News from the State House

by Patti Ruff, State Representative

This week at the Iowa House saw some movement on at least one divisive educational issue. Senator Gronstal lifted his motion to reconsider on the school start date bill and sent it to the governor to sign.
For decades, Iowa schools were required to start the week in which September 1st falls, but were granted a waiver to set their own start date. The bill does allow K-8 school buildings that are on year-round calendars to continue. Because of my amendment, the bill now gives year-round schools 30 days after the bill is signed to apply to the Department of Education for authorization to maintain their calendar. The application is allowed for an individual school, not district wide.
A bill to allow public and private schools to maintain a supply of EpiPens has advanced in the House. The provision passed the Senate 50-0 earlier in the session.
Under the bill, a health care professional is allowed to prescribe EpiPens to the schools and allows personnel to administer the pens to students. If the trained personnel administer an injection in good faith to a student believed to have an allergic reaction, the school has legal immunity. Iowa is one of four states that do not allow trained school personnel to administer EpiPens to a child that may need it.
It also allows facilities to maintain a supply of EpiPens at locations where the public is present such as food establishments, carnivals, recreational camp, and a sports facility. Standards for the prescriptions, distribution, storage replacement, and storage are required in the bill to be set.
The conference committee on school funding met yesterday with Democrats offering to meet in the middle at 2.625%. We realize that this is not enough, but we also know that districts are in uncertainty and need to know a funding level. We acted in good faith by trying to meet in the middle. It was voted down party lines and failed to pass. I will continue to fight for what is right by for our schools and our kids as long as deemed necessary.
The House is working on a bill that would ban the use of hand-held electronic devices while driving. The Senate prefers a ban on texting while driving. It is time we put safety first and put our devices down.
On Tuesday Ayla Boylen and her dad, Scott, were in Des Moines for the Iowa Student Learning Institute rally. It was a treat to show a classmate of my son the Capitol.
Until next week!