This week in the legislature was marked by considerable debate. On Wednesday the House debate House File 813, Parental Choice through Public Charter Schools. Debate was contentious and continued due to the Democrats attempts to impose a filibuster-style maneuver of filing over 30 amendments. Debate ended only after House leadership forced it to close with a motion.

This bill offers parents more choice in their children’s education. Every child deserves access to a quality education, and this bill opens the door for more opportunities to develop in communities where more options are wanted and needed. The need for more options for children and their families has always been evident, but this past year the need has been highlighted by the issues surrounding the COVID pandemic.

Iowa has a Charter School option, but the parameters imposed on starting them are far too onerous for it to be an option for most communities. This bill established a path for creation of Public Charter Schools by allowing them to be established by either a school board or a founding group of citizens. The bill lays out specific rules to ensure these charter schools adhere to public school guidelines for transparency, quality, oversight and admittance. The charter school founders will be required to show community need and community support. The charter school will need to admit all who apply and provide special education services for those students who need it. A Public Charter School will be able to obtain public education funds in the same manner and amount that any other public district receives when a student open enrolls.

The issue of boys claiming to be girls and participating in girls’ sports has been a hot topic nationwide and is a big concern amongst my constituents. The issue has not gone unnoticed in the House and we continue to work on the issue, including writing potential bills and amendments that help spur further discussion. It is an extremely complex and sensitive topic. We want to be careful not to subject girls to intrusions or harassment in the form of gender examinations. It’s important to note that this issue has become something we must respond to because of a select few that challenge their biological gender and those that are forcing this thought process on everyone else.

tLast week the Revenue Estimating Conference met and set their estimates for our state’s revenue for the 2022 fiscal year. This estimate sets the stage for our budget bills to be finalized and signals the end of the 2021 session is now in sight. Our state finances have shown great resilience in the face of the COVID pandemic. This resilience was not by accident, House Republicans have worked for years to ensure we have paid attention to detail and act conservatively when we set our spending and tax rates. Our financial position is strong and we expect moderate growth in revenue in spite of the pandemic.

As always, I look forward to hearing from you.

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Dean Fisher is the state representative for District 72.

Contact him at dean.fisher@legis.iowa.gov