Next Friday Is The First Procedural Deadline

The first procedural hurdle of the 2020 Session of the Iowa Legislative Session arrives this upcoming Friday, February 21st.

The so called “First Funnel,” the day by which bills must be approved by one committee in the bill’s chamber or origin to remain eligible for continued consideration, takes place at the close business on Friday.

There are three types of bill’s exempt from the procedural rules.  Bills in the Appropriations Committee, Ways and Means Committee and Government Oversight Committee are not governed by procedural deadlines requiring committee approval by specific dates.

Bills of Interest:

(SF = Senate File, SSB = Senate Study Bill, HF = House File, HSB = House Study Bill)

SF 2190 (formerly SSB 3080) - Disruptive Students (M) - The bill does all of the following: Provides for the development and distribution of guidelines for schools to use in response to student behaviour that presents an imminent threat of bodily injury to a student or faculty; Requires teacher education programs to include individual education plans (IEP) and positive behavioural intervention strategies; Prohibits the use of “classroom clears” in a student’s IEP; Establishes a Therapeutic Classroom Incentive grant program; Appropriates money for student transportation to therapeutic classrooms; Provides for the submission of reports of student violence to the Commissioner of Public Safety.

Approved by the Education Committee approved with amendment by Appropriations subcommittee

SF 2155 (formerly SF 2065) - School Resource Officer Funding (M) - The bill authorizes school districts to raise additional funds via property taxes and income surtaxes under the instruction support program to fund a school resource officer.

Approved by the Education Committee and referred to Ways and Means Subcommittee: Chapman, Quirmbach and R. Smith

SF 2081 (formerly SSB 3020) - Student ID’s Suicide Prevention Number (F) - The bill requires schools to inlcude the national suicide prevention hotline telephone number on student ID cards.

On Senate debate calendar

SF 2067 - Excused Absences For Mental Health Treatment (F) - The bill requires schools to adopt policies permitting a student to take excused absences from school for mental health treatment.

Subcommittee: Sinclair, Behn and Celsi

SF 2027 - Student ID’s Suicide Prevention Number (F) - The bill requires schools to inlcude the national suicide prevention hotline telephone number on student ID cards.

Subcommittee; Cournoyer, Edler and Wahls

SF 376 - Mental Health Education Requirements (F) - The bill adds mental health awareness, coping skills and suicide prevention to the subject matter that must be included in a unit of health education.

Subcommittee: Sinclair, Behn and J. Smith

SF 342 - Immunity For Reporting Alcohol Injuries (F) - The bill provides immunity from certain alcohol related criminal offenses and prohibits certain disciplinary actions for persons who seek or require emergency assistance for alcohol overdoses.

Subcommittee: Zaun, Nunn and R. Taylor

SSB 3016 - Smoking Age Increase (F) - The bill increases the minimum age to purchase tobacco, tobacco products, alternative nicotine products, vapor products and cigarettes from 18 to 21.

Approved by Subcommittee

HF 2201 - Gender Identity in Schools (M) - This bill would allow parents to have their children excused from any program, curriculum, material, test, survey, questionnaire, activity, announcement, promotion or instruction on sexual orientation or gender identity.

Approved by committee

HSB 598 - Disruptive Students (M) - The bill does all of the following: Provides for the development and distribution of guidelines for schools to use in response to student behaviour that presents an imminent threat of bodily injury to a student or faculty; Requires teacher education programs to include individual education plans (IEP) and positive behavioural intervention strategies; Prohibits the use of “classroom clears” in a student’s IEP; Establishes a Therapeutic Classroom Incentive grant program; Appropriates money for student transportation to therapeutic classrooms; Provides for the submission of reports of student violence to the Commissioner of Public Safety.

Approved by subcommittee