Bill Tracking

BILLS TO DEBATE

HF 2274- School Aid Foundation Level and Commercial Property Tax Limits

FY 2012 Supplemental Corrections / MH Risk Pool

WEEKLY BILL TRACKING

Thurs. Feb 2 – Wed. Feb 8, 2012

Agriculture

HF 2051      Fish Farms. Defines fish farms larger than 500,000 fish as confined animal feeding operations and requires them to abide by the state’s regulations for CAFOs.  This bill would allow these fish farms to either abide by the federal NPDES discharge regulations or the state’s CAFO rules.  (passed Committee 23-0) to House Calendar

Appropriations

HF 2203      Employee Stock Ownership Plans. Appropriates $1 million to the Economic Development Authority to assist businesses in implementing Employee Stock Ownership Plans and provides capital gains tax relief. The Committee amended the bill to add reporting requirements. (passed Committee 25-0) to House Calendar

SF 2071       FY 2012 Supplemental for Department of Corrections. The Committee amended the bill to provide $6.5 million to the Department of Corrections to maintain existing staffing levels for this year. The bill also authorizes remaining funds in the county mental health risk pool to be allocated by the risk pool board through two-tiers of criteria. (passed Committee 25-0) to House Calendar

Commerce

HSB 529      Reduced Filing Fees for New Businesses. Authorizes the Secretary of State to designate an “Iowa start a business month” and either reduce or waive filing fees for start-up businesses during that month.  (passed Committee 23-0 ) to House Calendar

HSB 571      Land Surveyors – Technical Changes and Administrative Changes. Makes technical changes includes ability for license renewal notices to be sent electronically.  (passed Committee 23-0) to House Calendar

HF 2144      Joint Ownership of Transmission Facilities. Expands the definition of ownership of transmission facilities to non-contiguous states for municipal utilities.  (passed House 97-0) to Senate

HF 2168      Investment of Public Funds by Banks. Authorizes banks to invest uninsured portions of a public fund in insured deposits.  All of these deposits are protected by the sinking fund.  (passed House 99-0) to Senate

HF 2242      Rule Against Perpetuities. Creates two exemptions to Iowa’s current statutory limit on the maximum number of years that property could be preserved in a trust.  (passed Committee 20-3) to House Calendar

Education

HF 2245      Setting Allowable Growth in Odd Years. Allowable growth by law is required to be enacted by the Legislature within 30 days of receiving the Governor’s budget, for the fiscal years two years out.  The law applies separately to setting the categorical allowable growth, but has the same 30 day time line. This is done to give school districts enough time to set their budgets.  HF 2245 strikes the current 30 day time line to set allowable growth, and establishes that the percentage for allowable growth and categorical allowable growth would be set only in the odd years.  If the law were take effect, next session the Legislature would set Allowable Growth for FY 2014 and for FY 2015.  The same 30 day time line would apply, but only in the odd year.  The bill takes effect upon enactment.  (passed Committee 13-9) to House Calendar

SF 2114       4% Allowable Growth for FY 2014. Sets allowable growth at 4% for FY 2014.  Under the bill, the combined district cost is estimated to increase $196.2 million compared to FY 2013 for a total of $4.123 billion.  The state cost per pupil for FY 2013 will be $6,001, and at 4% for FY 2014, the state cost per pupil would be at $6,241.  (passed Senate 26-23) to House Education Committee

SF 2115       4% Categorical Allowable Growth for FY 2014. Under the bill, State Categorical Supplements would increase by $14.6 million.  The teacher salary supplement amount will increase $3.7 million, professional development supplement amount will increase by $400,000, and early intervention supplement amount will increase by $400,000.  (passed Senate 26-23) to House Education Committee

Environmental Protection

HF 2230      Drainage District Disclosures on Real Estate. Requires any abstract preparer or title for land located within an existing levee or drainage district to indicate that the land is part of such a district. (passed Committee 21-0) to House Calendar

Human Resources

HF 2244      Nursing Home Inspections. Lifts the moratorium on regular inspections of state licensed nursing homes.  Effective retroactively to October 24, 2011.  DIA has already begun regular inspections.  (passed Committee 21-0) to House Calendar

HSB 561      Iowa Health Information Network. Establishes the Iowa Health Information Network, which is a statewide information technology system to allow the secure exchange of clinical information between authorized participants.  The bill creates a fund and allows for the collection of fees from providers and payors.  (passed Committee 21-0)  to House Calendar

Judiciary

HF 2238      Termination of Parental Rights and Identity Theft. Establishes an identity theft crime for any person whose parental rights have been terminated if the person uses the child’s identification information to obtain credit, property, services, or benefits and requires identification information be given to children when parental rights are terminated. (passed Committee 21-0) to House Calendar

SF 93            Domestic Abuse – Strangulation. Enhances the penalty for domestic abuse assault that is caused by impeding the breathing or circulation of another by applying pressure to the throat or neck or obstructing the nose or mouth. (passed House 96-1) to Governor

Labor

HF 2227      Child Labor Form Changes. Makes changes to the child labor form and the requirements for the form. (passed Committee 17-0) to House Calendar

Local Government

HF 2101      Public Land Survey Corner Certificates. Eliminates the need for multiple corner certificates by allowing more than one corner to be accepted by the county recorder within a corner certificate. (passed House 99-0) to Senate

SF 413         Emergency Management Commissions. Allows emergency management commission members to designate an alternate.  Per an attorney general opinion, the bill requires the budget approved by the commission to be funded through specific ways including a countywide special levy, a per capita allocation funded from city or county general funds, an allocation from each jurisdiction, and a voluntary share allocation.  Per the Local Government Committee amendment, other sources allowed by law would be included as well, which could include federal emergency management improvement grants or private sources.  The bill also allows a city or county to identify on tax statements funding for a local emergency management agency through a supplemental levy.  (passed Committee 21-0) to House Calendar, with a committee amendment

Natural Resources

HJR 2001    Mourning Dove Hunting Lead Shot Ban Rule. Nullifies the part of the Natural Resources Commission rule that prohibits the use of lead shot for hunting mourning doves.  The Legislature’s Administrative Rules Review Committee put a session delay on this portion of the rule so it was not in effect last September during the mourning dove hunting season.  HJR 2001 takes effect upon enactment.  (passed House 73-27) on Senate Calendar

Public Safety

HF 183         Elimination of References to Medical Marijuana. Strikes all references to marijuana as a schedule 2 controlled substance for the purpose of the Board of Pharmacy to adopt rules relating to the medicinal use of marijuana.  Marijuana will remain a schedule 1 controlled substance.  (passed Committee 16-5) to House Calendar

HF 2228      Control of Motor Vehicle. Separates current Code language to clarify that a driver must have their vehicle under control at all times and not just under specific circumstances.  (passed Committee 21-0) to House Calendar

State Government

HF 2248      Optometrists. Clarifies minor surgical procedures optometrists can perform so that they can get reimbursed for Medicare patients.  The bill came from the optometrists.  (passed Committee 23-0) to House Calendar

HSB 521      Ambulatory Surgical Centers (ASCs). Provides for annual licensure and data reporting requirements for freestanding ASCs, which would make them the same as hospitals.  The license fee is $500, the same as the current hospital licensing fee.  Supporters noted that the health care delivery system has changed in Iowa and ASCs are in large measure providing many of the same services that are available in Iowa hospitals.  (passed Committee 23-0) to House Ways and Means Committee

HSB 523      Occupational Therapy Services. Updates the code chapter regulating occupational therapy services to come into alignment with the current scope of practice for this profession.  The definition of occupational therapy hasn’t been changed since the law went into effect in 1981.  The bill came from the Occupational Therapy Association.  (passed Committee 23-0) to House Calendar

Transportation

HF 2214      Bans Automated Enforcement Traffic Cameras. Prohibits state and local authorities from using automated enforcement traffic cameras beginning July 1, 2012.  (passed Committee 15-6) to House Calendar

HF 2229      Veteran Designation on Driver’s License. Requires the Department of Transportation, by July 1, 2013, to allow persons to get a “veteran” designation on their driver’s license or nonoperator ID card if they were honorably discharged.  (passed Committee 21-0) to House Calendar

Veterans Affairs

HF 2169      State Tax Exemption to Certain Military Members. Exempts state tax from Iowa National Guard service members that are designated under Title 32 of the U.S. Code.  These are full time, federally funded service members.  (passed House 97-2) to Senate

HSB 550      Veterans Affairs Training Program Account. Authorizes the Veterans Affairs Commission to direct the Director of Veterans Affairs to use any excess funding in the County Commission of Veterans Affairs Training Program Account to pay for unmet services approved under the Veterans Trust Fund.  (passed Committee 15-0) to House Calendar

HSB 578      Internment Rights for Veterans and Spouses. Requires a cemetery controlled by a governmental subdivision to allow, if space is available, any veteran to purchase an internment space for themself and their spouse.  In addition, if space is available, a surviving spouse must be allowed to purchase an internment space in the cemetery where their spouse is already interned.  (passed 15-0) to House Calendar

Ways & Means

HF 2150      IRC Code Update. Updates provisions of Iowa tax law to reflect changes in the federal Internal Revenue Code.  (passed House 100-0) to Senate Ways & Means

HF 2166      Streamlined Sales Tax Agreement. Updates language related to sales and use taxes to reflect changes to the streamlined sales tax agreement.  (passed House 99-0) to Senate

HF 2169      State Income Tax Exemption. Exempts state income taxes for service members living and working in Iowa who are full time and federally funded.  This was an unintended oversight from last year’s bill.  (passed House 97-2) to Senate

HSB 519      Commercial Property Taxes. Rolls back commercial and industrial property taxes and increases the state share of the school aid foundation level.  (passed Committee 15-10) to House Calendar