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Permanent LinkMeeting Public Comments
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A bill for an act relating to the organization, structure, and functions of state government, providing for salaries of appointed state officers, providing for confirmation of appointments, providing for penalties, making appropriations, providing Code editor directives and transition provisions, and including applicability and effective date provisions.(See SF 514.)
Subcommittee members: Schultz-CH, Bisignano, Boulton, Bousselot, Webster
Date: Monday, February 13, 2023
Time: 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Location: Room G15
Comments Submitted:
Download CommentsThe purpose of comments is to provide information to members of the subcommittee.
Names and comments are public records. Remaining information is considered a confidential record.
02-10-2023
William Owens [Iowa Child Advocacy Board]
Please find attached a letter to your committee chair on behalf of the Iowa Child Advocacy Board detailing our concerns regarding the proposed alignment of ICAB with the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services. I hope as board chair to be present at the meeting virtually and would welcome an opportunity to add comments, or respond to questions from members of the subcommittee. Thank you for your kind attention. William S. OwensICAB Board Chair
Attachment
02-12-2023
Barb Nelson []
At this time I am concerned that this bill removes the independence of the Office of Consumer Advocate. The OCA serves as the "People's Lawyer" in applications brought before the Iowa Utilities Board. One such application in front of the IUB is that of the CO2 pipeline applications. We the people need the Office of Consumer Advocate to be independent voice. We need to keep merit protection for that department so that the work of the Office of Consumer Advocate can be done independently and not with the threat of being replaced if their actions for the people do not align with the agenda of our governor and/or big money. This bills so extensive, it is difficult to read through the whole bill. I do hope some of these parts will be separated out to work on as separate bills. I'm a pretty fast reader, but 1400 pages is no a quick read and for legislators to understand it and have questions or points to discuss, it is my hope that this bill will be given plenty of time.
02-12-2023
Susan Olesen []
I ask you to vote against moving this bill forward. This is about womens health. If parents dont want their children in the discussion, they can notify the school to withdraw their children from that discussion. The CDC NOTES, HPV vaccination is cancer prevention. HPV is estimated to cause nearly 36,500 cases of cancer in men and women every year in the United States. HPV vaccination can prevent 33,700 of these cancers by preventing the infections that cause them. That's the same as the average attendance for a baseball game.
02-13-2023
Tasha Welsh []
To Whom it may Concern,In the past the Department for the Blind has been overseen by a commission of independent citizens who are blind or have the priorities of the blind in mind when leading the organization. It has been proposed by Senate Bill 1123division 13 and HSB 126 division 13 to remove the powers of the commission to appoint the officers of the Department for the Blind and put this in the hands of the governor. The commission has been made up of the blind residents of this state and this will effectively remove the power of the blind residents of this state to make sure they have effective and efficient education to make them better members of the state and their communities.I have a progressive eye condition that is causing me to lose my vision. In the past two years I have started to use the services of the Department for the Blind and the services provided have made me into a more independent and confident person because of the training I have received from the Department for the Blind. The awareness, knowledge, and experience of training under successful blind staff gave me the skills and ability to advocate for myself and other blind individuals.I fear that bringing the Iowa Department for the Blind under the governors direct control will cause undue hardship to an already disadvantaged part of the population. Please strike the changes to be made by Senate bill 1123 and HSB 126 concerning the Department for the Blinds control being removed from the citizens it is there to assist and putting the powers of control under the governor and any current or future political dynamics that may happen to them. The Department for the Blind would be best served by not proceeding with any changes and assigning commission members that will assign the director of the Commission for the Blind and determine the most needed services for the blind population of Iowa.Id be happy to speak with anyone further if anyone has any questions of commentsSincerely,Tasha Welsh
02-13-2023
Wayne Schellhammer [ICAB]
While I appreciate the need for consolidation, to do so without understanding the opportunities to understand where failsafe's for the protection of abused and forgotten kids of Iowa are concerned is unconscionable. The ICAB functions with the Foster Care Review Boards and Court Appointed Special Advocates to be the voice of the abused kids in Iowa. Monitor DHS/HHS in the services that are to be provided, legal issues to be adhered too by parents, etc. ICAB must be assured of its autonomy from interference by HHS to do it's job. Otherwise the State has said to the abused kids of Iowa that the fox can guard the chicken coop. Meaning we can structure whatever the monitoring we (HHS) find acceptable of our work creating glowing progress for HHS while neglecting what the voice of the kids needs to be. The Iowa CASA program is a nationally recognized success story and the current executive director has just been place on the National State Leadership Council as a result of the CASA work in Iowa. That work can be stifled without the opportunity to remain free to operate within HHS.