2009 Legislative Update

Bill Number ( Link)	Working Title	Status	Comments (Brief Description and Legislative Action)
SF 81	Disaster Recovery for Schools	Signed by Governor	This bill assists school districts and accredited nonpublic schools to recover from a disaster.
SF 217	Categorical Allowable Growth	Signed by Governor	This bill establishes a categorical state percent of growth of 2 percent for purposes of the state school foundation program for the school budget year beginning July 1, 2010. The categorical state percent of growth includes the teacher salary supplement, the professional development supplement, and the early intervention supplement. The bill is applicable for state aid computation under the school foundation program for the school budget year beginning July 1, 2010. Summary of Education funding .
SF 218	Allowable Growth	Signed by Governor	This bill establishes a state percent of growth of 2 percent for purposes of the state school foundation program for the school budget year beginning July 1, 2010. The bill is applicable for state aid computation under the school foundation program for the school budget year beginning July 1, 2010. Summary of Education Funding .
SF 359	Mandatory Statewide Writing Assessment	Did Not Pass	This bill requires the state board of education to establish a statewide writing assessment for students in grades three, six, and 10, and requires school districts to begin administering the assessments to students in grade 10 in the 2012= 2013 school year and in grades 3 and 6 in the 2013= 2014 school year. School districts are authorized to use state professional development funds to provide professional development to statewide writing assessment assessors. The assessment must be designed to measure the essential writing skills identified in the Iowa core curriculum. The department of education is directed to collaborate with appropriate stakeholders on the development of the assessment.
SF 445	Teacher Compensation Integration	Signed by Governor	Beginning with the school budget year beginning July 1, 2010, all payments authorized under the Code to compensate teachers shall be combined with wages to create one salary system. Each year each school district and area education agency shall certify to the department of education that the funding received for teacher compensation was spent on salaries for qualified teachers. If employees of a school district or area education agency are organized to bargain, all payments under the new salary system are determined according to Code chapter 20 and available for negotiation. The bill repeals Phase I and II because Phase I will be appropriated separately and Phase II was rolled into the school foundation formula. Summary of 2009 Legislative Session including SF 445 .
SF 470	Education Appropriations	Sent to Governor	The bill as amended by the House appropriates funds for the College Student Aid Commission, Department of Education, Community Colleges, and Board of Regents. Appropriates $157.4 million for the community colleges which is a decrease of $24.4 million 13.4%. The bill appropriates an additional $916,680 for faculty salaries. Summary of 2009 Legislative Session including SF 470. Summary of Education Funding .
SF 478	Salary and Standings Appropriations	Sent to Governor	This bill is a miscellaneous appropriations bill. The education funding includes fully restoring the 2008-09 1.5% across-the-board reduction to teacher compensation. Summary of 2009 Legislative Session including SF 478. Summary of Education Funding .
HF 259	Compulsory School Attendance Age	Did Not Pass	This bill raises the compulsory school attendance age from 16 to 17 for students other than those receiving competent private instruction.
HF 282	School Funding for Dropout Prevention	Did Not Pass	This bill allows a school district to identify up to 7 percent of the district's budget enrollment as returning dropouts and potential dropouts when the district is requesting to use modified allowable growth to fund a program for returning dropouts and dropout prevention. A school district is currently allowed to identify only 5 percent of the district's budget enrollment as returning dropouts or potential dropouts.
HF 333	Prevailing Wage	Did Not Pass	This bill requires a contractor to pay workers the same hourly wage plus fringe benefits for certain public improvements as the contractor would pay workers for a private construction or improvement project. The bill allows the per= hour wage rate to be based on what is normally paid in the area by contractors for similar projects, and to be adjusted on a yearly basis by the department of workforce development. The bill includes specific criteria, such as cost of the public improvement and the population of the city or county, for the project to qualify for the prevailing wage rate.
HF 414	2008-2009 Appropriations Adjustments	Signed by Governor	The bill makes adjustments including reductions, increases, and transfers to the appropriations for 2008-2009. Education funding is not significantly impacted by this bill. A provision was added that allows a member of IPERS system who has an employer mandated reduction in hours from January 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010 but remains on the employer's payroll, may have the member's retirement allowance calculated based on the three= year average covered wage the member would have received. The employee and employer contributions are based on the wages the member would have received. The member must notify IPERS and the employer prior to terminating employment. For a complete summary and explanation of the bill see the LSA's Notes on Bills and Amendments.
HF 487	Textbook Posting	Did Not Pass	This bill amends Code section 261.7 by requiring, rather than recommending, that all institutions of higher learning post information on campus and on a website identifying textbooks necessary for collegiate courses and the textbooks' corresponding international standard book numbers.
HF 589	Early Start Date Requirement	Did Not Pass	This bill changes the earliest school start date to the fourth Monday in August and limits the authority of the department of education to grant a waiver to only emergency situations. Currently, the start date is no sooner than a day during the calendar week in which the first day of September falls or, if the first day of September falls on a Sunday, a day during the prior week but the Department will automatically grant a waiver for an earlier start date. The bill exempts the earliest starting date requirement for school districts that maintain a year around three semester school year. The bill takes effect for the school year beginning July 1, 2010.
HF 687	Education Reporting Requirements	Signed by Governor	Technical changes to school district and community college reporting requirements. The bill also prohibits school district directors, officers, and teachers from acting as agents for school textbooks or school supplies, including sports apparel or equipment, in any transaction with a director, officer, or other staff member of the school district. The bill also prohibits the area education agency directors, officers, and teachers from acting as agents for school textbooks or school supplies, including sports apparel or equipment, in any transaction with an AEA director, officer, or other staff member or with any director, officer, or other staff member of any school district located within the AEA.
HF 737	Disaster School Enrollment	Did Not Pass	This bill allows a school district that is significantly affected by a governor= declared state of disaster emergency or a presidentially declared major disaster to use predisaster student enrollment counts for no more than two years after the disaster in order to offset a budget enrollment decrease.
HF 739	State Research & Development School	Added to SF 470	This bill provides for the establishment of a state research and development prekindergarten though grade 12 school based on a three= year transition plan. The bill sets out the basic structure of the school, including the legislative intent, the school's basic funding, the school's governance, and the school's infrastructure. The bill's language was amended to SF 470, the Education Appropriations Bill.
HF 761	Reorganization Study	Did Not Pass	This bill directs the department of education to convene to study the advisability and practicability of a renewed effort to consolidate school districts to improve student opportunity and achievement and attain efficiencies in administration and operations. The task force must submit its findings and recommendations in a report to the state board of education and the general assembly by January 15, 2010.
HF 795	Choice of Doctor	Did Not Pass	This bill relates to the choice of a physician to treat an injured employee under the state's workers' compensation laws. The bill gives an employee the right to predesignate a treating physician the employee had a previous relationship prior to the work injury to provide treatment for the work injury. A predesignated treating physician is authorized to provide treatment deemed necessary or refer the injured employee to other medical providers for treatment, at the employer's expense, without any requirement of preapproval by the employer or the employer's insurer. Code section 85.39 is amended to allow an injured employee to obtain another medical opinion from a physician of the employee's choice, at the employer's expense, if the employee believes the evaluation of the employee's permanent disability obtained by the employer is insufficient. The bill takes effect and applies to injuries occurring on or after January 1, 2010.
HF 807	Federal Deductibility	Did Not Pass	This bill makes the following changes to the individual income tax: (1) reduces the tax rate on each of the current income tax brackets; (2) eliminates the ability to deduct federal income taxes paid and the requirement to include federal tax refunds; (3) raises the tax credit for blind individuals and the tax credit for elderly individuals from $20 to $40; (4) increases the amount of the earned income tax credit that may be claimed from 7 percent to 8 percent of the amount of the federal credit; and (5) adjusts the child and dependent care tax credit eligibility by indexing the income thresholds to inflation, increasing by 5 percentage points the amount of the federal tax credit that each income level may claim, and creating a new threshold level for taxpayers earning $45,000 or more per year but less than $50,000.
HF 815	Postsecondary Articulation Agreements	Sent to Governor	This bill relates to the transfer and articulation of academic credits between the state's postsecondary institutions. The bill directs the boards of directors of the community colleges and the state board of regents to enter into a collective statewide articulation agreement to provide for the seamless transfer of academic credits from a completed associate of arts or associate of science degree program offered by a community college to a baccalaureate degree program offered by a regents university.
HF 820	Federal Block Grant Appropriations	Sent to Governor	This bill appropriates federal block grants and federal stabilization funds. The bill limits school aid formula state aid for school districts and AEA. It also appropriates federal stabilization funds to school districts, community college, instructional support levy, and professional development. Summary of 2009 Legislative Session including HF 820. Summary of Education Funding .
HF 821	Public Employee Bargaining	Did Not Pass	Technical changes to the public employee bargaining law by the Public Employee Relations Board.
HF 822	Rebuild Iowa Infrastructure Appropriations	Sent to Governor	This bill is the appropriations bill for the Rebuild Iowa Infrastructure Fund and the Grow Iowa Values Fund including which includes additional funding for community colleges outside of general aid.

ISEA Legislative Update for Major Education Bills - Final Action

Summary of the 2009 Legislative Session

Summary of Education Funding