Capitol Highlights

Budget update
As we come to the official end of the session, the legislature is busy debating the various pieces of the state budget. In fact, by the time you read this letter, we will probably have completed the process of debating and passing the budget.
On Monday, the House passed the Economic Development, Justice Systems and Judicial budgets. Below is a description of the general results of each.
Economic Development
• Total Economic Development funds: $43.1 million plus 562.2 Full-Time Employees (FTE’s)
• Total Other Funds: $27.9 million
• Total: $71 million
• Total Economic Development funds represent a decrease of $696,763 in funding and a decrease of 19.98 FTE positions compared to FY 2016.
• The Economic Development budget is used to fund the Department of Cultural Affairs, the Iowa Economic Development Authority, the Iowa Finance Authority, the Public Employment Relations Board and the Iowa Workforce Development.
Justice Systems
• Total appropriation: $566,457,700
• This number represents the appropriation for the Department of Justice, Civil Rights Commission, Department of Corrections, Public Defenders Office, Department of Human Rights, Iowa Law Enforcement Academy, Board of Parole, Department of Public Defense and Department of Public Safety.
• Justice Systems received an increase of $5,193,048 from FY 2016.
Judicial
• This portion appropriates the salaries for the members of the judicial branch and provides funds for maintenance, equipment and miscellaneous purposes within the judicial branch.
•  Total appropriation: $181.7 million
• Of this total, $3.1 million is appropriated to the Jury and Witness Revolving Fund which covers jury and witness fees, mileage, costs related to summoning jurors, costs and fees for interpreters and translators, and reimbursement of attorney fees paid by the state public defender
On Tuesday, we concentrated our efforts on the Standings budget and the Health and Human Services budget.
Standings
• Total appropriation: $3,123,591,587
• This total represents a decrease of $26.4 million for FY 2017
• Supplemental State Aid for K-12 schools is included in the Standings budget.
• The total appropriation for the Department of Education in FY 2017 is $3.086 billion.
Some of my constituents have expressed concerns about the decrease in funding for AEA’s included in this budget. While we have decreased funding by a total of $20 million over the last several years, including a decrease of $5 million this year, AEA’s received an increase in funding from the 2.25 percent supplemental state aid increase this year. Below is a breakdown of AEA funding for 2017:
• AEA’s received an increase of $28.8 million under 2.25 percent SSA increase.  
• Minus the statutory reduction of $7.5 million = $21.3 million
• Minus the proposed $20 million reduction = $1.3 million
• AEA’s are receiving an increase of $1.3 million for FY 2017
Health and Human Services
• Total appropriation: $1,836,364,265
• This total represents a decrease in funding of $3,498,653 from 2016
Major changes in funding:
• $3 million to increase the number of slots available for the Home and Community-Based (HCBS) waivers in the Medicaid program
• $2.2 million for a 1 percent provider rate increase for Community Based providers
• $4 million decrease to require the University of Iowa to provide matching funds for the Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) payment
• $16.7 million decrease due to process improvement changes by DHS
• $3 million for Polk County and the Eastern Iowa MHDS region for mental health grants
• $300,000 for children’s mental health
• $976,231 for further implementation of the First Five program
This year, changes in the State Family Planning Services Program were incorporated in the HHS budget. Under this bill, the DHS will be required to discontinue the Medicaid Family Planning Network Waiver effective July 1, 2016 and create a new State Family Planning Program. Our goal with this change is to ensure that a limited amount of state money is going to entities that fund abortions.
All of these bills are on their way to the Senate for further consideration. In some cases conference committees will be held to reach an agreement. Changes to each of these bills are still a possibility as we work to reach a concession on the 2017 state budget.