DES MOINES, Iowa – Iowa House Republicans released House Files 1-13 as top priorities for their caucus this year.
“Iowans were loud and clear in setting our agenda for the 2023 Legislative Session. Iowa House Republicans now represent part or all of all 99 of Iowa’s 99 counties and are in a better position than ever to listen to Iowans all across the state and legislate accordingly,” Iowa House Speaker Pat Grassley, R-New Hartford, said.
“Today, we are introducing our first bills of the legislative session, based directly on the conversations our members had with their constituents leading up to session. We are getting straight to work on the priorities we heard most consistently from our constituents and look forward to seeing these bills work their way through the legislative process,” he added.
Below is a brief summary of each House File 1-13.
House File 1 – Property Tax Reform
- Provides certainty for the taxpayers by reducing the $5.40 levy, increasing transparency requirements, and capping assessment increases.
House File 2 – Protecting Public Funds
- Keeps Iowa’s money safe from activist Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) policies.
House File 3 – Welfare Reform
- Ensures Iowa’s welfare programs are available for truly eligible Iowans by codifying practices to authenticate the identity of applicants and verify information prior to enrollment.
House File 4 – Alternative Teacher Licensing
- Creates two additional pathways to license teachers in an effort to address Iowa’s workforce shortages in the teaching profession.
House File 5 – Curriculum Transparency
- Gives parents access to the resources provided to their children by their school.
House File 6 – Workforce Grant and Incentive Program
- A new program that incentivizes students attending the three Regent universities to go into high-demand job fields.
House File 7 – Teacher Prep Program Reform
- Authorizes a study to take a deep dive into how Iowa’s Regent Universities are training future teachers and requires regents to define exactly what they are teaching in their teacher education programs.
House File 8 – Prohibiting Gender Identity/Sexual Orientation Instruction to Children
- Classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through third grade, or in a manner that is not age-appropriate for students
House File 9 – Parental Notification on Gender Identity
- Ensures that school employees can’t hide information about a student’s requested gender transition or identity from the child’s parents. School employees cannot facilitate, encourage, or coerce students to withhold information from their parents.
House File 10 – BOEE Reforms
- Makes all school employees over 18 mandatory reporters and it requires schools and the BOEE to keep a record of all complaints made against employees so they can identify trends. It also prohibits school districts and teachers from entering into an agreement that prohibits them from discussing an incident or waives liability.
House File 11 – Student Right to Know
- Requires the Board of Regents publicly publish an online database to provide students with information about post-graduation median salary, loan debt, debt-to-income ratio, and more for the degrees they offer.
House File 12 – Teaching the Crimes of Communism
- Requires within US Government curriculum that there is a comparative discussion of political ideologies such as communism and totalitarianism, which conflict with the principles of freedom and democracy that are essential to the founding principles of the United States.
House File 13 – Rural Hospitals
- Establishes licensure in Iowa for Rural Emergency Hospitals – a health care facility that maintains a 24-hour emergency room, but does not include acute inpatient care – allowing them to receive reimbursement from Medicare and Medicaid at a higher rate.
