Capitol Highlights

Greetings from Capitol Hill:
Iowa House Republicans seek to protect First Amendment on college campuses:
College campuses used to be generally understood as places that welcomed the free exchange of ideas, unfortunately that has significantly changed in the past several years. Free speech zones, arbitrary restrictions on student funded groups, banning of speakers, and the removal of signs have all become common place on college campuses. The House and Senate worked on Senate File 274 in an effort to curb campus policies that unconstitutionally restrict free speech. SF 274 is a straightforward bill that prohibits public universities and community colleges from adopting so-called speech codes that violate the First Amendment. Speech codes often seek to ban speech that some students and school leaders deem unacceptable. Speech codes simply ban free expression from those with which the power brokers on campus disagree. With this bill, public universities and community colleges in Iowa will be required to add policies that acknowledge intellectual freedom and free expression are essential on campus. The bill is in response to an unconstitutional policy at the University of Iowa. As a result, language in the bill explicitly extends First Amendment protections to student groups. The bill also prevents a campus from having limited free speech zones in outdoor areas. Even with the bill, schools can still implement reasonable time, place and manner restrictions to activities, including assemblies, protests, speeches, petitions and recordings.
Governor Kim Reynolds signs Senate File 274 into law.
Iowa’s Unemployment Rate Remains at 2.4 percent:
Iowa’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained at 2.4 percent in January. The state’s jobless rate was 2.8 percent one year ago. The U.S. unemployment rate rose to 4.0 percent in January. “More Iowans than ever are now employed,” said Beth Townsend, director of Iowa Workforce Development. “This is the fourth straight month for job gains. These positive numbers reflect the efforts we are making through Registered Apprenticeship, Home Base Iowa and Future Ready Iowa. With historically low unemployment continuing, now more than ever, is the right time to invest in Future Ready Iowa to help Iowans improve their lives through good paying jobs and careers by ensuring access to training and education opportunities in high demand careers.” The number of unemployed Iowans increased to 40,600 in January from 40,400 in December. The current estimate is 5,900 lower than the year ago level of 46,500. The total number of working Iowans increased to 1,654,400 in January. This figure was 3,200 higher than December and 22,500 higher than one year ago. Monthly labor force data have been revised for 2014-2018 as required by the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics. Benchmarking is the process of re-estimating statistics as more complete data becomes available. Prior year’s estimates for the Current Employment Statistics (CES) and Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS) programs are benchmarked annually. In March, the revised data is incorporated with the January employment statistics.
Agriculture: Weight Limitation for Self-Propelled Implements of Husbandry bill Passes House
Passed in the House this week; HF 669 (The companion to Senate File 555) proposes to establish a 25,000 - pounds maximum for any one axle for self-propelled implement of husbandry. Such self-propelled implement of husbandry must comply with the other Code provisions when operated over bridges.
The bill authorizes local authorities to issue a special permit, based on a statewide standard developed by the Iowa Department of Transportation, allowing the operation over a bridge within the local authority’s jurisdiction of such a self-propelled implement of husbandry with a weight in the excess of the weights allowed. In addition this bill repeals a provision authorizing annual overweight permits for such self-propelled implements of husbandry originally purchased or ordered prior to February 1st, 2007, and strikes the corresponding references to that provision.
Labor: Occupational Licensing Review boards
Passed in the House this week; HF 666 requires the State Government Efficiency Board to review every professional license, certification, and registration and prepare reports for the General Assembly to vote on. This section also allows individuals with a criminal record to request from the board whether or not their criminal record will preclude them from the professional license, certification, or registration.
Environmental Protection: DNR Provides Critical Assistance During Historic Iowa Flooding
On Monday, March 25, 2018, the Iowa Department of Natural Re-sources (DNR) issued a press release in which the state agency noted that DNR conservation officers and park rangers have responded in droves providing crucial equipment and fulfilling extraordinary public safety rescue missions. Since Thursday, March 14, more than 34 DNR conservation officers and two DNR park rangers from across the state have responded to western and southwestern Iowa, working collaboratively in two-officer teams per boat from dawn to dusk. Other critical public safety missions provided so far by the DNR officers include transporting Mid-American Energy officials around towns and areas inundated by flood waters to shut down electricity, transporting other officials with assessing damage to public facilities and water treatment plants, assisting emergency manage-ment officials with assessing damage to levees and other infra-structure, as well as DOT with assessing structural integrity of I-680 bridges.
The DNR will continue to assist officials with equipment and public safety critical missions as well as provide expertise and resources as the focus eventually turns to clean-up and rebuilding.
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