District 11 Representative Brian Best highlights four bills from the Education and the Commerce Committees during his week seven update. House File 2545 was introduced to the House on Feb. 15 regarding school standard review for graduation requirements, core curriculum, core content standards, and education standards done by the Department of Education. The review director will hold meetings with a committee that contains members from the community to serve as non-voting parties but provide comments and input for the reviews. House File 2457 was introduced to the House on Feb. 12, requiring school districts to provide Holocaust education in middle and high schools. Best says with the rise of Antisemitism, we thought this was an appropriate addition to education; both bills are to make sure that students understand the American political system and World History better than what they know now. Best says in the Commerce Committee that two bills were passed to deal with the unfair practices by Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs), saying their practices go underhand and threaten small rural pharmacies. HF 2401 prohibits discrimination by PBMs, requiring profits to return to the employer/insurer and an appeals process for pharmacies unable to acquire prescription drugs at reimbursement rates. HF 2099 comes from the Iowa Department of Insurance and Financial Services expanding the PBM’s duty of good faith and fair dealing to pharmacies, prohibiting any retaliation against pharmacies that follow the laws. Another part of that bill is to make the reporting requirements more straightforward to understand. That bill passed the House on Feb. 21, and the first reading was conducted in the Senate the following day. Best also provides a list of free upcoming webinars through Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach for small and beginning farmers. The webinars aim to inform new farmers or small acreage owners with insight and advice to those just starting out in agricultural operations. The complete list of webinars has been included below.
- March 7: Small-Scale Poultry Management
- April 11: Manure Management for Small Farms
- May 9: Sheep and Goat Management: Starting Your Flock
- June 13: Maximizing Pasture Potential: Multispecies Grazing Strategies
- Aug. 29: Sheep and Goat Breeding Management: Maximizing Your Flock’s Potential
- Sept. 12: Working with an Ag Lender
- Oct. 10: Private Well Stewardship for Well Owners
- Nov. 14: Small Orchard Management
- Dec. 12: Getting Started in Commercial Vegetable Production
Registration is open to all and is free. Participants can register for each session at– https://go.iastate.edu/FH5MHR.
