Jeff Edler
The eighth week of this year’s session is known as “funnel week” for the legislature. This week is the first legislative deadline of the year. All Senate policy bills must have passed through committee in order to be considered for the rest of the year. This week we ran a number of mental health bills out of the Senate Human Resources Committee focused on addressing the needs of complex mental health patients. These issues have been challenging Iowa’s mental health system for decades. I made a promise to Iowans to finish what we set out to do in 2018 with the Mental Health Complex Needs Bill and I intend to fulfill that promise.
State Senator Jeff Edler, (R-State Center)
The seventh week of session was busier as many bills moved out of committee. Next week is the first funnel week of this legislative session, meaning all Senate policy bills need to be out of Senate committees in order to be considered for the rest of the year. This deadline will narrow the focus to the bills remaining. One of the key concerns to solving workforce issues in Iowa has been the availability of child care. House File 260 allows a person or program providing childcare in someone’s home for five or fewer children. It also would allow six or fewer children if at least one of the children is school-aged. Currently, a childcare home providing childcare to more than five children must register as a child development home. Finding affordable childcare in Iowa, especially in rural areas, has been difficult, and even more so this last year.