Capitol Letters: Bill introduced to enhance math scores

Sen. Lynn Evans, R-Aurelia

Last week started off on a somber note as we mourned the loss of Representative Martin Graber. Rep. Graber was a true gentleman, the model for being a public servant and an unashamed Christian. I counted him as a friend, not just a colleague. His impact has been felt not only at the Capitol and in his community, but across the state of Iowa. He will be missed.

Gov. Kim Reynolds introduced a bill this past week aimed at enhancing math proficiency and education for students. During the last legislative session, much work was put into the Science of Reading bill that provides training in research-based reading instruction for teachers and administrators across Iowa with the goal of improving our student achievement in reading. I am looking forward to working on mathematics instruction with the same goal in mind: to improve student achievement in math. If we want to return Iowa to number one in the nation in education, this is where we need to focus our work.

Election integrity measures see results

Since 2017, Senate Republicans have enacted a number of voter integrity measures aimed at protecting Iowa’s elections, strengthening election security, and making sure every legal vote is counted.

A bill passed in 2021 strengthened Iowa’s election laws after the 2020 election exposed some of our system’s vulnerabilities. We are now seeing some of the results of this bill and the protection measures that were passed in 2021 by the increasing confidence in the security and integrity of our elections.

Bills of interest:

SF 57 – Reimbursement Civil Commitment Holdings at a County Jail: The bill requires the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services to reimburse a county jail at $50 per day for a person ordered under civil commitment as a sexually violent predator located at a county jail. This includes those who are transferred or serving a sentence at a county jail. The funds to cover this reimbursement shall use the appropriation made to Civil Commitment Unit for Sex Offenders (CCUSO) or through transfer authority between state facilities. The applicability of this change applies to Cherokee County since CCUSO is in that county. This is a bill I initiated and will be floor-managing.

SSB 1027 – Teacher Recruitment and Retention: The bill allows a school board to adopt a program for teacher recruitment and retention incentives using the management fund. Such a program must not allow the school district to pay a recruitment and retention incentive that annually exceeds 10% of the state-required minimum initial teacher salary. Districts would not be allowed to offer a recruitment and retention incentive in more than five school budget years.

SSB 1036 – School Start Date: This bill changes the earliest school start date for school districts and accredited nonpublic schools from Aug. 23 to the second to last Monday of August, practically meaning the school start date would range from Aug. 18-24.

SSB 1021 – Double Up Food Bucks: The bill appropriates a $1 million grant to the Iowa Healthiest State Initiative for the Double Up Food Bucks program to assist those on SNAP to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables sold at farmers’ markets, grocery stores and other participating locations.

Join Lynn Evans for a Legislative Forum on Saturday, Feb. 15, at 11:30 a.m. at King’s Pointe Resort in Storm Lake.