Iowa Legislature funnel week kills bills addressing women’s health care
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Four bills shaping women’s health in Iowa will not advance past funnel week after lawmakers gaveled out Thursday night, a day before the scheduled deadline. The following four bills died Thursday night after the chambers did not advance them.Criminalization of an ‘unborn persons’ death: HB 2575Legalization of over-the-counter birth control: HSB 642 Mandated parental leave: HF2557 12 months of Medicaid access postpartum: SF 2251In the wake of an Alabama Supreme Court decision declaring frozen embryos legally children, Iowa Republicans are pulling back on a bill making it a felony to cause the death of an unborn person over concerns it may make in vitro fertilization, or IVF, treatments illegal.”It needed work, the IVF part specifically needed to work,” Iowa Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver said. “We were kind of doing the opposite of what Alabama just rushed in the session to do, which was allow IVF. We thought (the bill) came over fairly late and we just thought that bill is not ready for prime time.” Senate Democrats say they foresaw this issue and tried to warn Senate Republicans.”They got caught running a bill that did more than they said,” House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst said. “They mocked us when we said it did that, and then other Republicans pulled the bill because it did just what we said.The three other bills were backed by Gov. KIm Reynolds, yet Republicans said their party, and respective chambers, had reservations about the current drafts.”(Over-the-counter birth control) is one of those issues that has a very wide and varying degree of support,” Iowa House Speaker Pat Grassley said. “We like to put ourselves in a position as a caucus that we’re able to pass bills that have consensus support and that one is kind of all over the board as far as what the issues might be based on specific members.” Grassley said the party is also tabling the Medicaid bill, since legislators have yet to pass a budget.”I don’t want to be passing bills that have that level of fiscal impact without having a better idea of what our budget is going to look like,” Grassley said. Democrats say they’ve been calling for these measures for years, and are upset that, despite being a priority to the governor and having bipartisan support, the bills will die in the second funnel.”We welcome the governor to the cause of providing over-the-counter birth control. We’re sorry, she can’t find enough Republicans to get it over the finish line,” Konfrst said. “The reason it can’t get done is because they don’t have enough Republicans who want to do that, and I think the same must be true of planned parental leave if it’s not moving forward. Medicaid expansion, is something we’ve proposed many times, our Medicaid expansion, however, doesn’t kick people off of Medicaid at the same time as expanding it for postpartum care.” However, Grassley said the Medicaid expansion bill could be revived again once a budget is settled.
Four bills shaping women’s health in Iowa will not advance past funnel week after lawmakers gaveled out Thursday night, a day before the scheduled deadline.
The following four bills died Thursday night after the chambers did not advance them.
- Criminalization of an ‘unborn persons’ death: HB 2575
- Legalization of over-the-counter birth control: HSB 642
- Mandated parental leave: HF2557
- 12 months of Medicaid access postpartum: SF 2251
In the wake of an Alabama Supreme Court decision declaring frozen embryos legally children, Iowa Republicans are pulling back on a bill making it a felony to cause the death of an unborn person over concerns it may make in vitro fertilization, or IVF, treatments illegal.
“It needed work, the IVF part specifically needed to work,” Iowa Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver said. “We were kind of doing the opposite of what Alabama just rushed in the session to do, which was allow IVF. We thought (the bill) came over fairly late and we just thought that bill is not ready for prime time.”
Senate Democrats say they foresaw this issue and tried to warn Senate Republicans.
“They got caught running a bill that did more than they said,” House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst said. “They mocked us when we said it did that, and then other Republicans pulled the bill because it did just what we said.
The three other bills were backed by Gov. KIm Reynolds, yet Republicans said their party, and respective chambers, had reservations about the current drafts.
“(Over-the-counter birth control) is one of those issues that has a very wide and varying degree of support,” Iowa House Speaker Pat Grassley said. “We like to put ourselves in a position as a caucus that we’re able to pass bills that have consensus support and that one is kind of all over the board as far as what the issues might be based on specific members.”
Grassley said the party is also tabling the Medicaid bill, since legislators have yet to pass a budget.
“I don’t want to be passing bills that have that level of fiscal impact without having a better idea of what our budget is going to look like,” Grassley said.
Democrats say they’ve been calling for these measures for years, and are upset that, despite being a priority to the governor and having bipartisan support, the bills will die in the second funnel.
“We welcome the governor to the cause of providing over-the-counter birth control. We’re sorry, she can’t find enough Republicans to get it over the finish line,” Konfrst said. “The reason it can’t get done is because they don’t have enough Republicans who want to do that, and I think the same must be true of planned parental leave if it’s not moving forward. Medicaid expansion, is something we’ve proposed many times, our Medicaid expansion, however, doesn’t kick people off of Medicaid at the same time as expanding it for postpartum care.”
However, Grassley said the Medicaid expansion bill could be revived again once a budget is settled.
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