Des Moines, Iowa — Governor Kim Reynolds says the 2023 legislative session has set Iowa on a new path, starting with what she calls transformational education reform.
At the end of this month, low-income parents of private school students can start applying for 76 hundred dollars in state money to cover tuition and other costs. House Speaker Pat Grassley says Reynolds and Republican candidates for the House promised action on this and other education-related issues.
Another new law will ban classroom discussions of sexual orientation and gender identity in elementary grades. Parents are to be notified if their child asks to be known by a different name or pronoun at school. And books with passages or graphic art about sex will be removed from school libraries. Representative Sharon Steckman, a Democrat from Mason City who’s a retired teacher, says educators are worried.
The 2023 legislative session concluded shortly after 12:30 Thursday afternoon, a day after a property tax reform measure passed the House and Senate with just a single “no” vote. Senate Republican Leader Jack Whitver says the bill is historic.
Democrats say they’re thrilled property owners will see relief, but they’ll be monitoring implementation to make sure cities and counties aren’t forced to cut essential services. Another bill that had final legislative approval this week eases some current restrictions on the jobs and hours teenagers may work. Governor Reynolds plans to sign it into law.
Democrats in the legislature opposed the bill and argued relying on teenagers to fill jobs isn’t the way to address the state’s workforce crisis. The governor says she’s not hearing concerns.
Reynolds says the bill will expand opportunities for young Iowans looking for experience in the workforce.
