Contributing Writer
As we work toward adjournment, the focus remains on budget bills and lingering policy issues. This is the last scheduled week of the 2021 legislative session, but we remain focused on accomplishing our priorities for the year, like tax relief and responsible budgets.
During floor debate, the Senate passed several education bills. One of these bills was House File 847, also called the ‘Education Omnibus’ bill. This bill was designed to give schools funding flexibility, parental choice and accountability measures for local school boards. It increases the annual amount of classroom expenditures from $250 to $500 for Iowa elementary and secondary school teachers. These teachers may deduct their expenditures from gross income for income tax purposes. It expands the Tuition and Textbook Tax Credit by doubling the allowed expense amount to $2,000 per student and extending the credit to families utilizing private instruction.
Contributing Writer
On the thirteenth week of session, floor debate was the key focus. We discussed a number of issues that are important to Iowans.
This week the Senate passed House Joint Resolution 5, amending the Iowa Constitution to add a new section on the protection of life. The section reads, “To defend the dignity of all human life, and to protect mothers and unborn children from efforts to expand abortion even to the day of birth, we the people of the State of Iowa declare that this Constitution shall not be construed to recognize, grant, or secure a right to abortion or to require the public funding of abortion.” It is our belief this issue should be decided by the people of Iowa, not the courts.
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