This week in the Senate we debated many bills. In order for the bills to become law they must pass off the Senate floor and the House floor. We debated a broad array of bills that addressed workforce, tax relief, deer hunting licenses, and fees for public records.

Among the bills debated was Senate File 2266, a bill to help attract more people into the workforce. The bill raises the earning limitation for IPERS retirees that are under the age of 65. Teachers, substitutes, bus drivers, and other Iowans who have not yet reached retirement age can come back to work, earning up to $50,000 annually, without it affecting their IPERS retirement funds. Senate File 2266 is just one of many ways that we are delivering results to address the workforce shortage and bring Iowans back to work.

Addressing Child Care Needs

Last year the Iowa Legislature passed a number of bills to address the need for access to affordable child care. One of those bills established a task force to study the issue. The task force recommended evaluating the restrictions on the number of children an adult can watch in a child care facility.

On Monday, I floor managed Senate File 2268 to address the accessibility and availability of child care. SF 2268 eases the regulations on child care centers and allows them more flexibility on how many children they can accept per adult. The rules are different depending on the ages of the children being watched.

Keep in mind they can have other child care providers under the age of our guidelines that do not count as an adult supervisor. One example of the change is, one adult, as well as, a person(s) under adult aged assistants can now watch seven children two years of age instead of six. This allows young adults to help fill a role in the workforce gap, while allowing parents to access quality child care.

Surrounding states and the federal government all have less strict regulations than Iowa’s current standards. Those policies have proven reasonable in Illinois, Minnesota, and across the country. In fact, the standards passed this week in the Iowa Senate remain slightly stricter than those states.

SF 2268 is a common-sense approach to addressing both the workforce shortage and the lack of accessible and affordable childcare. It does not create another government program, it does not create a complicated tax credit scheme, and it doesn’t increase the burden on child care providers. It addresses these problems with a traditional conservative approach to reducing the regulatory burden on small businesses. I was happy to manage and support this bill.

Tax Relief for Iowans

On Thursday afternoon, the Senate passed House File 2317. HF 2317 implements a 3.9 percent flat tax for all Iowans. On average, Iowa taxpayers would receive $1,326 in tax relief, or about a 36 percent reduction in their tax liability. A flat tax of 3.9 percent moves Iowa from having one of the highest income tax rates in the country to having the fourth lowest. Additionally, it provides tax relief for retired Iowans by providing a first-time pension exemption and eliminates all taxes on retirement income. These policies are incredibly important as we try to make Iowa more competitive so people not only want to stay here, but others will want to come and make Iowa their home.

And finally, we learned Governor Kim Reynolds will be giving the Republican comments on the State of the Union Address. This is a great honor for Iowa! The nation has noticed the policies and determination of the governor and the Iowa Legislature. The steadfast leadership has elevated Iowa to the national stage as we close a dim chapter in the history book on COVID-19 and the fear and disruption it caused our state and our nation.

Feel free to contact me with questions or concerns.

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Jeff Edler, a Republican from State Center, represents Marshall County in the Iowa Senate.