Highlights in this edition:

• Iowa’s Bond Debt Situation
  • Due to former Gov. Culver’s I-Jobs program, the state still owes $421 million in principal and interest on these bonds paying $45 million this year from state gaming tax collections to the holders of these bonds.  The payments on all the I-Jobs bonds do not end until Fiscal Year 2034.
• House Introduces Legislation to Curb Pharmacy Benefit Managers Harmful Practices
  • In 2022, the legislature brought PBM oversight under the Iowa Insurance Division which will release an investigation into PBM’s this spring
• “Nation’s Report Card” Shows Encouraging Progress in Literacy, Underscores Iowa’s Need for Evidence-Based Mathematics Support
  • The 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress results released by the U.S. Department of Education show Iowa in the top 10 of all states for eighth grade reading scores
• Iowa Leads the Way on Enforcing Immigration Laws
  • In Iowa, any local entity which does not enforce federal immigration law risks the loss of state funding
• State Government Committee Advances Parental Leave Bills
  • House File 26 directs employers to treat adoptive parents of children up to age six the same as birth parents according to their employee leave policies

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