Last week marked the end of the second legislative funnel. If a bill has not made it through full committee in the opposite chamber, it is dead (excluding Appropriations and Ways and Means bills).
Human Resources
Over the last five years, the Legislature has passed bipartisan mental health reform, created the state’s first ever children’s mental health system, created long-term sustainable funding for the Mental Health and Disability Services Regions, provided significant funds to mental health providers through Medicaid rates, and expanded access to mental health care through telehealth.
However, too often we continue to hear from law enforcement and our rural hospitals that there are open beds at the 27 hospitals with inpatient psychiatric units throughout the state, yet nowhere to put difficult mental health patients. We are committed to always working towards additional ways to treat mental illness like any other health care condition.
That’s why last week, the House overwhelmingly passed three pieces of legislation I introduced to address mental health workforce and additional beds for Iowa’s most difficult patients.
Adding Psychiatrists: House File 2529 funds 12 psychiatry residents per year with a focus on training through Iowa’s state facilities, including the mental health institutes. Iowa ranks 44th in the country in psychiatrists per capita. This bill will help increase the number of psychiatrists trained in Iowa, and provides preference to Iowans in the application process.
Mental Health Provider Loan Forgiveness: House File 2549 provides $1.5 million per year to expand loan forgiveness opportunities to recruit and retain mental health providers in Iowa. In order to receive the funds, the mental health provider must commit to providing care in Iowa for at least five years. The funds will be prioritized to those working in mental health shortage areas.
Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit: House File 2546 is a bill to require the Department of Human Services to establish a Medicaid rate for those needing a higher level of inpatient psychiatric care. By paying hospitals based on the acuity of the patient, more hospitals will be willing to care for the most difficult mental health patients.
It takes time to develop the new mental health services and attract mental health providers to the state, and Iowa has made great progress in expanding community supports statewide. Once all of these services are up and running, they will serve mental health patients in the proper setting, decrease the time law enforcement will spend transporting patients and waiting in emergency rooms and jails, but most importantly, these bills will treat Iowans with mental illness like any other health condition.
State Government
I have heard about the proposed carbon sequestration pipeline from many of you the last month or so, and that you’re very concerned about eminent domain threat with this project. This week the State Government Committee adopted an amendment to a Senate File that prohibits the Iowa Utilities Board from granting a pipeline company the right of eminent domain until March 1, 2023. The moratorium also prohibits pipeline companies the ability to apply for the right of eminent domain or exercise the right of eminent domain in order to complete hazardous liquid pipelines without the consent of affected property owners.
Currently, pipeline companies are required to petition for a permit in order to construct, maintain, and operate a new hazardous liquid pipeline within the state. Within the permit petition companies are required to describe the route and potentially affected areas of the pipeline. The companies must request from the Iowa Utilities Board the right of eminent domain.
The committee amendment will be considered by the full Iowa House if the Senate File is considered on the floor. If adopted, the language prohibiting eminent domain for these hazardous liquid pipelines would replace the Senate File and be sent to the Senate for consideration. Nothing in the prohibition would stop carbon dioxide pipelines from continuing, but would force the companies to negotiate with property owners for the right to use their property. The committee members felt property owners in Iowa must have their constitutional rights to property. This came forward as a result of your input to us — so thanks for always bringing your concerns forward.
Also in State Government this week, I managed a SF 2260, a bill that requires any research facility that accepts tax dollars to set up an adoption program to place dogs and cats when they are retired from the research projects, as long as they do not pose a risk to the public. It passed committee unanimously. As an animal lover myself, I was happy to advance this bill.
Thanks for all of your communications about bills that may be coming to the floor. I am always happy to hear from you as I work for you! I love to have visitors at the Capitol … please let me know if you will be visiting; I would love to meet with you!
State Rep. Ann Meyer, R-Fort Dodge, represents Fort Dodge and northern Webster County.
