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The Gruenhagen Gazette: Southern border: Police may now arrest illegal immigrants
by Kerry Gruenhagen, Iowa Senate District 4 · Op-Ed · April 17, 2024
We are less than a week from the last scheduled day of session, so the fourteenth week included a lot of floor debate as we work through bills going through both the House and the Senate.
This week, the governor signed a number of bills into law including a few important ones focused on national security, protecting Iowans, and guarding our citizens against the numerous threats currently facing us.
On Tuesday the governor signed SF 2204, strengthening Iowa’s foreign land ownership laws to further protect our state’s greatest resource, tightening those rules, and providing us with more information about foreign entities owning Iowa land and the reason they own it.
The governor also signed SF 2340, making being an illegal alien in Iowa a crime and giving law enforcement additional tools as we look at how to protect our state amid the ongoing crisis at the southern border.
The governor also signed SF 2181 into law, a bill I floor managed back in February.
When a town or city decides to sell their water, sewer, or storm water system, the acquisition process can take up to four years.
This is concerning for an “at-risk” system. The bill requires IUB’s final order to issue within 120 days from filing for an at- risk system, and 180 days for others.
Involved parties will have a 30-day voluntary contract termination period without penalty.
On Wednesday, I floor managed Senate File 2411 which establishes more pathways for those whose heart lies in educating our students while maintaining safeguards for quality standards without sacrificing the student teaching training experience.
This bill was proposed by the governor as a way to continue to address the workforce challenges in Iowa. It creates a new Workforce Opportunity Fund, makes changes to work-based learning experiences, expands student teaching pathways, and modifies the Last-Dollar Scholarship program.
This bill creates the opportunity to support Iowa students as they prepare for the future and enter our workforce.
Companies like John Deere and Tri City Electric are working with students to give them a head start on their chosen careers.
The new Workforce Opportunity Fund will sustain highly successful work-based learning programs, including Iowa’s Health Careers Registered Apprentices and first-in-the-nation Teacher and Paraeducator Registered Apprenticeship programs.
The fund will be managed by the Iowa Workforce Development and an annual report of expenditures will be provided to the legislature.
Additionally, the Senate passed HJR 2006, a proposal for a constitutional amendment requiring a two-thirds majority to raise income tax rates in Iowa.
This resolution is the second constitutional amendment Senate Republicans have proposed and passed in the last two weeks to protect taxpayers from the growth of government, reckless spending, and further guard their pocketbooks.
Last week, Senate Republicans passed a proposal for a constitutional amendment putting a flat tax into the Iowa Constitution.
Both of these proposals have proven popular with voters, with nearly 68 percent of Iowans saying they would support a two-thirds majority requirement to raise taxes in our state.
Furthermore, the debate on this bill perfectly illustrates why this requirement is important.
Democrats voted against the measure, regardless of its popularity among Iowans, displaying again their hunger for more money from hard-working Iowans, and preserving the ease with which tax increases can be accomplished.
Requiring a two-thirds majority for something is not a new concept to the legislature. We require a two-thirds majority when confirming appointments by the governor to boards, commissions, and departments.
A two-thirds majority in the legislature is required to overcome a veto by the governor.
It is a fair proposal to require a two-thirds majority vote when it comes to the very serious act of the state government confiscating more money from Iowans.
This proposal is about more than just increasing the threshold to raise income taxes in Iowa. It is about reining in reckless spending by future legislatures, limiting the growth of government from creeping further into the everyday lives of Iowans, and encouraging continuous responsible budgeting by legislators in future years. HJR 2006 is a reasonable proposal and a fair threshold for the legislature to establish, often requiring bipartisan support if there is ever a demonstrable need to raise taxes. The House has already passed this resolution. It will need to pass one more General Assembly before going to a vote of the people.
To contact Senator Gruenhagen during the week, call the Senate Switchboard at 515-281-3371. E-mail him at kerry.gruenhagen@legis.iowa.gov. Gruenhagen serves on the following committees: Agriculture, Commerce, Education, Technology, Workforce and Government Oversight.
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