Thompson Times

This session, the House set out to prioritize supporting Iowa families and particularly making sure we are supporting children born into tough situations. This week we passed two bills relating to adoption that we believe are common sense policies to improve the lives and ease the burden on adopting families. 

House File 248 requires employers to treat employees who have adopted a child 6 years old or younger the same way as those who have had a biological child in regard to their parental leave policies. 

House File 314 allows the court to waive a home study requirement in an adoption case if the person applying is the current legal guardian for the adoptee, has been the legal guardian for the proceeding 3 years, and has complied with the duties and responsibilities of a guardian for those 3 years.

Choose Iowa Food Purchasing Pilot Program for Schools

On Monday, March 10, 2025, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) issued a press release in which Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig announced the launch of the Choose Iowa Food Purchasing Program for Schools.  The pilot program aims to connect Iowa schools with Choose Iowa members to encourage school food service programs to buy more ingredients and serve more products sourced from local farmers and small businesses.  The school pilot program was authorized during the 2024 legislative session and is an initiative of Choose Iowa, the state’s branding and marketing program that identifies and promotes Iowa grown, raised, and made food, beverages and ag products.  Additional details on the school pilot program can be found on the Choose Iowa website.

HF 550—Grocery Reinvestment Fund

Creates a grocer reinvestment and local produce processing grant program and appropriates $2.0 million to the fund for the next two years. Modifies the local food and farm program.

Expanding Health Care Access

Like every state in the nation, Iowa is dealing with a shortage of doctors and healthcare staff, rising costs of care, and the need to ensure access to quality services in rural and underserved areas of our state.  This week, the House passed three pieces of legislation related to health care workforce challenges that address the many different sides of this issue. 

House File 516 aims to make it more likely that the health care professionals who are educated and trained in Iowa stay in Iowa to provide care. This bill will do that in the following ways:

•Requires the University of Iowa medical school and dental school to have at least 80% of their students be residents in Iowa or enrolled in an Iowa community college prior to acceptance. 

•Requires the University of Iowa to submit an annual report on the state of residence of each graduate of the medical and dental school in the year immediately following graduation and their residence before acceptance to the program. It also asks for the same information on UIHC medical residents.

The data shows that if you complete medical school and your residency in one state, you’re more likely to stay in that state and practice there.

House File 386 requires the University of Iowa and Des Moines University to study the feasibility of transitioning their programs to three-year programs.  A three-year program may not make sense for every medical degree. However, there may be some that can be done over three years, saving the student money, and getting that provider into the workforce providing care sooner. 

Currently in code, there are enhanced penalties for assaulting a person engaged in certain occupations, including “health care providers.” House File 310 expands the definition of health care providers to include anyone working, volunteering, or participating in an educational course in a hospital or nursing home.  This is a bill that has become increasingly necessary as we’ve heard from providers about more assaults happening on the health care workforce. This is just one thing we can do in the Iowa Legislature to try and ensure the safety of those who are trying to provide care.   

HF 340 Dental Assistants

Recently we have received emails from around the state regarding the changes to dental assistant training.  After talking to dentists, I have learned that this bill does not eliminate registration for dental assistants. It removes the requirement for registration with the Iowa dental board. Registered dental assistants will exist in Iowa if this bill passes.

•Proper Training – Currently, dental assistants have the choice to become trained on the job or through a community college program. This bill does not change the requirement for proper training. Dentists will still be required to hire and properly train any dental assistant that works in their offices. Additionally, HIPPA, OSHA, and CDC standards will still need to be maintained, so staff will need to be trained in proper safety protocols to remain in compliance with these required standards. It is also important to note that all our surrounding states don’t have a registration requirement and still have accredited programs within their state. Some dental offices won’t be able to train dental assistants in their offices, so they will continue to rely on dental assisting programs to produce top quality dental assistants.

This bill alone will not solve the dental assistant workforce shortage; however, it removes a barrier for dental offices while offering greater flexibility to hire, train, and retain the staff needed to provide care to their communities. 

HF 397/HSB 74 - Safe at Home Program Bill

Makes several updates to the address confidentiality program to make it easier for an applicant to use a shelter as their address.  This will allow for the Secretary of State to manage the mail forwarding service for those who include victims of domestic abuse, domestic assault, sexual assault, stalking, or human trafficking. 

HF306  Increasing Penalties Knowingly Expose Minors to Obscene Materials

This bill relates to the dissemination and exhibition of obscene material to minors.  Current law provides that any person, other than the parent or guardian of the minor, who knowingly disseminates or exhibits obscene material, including the exhibition of obscene material so that it can be observed by a minor on or off the premises where it is displayed, commits a serious misdemeanor.

It was a very robust and busy debate calendar.  All four days were filled with bills to caucus, discuss, bring to the floor for debate and vote.  We voted and passed 57 bipartisan bills.  Besides the bills detailed above, they ranged, as an example, the final disposition of remains, at risk students’ alternative programs, recycling of battery electric motor vehicles, commercial vehicle driving ages, and place of trial for certain criminal offenses.  The topics are expansive and each one deserves time to research, discuss and debate.