Capitol Letters: The Sitzmann Scoop Week 4

The week in a recap:

The Iowa Association of Realtors had their annual conference in Des Moines this week. There were hundreds of realtors at the capitol!  I was thankful to have my lifelong best friend Austin Sitzmann (no relation!) visit, too. It was also Pharmacist Day on the Hill. I met with Pharmacist Chelsea Schott from Marcus and we discussed PBM bill.  

I have started sitting in on other committee meetings to learn more about issues and potential solutions around the state. This week I attended meetings with Health and Human Services (HHS).

One of the bills I submitted in the House, HF 200 has a companion bill in the Senate. SF 57 which passed committee in the Senate this week. The focus of this bill is to have the state reimburse Cherokee county sheriffs department $50 a day per inmate in the event inmates are housed in the Cherokee County Jail. Currently Cherokee County absorbs the cost of housing State Inmates until a bed is available in the CCUSO unit.

Thankyou to Senator Lynn Evans for his work on this bill on the Senate. I look forward to continued collaboration with our colleagues in the Senate

The House did not gavel in on Tuesday in observance of Rep. Martin Graber who tragically passed away last week. Although we didn't gavel in, I still had a number of meetings I attended and caught up on some of the hundreds of emails I have in my inbox.

Looking Ahead:

We are nearing the first of two funnel weeks Funnel week is an important week at the capitol. Any bills that could be considered to move through the legislative process to possibly become law has to be submitted and passed through committee by the end of funnel week Feb 17-20. The second funnel week will be in March where a bill has to pass one chamber and committee in the opposite chamber.

As of Thursday 2/6 1400 bills have been proposed!

This coming week I look forward to meeting with more constituents from district 13. Students and staff from Hinton Community Schools &  MMCRU are coming for CTE day on Tuesday.

If you are in the Des Moines area during legislative session please contact me via my legislative email! I would enjoy meeting with you!

I will also co host a subcommittee hearing for HSB 127 on Tuesday.  

Legislative Update:

House Study Bill 53: Freedom from Indoctrination

Yesterday, the Iowa House’s new Higher Education committee passed a bill to prohibit the regent institutions in Iowa from requiring students to enroll in courses related to DEI or critical race theory. 

The bill does not eliminate the existence of some of these courses. And there are exemptions if the program is directly related to racial, ethnic, or gender studies. 

However, it eliminates the requirement for these courses if the degree the student is in pursuit of is completely unrelated.

For example, right now all Iowa State University undergraduate students are required to take a course in U.S. Cultures and Communities. Iowa State University’s website states that upon completion of this requirement, students will be able to:

o  Identify the experiences and contributions of underrepresented or marginalized groups and how they have shaped the history and culture of the United States.

o  Understand the analytical concepts of culture, ethnicity, race, gender, sexuality and/or religion and be able to apply these concepts to an analysis of the United States.

o  Analyze systemic oppression and personal prejudice and their impact on marginalized communities and the broader U.S. society.

o  Evaluate important aspects of diversity, equity, and inclusion so they can live, work, and collaborate with others in the 21stcentury United States.

The Regents were registered in favor of the bill, but that didn’t stop the Democrats in committee from voting against this common sense legislation.

House Study Bill 99: Protecting Local Pharmacies

For several sessions, Iowa House Republicans have been interested in taking action to protect our local pharmacies facing unfair practices from Pharmacy Benefit Managers, the middlemen known as PBMs.

We are seeing rural pharmacies close down at an alarming rate. 29 pharmacies closed in 2024. More than 150pharmacies have closed over the past decade. Without local pharmacies, Iowa families and older Iowans have a harder time accessing the care they deserve.

This bill includes the following additional regulations of PBMs in Iowa:

o   Prohibits a PBM or insurer from discriminating against a pharmacy if the pharmacy is acting within its license and all laws

o   Prohibits the removal of pharmacy choice or imposing any monetary advantages or penalties that result in removing pharmacy choice (including unnecessary specialty drug designations and requiring use of mail order pharmacies)

o   Prohibits additional cost-sharing on the insured based on where they choose to have their prescription filled

o   Requires all rebates to benefit the insured

o   Requires any amount paid by the insured for the prescription drug to be applied to their deductible

o   Requires PBMs to reimburse pharmacies based on acquisition cost

o   Prohibits spread pricing unless all cost differential is provided to the insured

o   Requires pharmacies have an appeals process if not reimbursed at acquisition cost

This bill passed subcommittee in the Iowa House this week. It is likely not in its final form, and we will continue to seek input as this bill makes its way through the legislative process.