First Procedural Deadline Passes

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, is today.  This day is the first procedural hurdle of the 2020 Session of the Iowa Legislature.

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.

The next milestone comes on March 20th.  That is the day by which a bill must be approved by at least one committee in the chamber not if its origin.  So as an example, a House proposal needs to be given the go-ahead by a Senate committee to remain eligible for further consideration this year.

Special Note - Two lists this week, with the first being bills that remain eligible for further consideration and the second list, those that did not successfully weather the first procedural deadline.

Bills of Interest:

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

SF 2360 (formerly SF 2190 and SSB 3080) - Disruptive Students (M) - The bill does all of the following: a) 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; 2) Requires teacher education programs to include individual education plans (IEP) and positive behavioural intervention strategies; 3) Prohibits the use of “classroom clears” in a student’s IEP; 4) Establishes a Therapeutic Classroom Incentive grant program and appropriates money for student transportation to therapeutic classrooms; 5) Requires the the submission of reports of student violence to the Department of Education and legislature; 6) and protects school employees from charges of “corporal punishment” if they are attacked or defending themselves.

On Senate debate calendar

SF 2331 - School Employee Protections (M) - The bill provides that a public school official or employee shall not be dismissed, suspended, reassigned or otherwise punished solely for acting to protect a student’s freedom of expression or a student’s first Amendment rights.

On Senate debate calendar

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 include the national suicide prevention hotline telephone number on student ID cards.

On Senate debate calendar

HF 2120 - School Suicide Prevention Program Reporting (F) - The bill would require school districts to report to the Department of Education what types of suicide prevention training they are providing employees

On House debate calendar

HSB 598 - Disruptive Students (M) - Disruptive Students (M) - The bill does all of the following: a) 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; 2) Requires teacher education programs to include individual education plans (IEP) and positive behavioural intervention strategies; 3) Prohibits the use of “classroom clears” in a student’s IEP; 4) Establishes a Therapeutic Classroom Incentive grant program and appropriates money for student transportation to therapeutic classrooms; 5) Requires the the submission of reports of student violence to the Department of Education and legislature; 6) and protects school employees from charges of “corporal punishment” if they are attacked or defending themselves.

On House debate calendar - will soon receive a new bill number

Bills that did not clear the first procedural hurdle of the 2020 Legislative Session:

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 include 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

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 with major amendment (yet to be seen…)