
Iowa House panel advances bill to reduce reports for coal plants (Iowa Capital Dispatch)
•  Iowa bill would limit commercial solar panel construction (Gazette) 
•  Utilities use customer dollars to pay for their lobbying. Here's how lawmakers can stop it. (Grist)

 

IEC Legislative Tools

 

Legislative Dates of Interest

2/8 - IFU Farm & Food Lobby Day (last day to register is 2/6)
2/10 - Individual bill request deadline
2/27 - IEC's Environmental Advocacy Day at the Capitol
3/1 - Climate Strike at the Capitol
3/3 - First legislative funnel deadline
3/16 - Iowa Honeybee Day at the Capitol

For more info on legislative committee meetings, events, and forums, visit our Legislative Events page in our Legislative Portal.

505 Fifth Ave, Suite 850
Des Moines, Iowa 50309
515-244-1194 |
iecmail@iaenvironment.org
Unsubscribe or Manage Your Preferences