The Thompson Times

Each year some of the same issues are brought forward. One of those topics is the Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs). For several sessions, Iowa House Republicans have been interested in taking action to protect our local pharmacies facing unfair practices from Pharmacy Benefit Managers, the middlemen known as PBMs.

We are seeing rural pharmacies close down at an alarming rate. 29 pharmacies closed in 2024. More than 150 pharmacies have closed over the past decade. Without local pharmacies, Iowa families and older Iowans have a harder time accessing the care they deserve. Several additional regulations of PBM’s in Iowa are being considered in HSB 99. All can be found on legis.iowa.gov but one I find important is requiring PBMs to reimburse pharmacies based on acquisition cost. Perhaps our federal government will be addressing this issue nationally also.

Another recurring issue is the funding of our schools. In 2024 K-12 made up 46% of our state budget. In 2014 K-12 education was 16.6% of our budget (Ballotpedia). This year the Senate and the Governor have proposed a 2% increase in SSA funding for education for the upcoming fiscal year. Iowa House is interested in getting more funding to public schools. The House SSA funding is proposed at 2.25% with several other budget items increased to equate to an overall 3.93% increase in state funding to public schools. 

-The new state cost per pupil under this proposal would be $8,039 per pupil. 

-In FY 2025, we allocated $3.7876 billion to public education. This proposal would allocate $3.9368 billion, an increase of nearly $150 million. 

Later this month Belmond-Klemme Superintendent Jenn Peters is hosting a zoom call for all District 56 superintendents and me to discuss education topics and concerns I can bring back to the House for further consideration.

Other topics of importance include:

Iowa House Environmental Protection Panel Hears Presentation on Status of Jordan Aquifer from DNR. 

Over the last several decades, demand for Iowa’s high-quality groundwater has been growing as biofuel production has soared and as major electronic data server farms come to Iowa because of its relative safety from catastrophic environmental circumstances and low cost electrical power. 

Judiciary Committee Works on Bills to Protect Minors.

The House Judiciary Committee has begun working on multiple bills to protect children from obscene material both online and in person. These bills focus on the online world of pornography, AI created images, and strong penalties for those who prey on children. House File 62 establishes liability for a commercial entity that publishes or distributes pornography on the internet, if a minor gets access to the material. The bill is not intended to target internet providers, instead it is focused on the websites and companies that produce and distribute the pornographic materials. As of now, 19 states have laws requiring some type of age verification before an individual can view a pornographic site. The language of the bill is being carefully evaluated and will be up for a vote in the Judiciary Committee in the next several weeks. 

On February 6th a Cedar Rapids man was found guilty of trafficking a minor. This is the first time the human trafficking law the legislature passed, and the governor signed in 2023 was implemented invoking much tougher penalties. This criminal was found guilty of a Class A felony with the possibility of life in prison. His sentencing will be in April.m The victim testified at the trial and demonstrated incredible courage. This case, like all other human trafficking cases, illustrates that the victim IS the evidence, and that our state must dedicate resources to save the countless vulnerable people still forced to live this vile existence.