Iowa State House GOP Speeds Up Process For Governor’s School Choice Bill

Des Moines, Iowa — The governor’s bill to establish state funded accounts for the parents of private school students will bypass the House committees that review spending and tax issues.

Iowa State House Speaker Pat Grassley says he created the new, five member Education Reform Committee to review and then advance the bill to a vote in the House, so it didn’t get blocked in a committee.

Groups that represent educators, administrators and public school districts object to having the plan skip traditional committee review. Margaret Buckton, a lobbyist for the Rural School Advocates of Iowa and the Urban Education Network, says the normal process gives the public time to understand and comment on bills.

Grassley says the five-member House Education Reform Committee will have open debate of the tax and spending implications of the plan, and the panel held a meeting on January 17th.

House Democratic Leader Jennifer Konfrst says changing the rules for Republican Governor Kim Reynolds’ top legislative priority is wrong.

The 90-minute public hearing on the governor’s school choice plan began at 5 p.m. Members of the public were given up to two minutes each to address the committee.

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