The Sinclair Report

Week nine in the Iowa Legislature was occupied by floor debate in both chambers. The Iowa House worked through bills received from their committees, and the Iowa Senate debated bills from Senate committees.

Senate File 277 was debated and supported unanimously in the Senate. This bill is in response to parental feedback about the absenteeism policy passed last year. The policy was set to improve on school attendance by trying to limit chronic absenteeism. We know that chronic absences are a hindrance to learning outcomes and put a strain on the efforts of our teachers. While the policy improved attendance, parents and schools were vocal about how to better address this issue. SF 277 improved on the policy by giving schools more flexibility in addressing the problem, while continuing to focus on ensuring students are in the classroom. The bill has been sent to the Iowa House for consideration.

Senate File 319 passed the Senate with a unanimous vote. It is called the Patient’s Right to Save Act. It will require all health care providers to disclose the discounted cash price for specific health care services. The discounted cash price must be made available to both insured and uninsured patients. It also requires providers to issue an itemized list of services received for cash payments. Another provision of the bill establishes a savings incentive program permitting covered patients who meet their deductible to receive half the price between the discounted cash payment and the negotiated price for medically necessary covered health care services. The ultimate goal of the bill is to give patients the ability to compare prices, incentivize industry competition, and address the rising costs of health care. The bill now goes to the Iowa House of Representatives.

Visitors to the Capitol

This week important issues were discussed with Iowans representing many organizations including University of Northern Iowa, health care professionals from Iowa’s hospitals, members of the Iowa State Association of Counties, Iowa Bankers’ Leadership Class members, our grocery industry leaders, Iowa Renewable Fuel Association members and members of Iowa Communication Alliance.

I welcomed international leaders to the Senate in my role as Senate President. It was an honor to meet with Consul General Dennis Yen-Feng Lei, Director General of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Chicago. I also had the opportunity to host Ireland’s Senate President Mark Daly. Senator Daly inducted me and other legislators as Iowa co-chairs of the American Irish State Legislators Caucus.

Staying in touch

I rely on your input because everything we do as a General Assembly affects you personally. You can email me at amy.sinclair@legis.iowa.gov or call me at 515-725-4122 to voice your support or concerns on upcoming legislation. Visit the legislative website for information about bills important to you or to follow the work of the legislature: www.Legis.Iowa.Gov. If you, or someone you know, would like to receive these weekly updates electronically, please visit https://iowasenaterepublicans.com/senators/amy-sinclair/ to sign up for my weekly newsletter.