Barker

Last week was our first legislative funnel deadline. This week, we transitioned to the first full week of floor debate so that we could send House bills over to the Senate to prepare for the second legislative funnel deadline in a few weeks. I’m excited to report that 3 bills that I filed passed the House floor with unanimous support this week!

Last weekend, Tracy and I had a great time attending the Green Mountain Community Soup Supper and visiting with so many dedicated community volunteers. It’s been an honor working with the Green Mountain Fire Department on a bill to help their township with needed fire station funding.

I started off the week with a great conversation about the bills I’m working this session with Zach on KFJB radio in Marshalltown.

I have been working with the Animal Rescue League of Marshalltown on a bill to address dumping of animals at shelters. I was thankful that my friend Representative Watkins floor managed my animal abandonment bill to unanimous approval in the House on Monday.

On Wednesday, my natural disaster resiliency bill passed the House under the management of Representative John Wills. In his remarks, Rep Wills called it a visionary bill that redefines how the state protects itself from floods, droughts, and shifting water supplies.

Wednesday was also pharmacy day on the hill. I credit attending pharmacy day 21 years ago with sparking a passion for good policy that has lead me on my journey to the Iowa House. I was honored to participate in a legislative panel and to speak with so many Drake and Iowa pharmacy students who I hope find the same spark for advocacy that I found back in 2005.

On Thursday, I was honored to floor manage my first bill of 2026. HF2526 is an important bill to protect the privacy of foster family addresses and help our state continue to improve our recruitment and retention of families that provide safe and loving homes for our most vulnerable children.

I ended the week on Friday by visiting REM residential homes and day programming in Marshalltown followed by a tour of the Albion Volunteer Fire Department and EMS. I am continually blown away by the passion and dedication of our volunteer fire fighters.

We often hear from our constituents about the need to expand access to quality, affordable child care. This week, we passed House File 2514 as one of the many things we can do to help address this. HF 2514 makes children of child care workers in this state eligible for the state child care assistance program.

Giving child care workers this benefit will help recruit and retain the staff needed to keep child care centers open and operating at full capacity. This, in turn, will create more open slots. For a child care employee to be eligible, they must work at least 32 hours a week and have children enrolled in child care. The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services has been providing this coverage through a pilot program since July 2023. In that time, 2105 families have been served by the program. HF 2514 codifies the pilot program.

Iowa is facing a health care workforce shortage. Noncompete clauses in health care professional contracts only make the situation worse. This week, we passed House File 2254 through the Iowa House to ban noncompete clauses in employment contracts between the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and physicians.

These noncompete clauses prevent physicians from practicing within a certain distance or for a period of time after they are no longer employed with UIHC. This results in physicians being unable to practice or having to leave the state to do so. By ensuring physicians can continue to practice immediately upon leaving their position at UIHC, this bill will help keep specialized doctors in Iowa ready to see the patients who need them. This bill is a good start and step in the right direction, and we will keep working on similar policies that help keep doctors in Iowa.

I’m grateful for the opportunity to work hard on your behalf in Des Moines! Follow “Barker for Iowa” on social media channels to stay up to date on my work. Please reach out to me about any questions, concerns, or suggestions at brett.barker@legis.iowa.gov.

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Republican Brett Barker, a Republican from Nevada, represents District 51 in the Iowa House.