(KIWA Staff Photo)Iowa (RI) — Democratic candidate for governor Rob Sand says Iowa’s voluntary preschool program should expand from a half-day for four-year-olds to a full-day program for both three- and four-year-olds.
Sand says over half of Iowa’s three- and four-year-olds do not attend preschool, often because it’s unavailable or too expensive. The proposal is part of an affordability agendy Sand released Monday.
He’s proposing a new state tax credit for an estimated 57,000 low-income Iowans who are the primary caregiver for an elderly or disabled spouse or relative. Sand says he would also sign legislation to limit utility service fees and pursue ways to reduce prescription drug costs.
Sand says the state should crack down on price gouging by drug companies and would appoint a Prescription Drugs Review Board to help Iowa negotiate lower prices for life-saving medications, including insulin. He says the board should also explore the possibility of importing generic prescription drugs from Canada to lower costs.
In 2023, Texas began designing a program to import lower-cost prescription medications from Canadian suppliers and wholesalers, but has not yet received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The FDA has approved a similar program in Florida, though officials there are still negotiating with Canadian manufacturers and distributors. Critics in Canada say exporting medications to the U.S. could deplete their country’s supply.
