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Legislators urged to legalize needle exchange programs

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Public health advocates are urging lawmakers to approve needle exchange programs for drug addicts. University of Iowa medical student Sarah Ziegenhorn,  a leader in the Iowa Harm Reduction Coalition, addressed a legislative committee examining the opioid crisis.

“There are 36 states that currently operate syringe exchange programs,” she said. “There are 19 that have had to go about the process in the way Iowa will need to go about the process to create them and that is to modify our existing drug paraphernalia laws.”

A study by the Iowa Harm Reduction Coalition concludes that over the last four years, nearly 60-percent of Iowans seeking treatment for opioid abuse use needles to inject heroin. And addicts share needles, so the number of hepatitis C cases is spiking, too.  Iowa’s Republican governor plans to hold meetings on the opioid crisis next week. According to Ziegenhorn. 16 states with Republican governors or Republican-led legislatures have recently enacted needle exchange programs.

“They did it because with they were facing crises really similar to our own with unprecedented levels of hep C infection and opioid crises,” Ziegenhorn said.

The Department of Public Health reports that 2200 Iowans are being diagnosed with hepatitis C each year. That’s an increase of more than 200-percent over the last 16 years. Tens of thousands more are likely infected with hepatitis C, but not diagnosed.

(Reporting by Iowa Public Radio’s Joyce Russell)

‘Last Dollar’ scholarships, grants proposed by ‘Future Ready’ group

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Gov. Kim Reynolds

Governor Kim Reynolds says next year she’ll ask legislators to set aside at least five-million dollars for new scholarships and grants to Iowans seeking a college degree or professional training beyond high school.

These proposed “Last Dollar Scholarships” are among the recommendations from the 55-member “Future Ready” task force. Reynolds asked the group to address the state’s skilled worker shortage.

“This is the number one priority of our administration and you know it’s necessary,” Reynolds says. “It’s critical. As we travel the state and we talk about the need for a skilled workforce, that’s how we’re going to continue to grow the economy and provide opportunities for Iowans.”

Reynolds told reporters at her weekly news conference she is not ready to spell out the full details, but indicated she may redirect spending or redesign existing state programs to find more money for this initiative. The governor’s goal is to have at least 70 percent of the Iowa workforce gain qualifications beyond a high school diploma by the year 2025.

Dan Houston, the CEO of Principal Financial, served as co-chair of the governor’s Future Ready task force. He said the plan will “march” Iowa down a path to a more skilled statewide workforce.

“Iowa doesn’t have a choice,” Houston said during the governor’s news conference. “We’ve got to get 127,000 people prepared to do higher-skilled jobs in this state if it is desirable for us to be a state-of-choice for establishing businesses.”

The task force is calling on Iowa businesses to offer more internships and mentoring programs. The state’s K-12 schools are being encouraged to collaborate with businesses to give high school students more work-based experience.

Listen to the governor’s news conference here.

Hepatitis C epidemic among Iowans between 20 and 30 years of age

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The number of diagnosed hepatitis C cases in Iowa has increased more than 200 percent in the past 16 years.

“We have about 2200 people per year getting a diagnosis of hepatitus C now. That makes it third on our list of reportable infectious diseases in the state,” said Randy Mayer of the Iowa Department of Public Health.

He warns tens of thousands of Iowans who have hepatitis C are not yet diagnosed. Hepatitis C is a blood-borne illness that can cause liver failure. Sharing needles is one way the disease is spread. Mayer said that’s why it’s connected to the opioid epidemic, as people turn to injecting heroin after their supplies of pain pills run out.

“If you look at the demographics of people who are diagnosed with hepatitus C, what you see is that more than any other infectious disease it looks like the population of Iowa,” Mayer said. “…Eighty-eight percent of the people are white and it’s about evenly split between men and women.”

Sixty percent of Iowans diagnosed with hepatitis C are “Baby Boomers” — but Mayer said there’s an “epidemic of ongoing transmission” among Iowans between the ages of 20 and 30.

Mayer testified today before a legislative committee reviewing data about the opioid crisis and potential policy solutions. Medicaid will cover treatment of patients who’re diagnosed with both HIV and hepatitis C, but not for Medicaid patients who just have hepatitis C. State public health officials plan to apply for federal funds that may be used to support “syringe exchange” programs. That federal money may be used for expenses like staff and rent, but it cannot be used to buy new syringes.

Proposed rules for implementing Iowa’s voter verification law

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Mary Rae Bragg, President of League of Women Voters of Iowa.

Two dozen Iowans testified at a public hearing Monday afternoon, offering both praise and criticism for proposed rules to implement Iowa’s new voter verification law.

Betty Andrews, president of the Iowa/Nebraska NAACP, said she’s worried the rules will make it harder for groups like hers to register new voters.

“I have great concern about that,” Andrews said.

One proposed rule will remove people from voter registration rolls if they’ve been called to jury duty, but notified the court that they couldn’t serve because they are not a citizen. Connie Schmett of Clive, a long-time GOP activist, praised the move.

“We simply can’t allow our laws and our elections to be tainted,” Schmett said.

Kim Hiscox of West Des Moines, an Election Day poll watcher, said she called county officials to report her suspicions that three non-citizens voted in 2016.

“Please do stick with your guns and hold people accountable to prove that they really are citizens of the United States before they are allowed to vote,” Hiscox said.

Others argue becoming a citizen often takes years and a person who declines service on a jury one month may take the oath of citizenship the next. Joe Henry of the League of United Latin American Citizens said the number of registered Latino voters in Iowa has doubled in the past decade.

“Many of our members are lower income. They’re not going to be able to understand these rules,” Henry said. “…Clearly, this seems to be a ploy to restrict the vote within our community.”

Staff from Secretary of State Paul Pate’s office say at least two specific rules to implement the new law are in a state of flux and will be redrafted by this Friday.

“We believe the rules should be as clear as possible to make sure that we are protecting the voting rights of all Iowans,” said Daniel Zeno, an attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa who was the first to testify at the hearing.

About 100 people gathered outside the small conference room where the hour-long hearing was held, chanting their opposition to the new election law. The law was passed this spring by the Republican-led legislature and approved in May by former Governor Terry Branstad.

Bettendorf complex becomes first to use new tax break for baseball fields

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BettPlex site shown in a video on the BettPlex website.

The Enhance Iowa Board made its first award today under a new program for baseball and softball fields.

The board awarded a $2.5 million tax rebate — the most allowed — to the BettPlex in Bettendorf.

Under the program, a baseball or softball complex with a construction cost of at least $10 million can request a sales tax rebate for admission tickets, merchandise or other goods sold at the complex for up to 10 years.

The BettPlex is a $40 million project that will feature six full turf baseball and softball fields along with facilities for indoor and outdoor soccer, basketball, volleyball, pickleball, wrestling and sand volleyball.

The bill passed the Iowa Legislature last year after being proposed for the “Prospect Meadows” baseball/soccer complex near Marion. Back in 2012, state lawmakers approved a $16.5 sales tax rebate for the company planning a “Field of Dreams” complex near Dyersville, but that project hasn’t gotten off the ground.

 

Turn-out more than 60 percent in first two days of recertification votes

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A state board reports more than 60 percent of eligible government employees have already cast ballots in “recertification” votes for their local bargaining unit.

A new state law requires a vote to recertify union representation for a bargaining unit before contracts talks with public employees may begin. Eighty-seven percent of the educators covered by 13 contracts negotiated by Iowa State Education Association members voted in September — and the recertification votes passed overwhelmingly.

Voting began this past Tuesday for 477 more bargaining units. Those units represent more than 33,000 employees who work for state and local governments. The Iowa Public Employment Relations Board reports more than 20,000 of those workers voted in just the first two days of voting.

The voting is being conducted online or over the phone. Votes may be cast through October 24.

Iowa native Robin Thede’s BET show premieres tonight

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An Iowa native’s once-a-week national TV show debuts tonight at 10 p.m. Iowa time. “The Rundown with Robin Thede” will air on the BET Network. During a recent appearance on Comedy Central’s Daily Show, Thede said her show will cover pop culture and politics.

“I just want to know what R. Kelly’s doing in his basement…It’s important journalism,” Thede said as the studio audience laughed. “…I also want to know what Trump and Jeff Sessions are doing, so I think we can care about both.”

Thede graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in broadcast journalism. She has been the head writer for Comedy Central’s “Nightly Show” and “The Queen Latifa Show.”

Thede was born in Spencer and grew up in Davenport. Thede’s mother, Phyllis, is a member of the Iowa House, representing Davenport and Bettendorf, and her dad, Dave Thede, is a teacher at Davenport’s Mid-City High.

DHS chief shifting agency resources, hoping to hire more social workers

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The director of the largest agency in state government says he’s trying to streamline office functions to free up money he could use to hire more social workers.

Jerry Foxhoven has been director of the Iowa Department of Human Services since mid-June. He says many of the agency’s current social workers lack basic tools like modern smartphones that could speed up their field investigations.

“So if they’re sent out to see a family and that’s not where they are, they couldn’t Google it,” Foxhoven says. “They’d have to go back to their office.”

Foxhoven has been meeting with social workers in the agency and getting their ideas for improving the child protection system.

“Their caseloads are somewhat high and they’re just bureaucratically worn out by the bureaucracy that we have,” Foxhoven says.

The agency’s current budget for field operations is 16 million dollars less than it was a year ago.

(Reporting by Iowa Public Radio’s Joyce Russell)

Second ISU presidential candidate talks about diversity, state funding

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Pamela Whitten

The second finalist for the president’s job at Iowa State University visited campus Tuesday afternoon for an open forum.

Pamela Whitten says ISU is already a very good school, but can become and exceptional one. She says one key is to improve the retention rate of students and also the graduation rate.

She says the 76 percent rate for students graduating in six years is good, but that needs to move up to 80 percent. And she says the 44 percent four-year rate needs to reach into 60 percent or better. Whitten is currently the senior vice president for academic affairs and provost at the University of Georgia.

She took questions from the audience as part of her forum and was asked about her views on diversity. Whitten replied that Iowa State has a long history of promoting diversity.

“Every impression that I have is that commitment continues at this university — at least all that I have been told,” Whitten says. “But the commitment of course and the climate and the culture that you create has to be accompanied by direct and discreet actions to be sure that everyone understands that you are living in a place and working a place that sincerely values different perspectives.” Whitten says the university needs to constantly be working on the issue.

“Certainly one thing you need to do is be proactive. So rather than waiting for an incident to happen — which unfortunately happens on college campuses today — you need to be having the dialogue continuously,” according to Whitten. Whitten was also asked about the recent cuts in state funding and how she would go about getting more state funding for the school.

“Certainly an important part of playing the leadership role at any university the days is the work that you do with your general assembly, with your legislators,” Whitten says,” and that’s just a key part of the job. So there are relationships to be maintained, and frankly there is an opportunity form a fresh face and voice presenting the arguments as well.” Whitten says another key is getting out the message about the return on investment the state receives from the money they put into universities. She says universities have understood internally how important they are, but have gotten away from selling that message outside of campus.

“So frankly there’s some work to do that’s not going to happen overnight in reestablishing that value and that appreciation for the return on investment and the impact on those who go through school as well as society as well.” Whitten says. The third finalist, Dale Whittaker, who is the provost and executive vice president at the University of Central Florida, Orlando, will visit campus today and hold a forum this afternoon.

The fourth finalist was revealed today and it is a candidate already on campus. Wendy Wintersteen is the dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Iowa State University. Wintersteen will hold a public forum on campus Thursday. For more on the candidates’ background, go to the presidential search page of the Iowa State University website.

Iowa businesses paying more state fees for failing to register

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A state agency estimates it will collect $1.6 million new fees from procrastinators or from people trying to avoid paying the taxes to pay unemployment benefits.

Iowa Workforce Development will levy a $500 fine to Iowa businesses that fail to properly register as an employer. Officials estimate 3,200 business owners will try to skip registering, to avoid paying unemployment taxes, or they’ll fail to meet the quarterly registration deadlines.

In addition, the agency has the go-ahead from lawmakers to assess a $200 fine to businesses that send in their registration paperwork through the mail. The legislative committee that reviews state government rules was briefed on these new fees yesterday.

All Iowa businesses are required to pay unemployment taxes electronically.