ISAC Update: 3.20.15
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86th Iowa General Assembly, First Session, Week 10
Week 10 was primarily dominated by floor debate as each chamber moved bills to the other past the first funnel. Activity on the 2016 state budget will now escalate as the Revenue Estimating Conference met on Thursday to set the final numbers for legislators to consider as they set their targets. The new estimate puts state revenue for the coming fiscal year at $7.176 billion which is 6% higher than the current year but about $20 million below the December 2014 estimate. Despite the positive forecast, the budget will be extremely tight as the legislature debates K-12 education funding, Medicaid, and maintaining the backfill to local governments for commercial property tax relief.
Also, please click here for a revised FY 2016 Road Use Tax Fund (RUTF) estimate for counties reflecting the impact of SF 257 and other variables. The DOT now estimates an additional $213.3 million will be generated from the fuel tax increase.
· Electronic Records Requests
· Prisoner Medical Costs
· Mental Health and Disability Services
· Iowa Water Land and Legacy
· County Bonding
· Parking Fines
· County Seats
· Rural Improvement Zones
· Weekly Legislative Forums
New and Noteworthy
· Smart Connections Conference
· ISAC Education Foundation 50/50 Raffle
· County Substance Abuse Program Grants
· Sac County Hometown Pride Community Coach
· Keep Iowa Beautiful 11th Annual Conference
· Iowa Employment Conference
· Free Iowa Caucus Online Classes
Electronic Records Requests
An ISAC legislative priority bill, SF 435, passed out of the Senate 50-0 on Wednesday. This bill clarifies that counties will accept electronic records requests but provide them in a format that is easily accessible by the counties. If the requestor would like the data in a specific format that isn’t accessible, counties would still provide the data but would be able to let the company know and charge what the upfront costs would be for the third-party manipulation. HF 338 is the House companion bill which is on the House debate calendar. Since it has now passed the Senate, it can now replace the House File on the floor for final passage.
Click here to comment on electronic records requests.
Prisoner Medical Costs
A bill that clarifies the responsibility of prisoner medical costs housed in county jails, SF 394, passed the Senate 50-0 on Tuesday.
Click here to comment on prisoner medical costs.
Mental Health and Disability Services
Several bills dealing with mental health and disability services (MH/DS) were considered on the floor of the statehouse this week. SF 452, a bill that provides a framework of oversight as the state moves into its proposed managed care of Medicaid passed the Senate on Wednesday. SF 440, a bill that creates a compact with surrounding states to provide access to additional mental health beds passed the House on Tuesday and now goes to Governor for final consideration.
Finally, HF 510, a bill that provides further guidance for counties that would utilize private transportation for mental health patients to ease the burden on law enforcement, passed the House on Tuesday as well.
Click here to comment on MH/DS.
Iowa Water and Land Legacy
On Tuesday a subcommittee meeting was held on SF 357, a bill that would raise Iowa’s sales tax by 3/8 of a cent to fund Iowa’s Water and Land Legacy Trust Fund benefitting conservation and water quality efforts across Iowa. Many stakeholder groups testified in support of this legislation of which included representatives of Iowa’s County Conservation Boards. Since this bill failed the first funnel, it will now have to be redrafted as a Ways and Means bill to be eligible which was the recommendation of the subcommittee members.
Click here to comment on the Iowa Water and Land Legacy Trust Fund.
County Bonding
A bill that changes county bonding limits on building projects from the cost of the project to the cost of the bond, SF 466, passed the Senate on Tuesday. Additional investment in Iowa’s courthouses and other county buildings is essential for security and modernization.
Click here to comment on county bonding.
Parking Fines
SF 87 passed out of the Senate unanimously on Monday, March 9. The bill provides for the collection of a $5 fee by the county treasurer when collecting parking fines and clerk of court debt prior to renewing vehicle registrations. ISAC is registered in favor of this bill. It now goes to the House Local Government Committee.
Click here to comment on parking fines.
County Seats
SF 165 passed out of the Senate on a party line vote on March 10. This bill changes the procedure for moving the county seat from a vote of the board of supervisors to a vote of the citizens. ISAC is opposed to SF 165 because it takes away local control currently resting with the board of supervisors as it pertains to consolidating or moving a county seat. The bill now goes to the House Local Government Committee.
Click here to comment on county seats.
Rural Improvement Zones
HF 557 cleared a subcommittee of the House Ways and Means Committee on Thursday. This bill addresses rural improvement zones (RIZ). The bill is a compromise reached between the RIZ districts and the supervisors’ affiliate. The bill provides additional control for the board of supervisors and limits the division of revenue going to the RIZ. ISAC is registered in favor of HF 557.
Click here to comment on RIZ.
Weekly Legislative Forums
Below are links to the legislative forums held throughout the state. We encourage you to attend these forums in order to interact with your local legislators and educate them on the issues that counties are facing. Please print out and share ISAC’s legislative priorities handout with your legislators. After you have attended any of the forums, please take the time to submit a comment to ISAC that lets us know the feedback you received from your legislator using the online legislative comment form. This assists the government relations team in their work on the Hill. We also encourage you to visit the Capitol during the session to meet with your legislators. The government relations team enjoys seeing county officials at the Capitol throughout the week and working with them to further ISAC’s 2015 Legislative Priorities.
http://www.iowahouserepublicans.com/forums
http://iowahouse.org/events/
http://www.iowasenatedemocrats.com/events
http://www.iowasenaterepublicans.com/events/
***Please note that some of these forums are out-of-date.
Smart Connections Conference
ISAC, the Iowa League of Cities, and County Strategic Technology Advisory Resource (CoSTAR) in cooperation with the Iowa Communities Assurance Pool (ICAP) wish to announce the 2015 Smart Connections Conference being held on April 30, 2015 at the Stoney Creek Hotel and Conference Center in Johnston. This one-day conference is meant for all local government officials who wish to learn more about protecting you, your organization, and your information. Attendees will learn about the vulnerability of your work and personal email, cellphones, computers and more. These cyber-security threats are becoming very common – are you prepared??? Please click here to register and for more information. Due to limited seating, pre-registration is required for a minimal $50 fee that includes all materials, lunch and morning refreshments.
ISAC Education Foundation 50/50 Raffle
Thank you so much for your support of the ISAC Education Foundation through the purchase of 50/50 raffle tickets at the Spring School. The winning ticket was present at the time of the drawing and the prize was claimed. The Foundation and the winner split $1,450 thanks to your generous support.
County Substance Abuse Program Grants
A grant opportunity is available for county substance abuse programs through the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) with an application deadline of April 23, 2015. Please click here for more information and to apply. Contact Sherry Frizell, or 515.281.4636, at IDPH with any questions.
Sac County Hometown Pride Community Coach
Keep Iowa Beautiful is hiring for the position of Sac County Hometown Pride Community Coach. The deadline to apply is March 31, 2015 or until the position is filled. Please click here for a full job description and how to apply.
Keep Iowa Beautiful 11th Annual Conference
The Keep Iowa Beautiful 11th Annual Conference is being held on Tuesday, May 5 in Fort Dodge. Click here for more information including a full agenda and list of speakers and to register. Early registration ends on April 15.
Iowa Employment Conference
The 8th Annual Employment, Training, Benefits, and Wellness Conference will be held on April 22-23, 2015 at The Meadows Events and Conference Center in Altoona. This conference is the largest of its kind, offering over 50 informative, interactive and educational sessions delivered by some of the top employment lawyers, payroll professionals, workforce development leaders and many others in Iowa and surrounding states. Click here for the full conference brochure and agenda. Click here for more information including an early bird registration form.
Free Iowa Caucus Online Classes
The Iowa Caucuses are the earliest indicator of a contender’s viability for the Democratic and Republican nomination for that year’s Presidential election. It is a unique process attracting media attention from around the world. Iowa State University is offering FREE online classes to educate participants on how the caucus process works, the history of the caucuses, their future, and the impact of Iowa’s status as the first political battleground. Four sessions, each four weeks long, will be offered beginning in September 2015 and leading right up to the Iowa caucuses in February 2016. Participants can enroll in any of the sessions and work at their own pace to complete the various units. The online course will feature videos, readings, small lectures, and interactive forums for discussion with other participants. A "Certificate of Participation” will be awarded at the end of each session. A wrap up following the Iowa Caucuses will be published on the Iowa Presidential Caucuses web site. Click here for more information and to enroll.
Contact Information:
Iowa State Association of Counties (ISAC)
5500 Westown Parkway, Suite 190, West Des Moines, IA 50266
Phone: 515.244.7181 Fax: 515.244.6397
www.iowacounties.org
This ISAC Update is being sent to all ISAC members.