Global Courant 2023-05-05 04:14:54
The Iowa legislature adjourned Thursday after approving most of the Republican majority’s priorities, including using state money for private school tuition, banning gender reassignment for transgender children, removing some books from school libraries and reorganizing the state government on a way that gives the governor more power over top administrators.
Both chambers adjourned after approving an $8.5 billion budget. Earlier this week, Republicans, who hold large majorities in both chambers, pushed through a $100 million property tax cut that Administration Kim Reynolds planned to sign into law on Thursday.
Earlier in the session, Republicans passed the bill that would allow state money for private school education, making Iowa one of the few states to allow such spending with few restrictions.
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Democrats and educators had argued that the bill to create education savings accounts would result in lower funding for public schools, but Reynolds had pushed hard for the change. The governor argued that it would make private schools available to everyone, rather than just those who can afford the extra cost.
“For the first time, we will fund students rather than a system, a decisive step in ensuring that every child in Iowa can receive the best possible education,” Reynolds said in a statement when she signed the bill.
The Iowa legislature was adjourned Thursday after a session in which most of the Republican majority’s priorities became law. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
According to an impartial legislative analysis, the measure is expected to cost $345 million per year in its fourth year after full implementation.
Under the bill that Reynolds signed into law banning gender-affirming care for those under 18, doctors will have to stop prescribing puberty blockers and sex hormones. That bill will also ban transgender students from using public restrooms that align with their gender identity.
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Another bill approved by lawmakers and awaiting Reynolds’ signature would require books containing descriptions or visual depictions of a sex act to be removed from school libraries or classrooms. Exceptions are the Bible and other religious texts.
The bill also bans instruction on gender identity or sexual orientation in kindergarten through sixth grade, and requires schools to notify parents if a child asks to use a different pronoun.
The Government Reorganization Act signed into law by Reynolds reduces the number of cabinet-level offices from 37 to 16. It allows the governor to appoint more trustees instead of leaving that to the state boards, and it will make it easier for her to pay them higher salaries.
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Reynolds said the changes will result in more efficient, less expensive state government.
