1 year ago
53
HALL. MORE BREAKING NEWS NOW FROM THE IOWA STATE HOUSE. GOVERNOR REYNOLDS SCHOOL CHOICE BILL HAS NOW PASSED THE IOWA HOUSE KCCI TO POLITICAL REPORTER AMANDA ROOKER IS LIVE AT THE CAPITOL BUILDING FOR US TONIGHT. AMANDA. IT IS NOW ON TO THE SENATE FOR THIS BILL. STEVE RIGHT NOW SENATE LAWMAKERS ARE TAKING UP THAT BILL THAT JUST PASSED THE HOUSE BUT NOT AFTER HOURS AND HOURS. MORE THAN 5 HOURS OF DEBATE WENT ON IN THAT HOUSE CHAMBER AS REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS SPARRED OVER WHETHER THIS EDUCATION BILL IS IN THE BEST INTEREST OF ALL IOWA STUDENTS. NOW, WE PULLED ASIDE A FEW LAWMAKERS RIGHT AFTER THAT VOTE HAPPENED. BOTH NEWLY ELECTED LAWMAKERS, ONE OF THOSE LAWMAKERS, REPUBLICAN REPRESENTATIVE HELENA HAYS, SHE’S ONE OF THE REPRESENT NATIVES THAT GOVERNOR REYNOLDS ENDORSED. SHE BEAT OUT THE FORMER EDUCATION COMMITTEE CHAIR, DUSTIN HITE, WHO WAS AN OPEN SCHOOL CHOICE CRITIC. AND SHE ARGUES THAT THIS BILL IS GOING TO BE WHAT’S IN THE BEST INTEREST OF ALL IOWA KIDS AND EMPOWER PARENTS TO MAKE THE BEST CHOICE FOR THEIR KIDS. BUT ON THE OTHER SIDE, WE TALKED TO ALSO NEWLY ELECTED LAWMAKER DEMOCRATIC REPRESENTATIVE AUSTIN BATE, WHO SAID TONIGHT WAS HEARTBREAKING. HE SAYS THAT THIS WAS A BILL THAT HE CALLS FISCALLY IRRESPONSIBLE. AND HE SAYS THAT IT WAS HEARTBREAKING TO WATCH THAT VOTE HAPPEN. AND IT’S BEEN AN EXHAUSTING PROCESS. IT’S BEEN A HEARTBREAKING PROCESS AS I WAS EVEN WITH SOME KIDS IN AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TODAY, A PUBLIC SCHOOL IN DES MOINES HERE AND LOOKING AT THEM, KNOWING THAT THIS COULD HAPPEN TONIGHT AND KNOWING THAT THEY’RE GOING TO HAVE TO GET BY WITH EVEN FEWER RESOURCES THAN THEY HAVE NOW IS HEARTBREAKING TO ME. YOU KNOW, TONIGHT THEY WERE LEGISLATURE LET DOWN A HALF A MILLION KIDS IN THIS STATE. IT’S BEEN A VERY EXCITING NIGHT. YOU KNOW, AND AS I LISTEN TO THE DEBATE TONIGHT, I REALIZE THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE DON’T REALIZE THAT THIS WAS ACTUALLY DECIDED BACK IN THE PRIMARIES. AND WHAT GOVERNOR REYNOLDS HAS DONE TO TAKE A STAND FOR CHILDREN ALL ACROSS THE BOARD AND I KNOW WE HEARD A LOT OF OPPOSITION TO THE ESSAYS DURING THE DEBATE, BUT WE ESPECIALLY THE FRESHMEN AND THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN HERE FOR MANY YEARS, WE’VE BEEN LISTENING TO CONSTITUENTS FOR YEARS ALREADY. AND SO THIS ISN’T ANYTHING NEW. WE’RE REALLY EXCITED. WE ARE PLEASED WITH THE VOTE. NOW, AGAIN, AND THIS IS A PLAN THAT WOULD USE TAXPAYER MONEY TO HELP SOME IOWANS PAY FOR PRIVATE SCHOOL TUITION. AND EVEN THOUGH IT PASSED THE HOUSE, IT STILL DOES NEED TO PASS THROUGH THE IOWA SENATE IN ORDER TO BECOME LAW. SENATE LAWMAKERS ARE STILL DEBATING, AND WE WILL MAKE SURE TO BRING YOU AN UPDATE AS SOON AS THAT VOTE HAPPENS. AGAIN, IF YOU DID PASS THE HOUSE, BUT NOT ALONG PARTY LINES, SOME REPUBLICANS CHOSE NOT TO SUPPORT THIS BILL. STEVE? THAT’S RIGHT. AND THAT IS A VERY RARE OCCASION. USUALLY WE SEE VOTES HAPPEN IN THE IOWA STATE HOUSE ALONG PARTY LINES. ALL REPUBLICANS VOTE ONE WAY, ALL DEMOCRATS VOTE ONE WAY. BUT THIS BILL WAS ACTUALLY 54 TO 45. THAT MEANS THAT AT LEAST NINE REPUBLICANS BROKE WITH THE MAJORITY DECISION AND VOTED AGAINST THIS BILL. BUT IT WASN’T ENOUGH. THERE WAS ENOUGH REPUBLICAN SUPPORT TO GET THIS BILL ACROSS THE FINISH LINE. NOW WE WAIT TO SEE WHAT WILL HAPPEN IN THE SENATE. STEVE. ALL RIGHT, AMANDA ROOKER THANK YOU VERY MUCH, AMANDA. WE’LL CONTINUE TO WATCH THE DEBATE TONIGHT IN THE SENATE. STATE AUDITOR ROB SAND, A DEMOCRAT, SAYS HE IS CONCERNED ABOUT TRANSPARENCY WHEN IT COMES TO STATE TAX MONEY BEING USED TO PAY PRIVATE SCHOOL TUITION. HE SAYS PRIVATE SCHOOLS DO NOT HAVE THE SAME PUBLIC RECORD AND AUDITING REQUIREMENT AS THEY ARE TO BEGIN TAX DOLLARS AND GIVING THEM TO PRIVATE ENTITIES WHILE GIVING TAXPAYERS NO RIGHT TO KNOW HOW THEY’RE USING THOSE TAX DOLLARS. IOWA DEMOCRATS SAY THEY STILL HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW MUCH THIS PLAN WILL COST AND HOW MUCH THE STATE WILL HAVE TO PAY. A PRIVAT
Gov. Reynolds' 'school choice' program passes Iowa House and Senate
In the aboriginal hours of Tuesday morning, authorities lawmakers approved Gov. Reynolds' program to usage payer wealth to wage backstage schoolhouse tuition. The measure passed with a 55-45 ballot successful the Iowa House and a 31-18 ballot successful the Iowa Senate. Reynolds is expected to motion the measure into instrumentality Tuesday afternoon.After astir 5 hours of debate, each Iowa House Democrats voted against the bill. Nine Republicans besides voted against the bill: Michael Bergan, Brian Best, Jane Bloomingdale, Chad Ingels, Brian Lohse, Gary Mohr, Thomas Moore, David Sieck and Brent Siegrist. In the bill, HF 68, immoderate household with a K-12 pupil who wants to power from nationalist to backstage schoolhouse during the adjacent schoolhouse twelvemonth would person astir $7,600 from the authorities — the afloat magnitude of payer wealth the authorities invests successful each student.That wealth usually goes to a student's nationalist schoolhouse district. But nether Reynolds' plan, families who power to backstage schools would get that wealth instead.Once afloat phased in, the program would outgo the authorities much than $340 cardinal annually.House Republicans voted to exempt the measure from the accepted budgetary process requiring information successful the House Appropriations oregon Ways and Means Committees, a process that each different measure that appropriates wealth is required to spell through.Republicans reason the program volition empower parents to nonstop their kids to immoderate schoolhouse provides the champion acquisition accidental to acceptable their unsocial needs.“It's been a precise breathtaking night... And arsenic I perceive to the statement tonight, I recognize that a batch of radical don't recognize that this was really decided backmost successful the primaries. What Governor Reynolds has done to instrumentality a basal for children each crossed the board, and I cognize we heard a batch of absorption to the ESAs during the debate. But we, particularly the freshman and the radical who person been present for galore years. We've been listening to constituents for years already. This isn't thing new. We're truly excited. We're pleased with the vote,” Republican Rep. Helena Hayes said.Democrats accidental the measure lacks fiscal responsibility, transparency and accountability. "It's been an exhausting process. It's been a heartbreaking process. I was adjacent with immoderate kids successful an simple schoolhouse today, a nationalist schoolhouse successful Des Moines, here. And looking astatine them, knowing that this could hap contiguous and knowing that they're going to person to get by with adjacent less resources than they person present is heartbreaking to me. Tonight, the Iowa legislature fto down a half-a-million kids successful the state," Democratic Rep. Austin Baeth said.Before the vote, State Auditor Rob Sand, who is simply a Democrat, expressed concerns astir oversight of the plan."With nary transparency obligations, nary required nationalist audits, nary nationalist records and nary nationalist meetings, uncovering waste, fraud and maltreatment of your taxation dollars volition beryllium overmuch harder," Sand said.This is simply a processing story. Stay tuned to KCCI on-air and online for updates. Previous coverage:
DES MOINES, Iowa —
In the aboriginal hours of Tuesday morning, authorities lawmakers approved Gov. Reynolds' program to usage payer wealth to wage backstage schoolhouse tuition. The measure passed with a 55-45 ballot successful the Iowa House and a 31-18 ballot successful the Iowa Senate.
Reynolds is expected to motion the measure into instrumentality Tuesday afternoon.
After astir 5 hours of debate, each Iowa House Democrats voted against the bill. Nine Republicans besides voted against the bill: Michael Bergan, Brian Best, Jane Bloomingdale, Chad Ingels, Brian Lohse, Gary Mohr, Thomas Moore, David Sieck and Brent Siegrist.
In the bill, HF 68, immoderate household with a K-12 pupil who wants to power from nationalist to backstage schoolhouse during the adjacent schoolhouse twelvemonth would person astir $7,600 from the authorities — the afloat magnitude of payer wealth the authorities invests successful each student.
That wealth usually goes to a student's nationalist schoolhouse district. But nether Reynolds' plan, families who power to backstage schools would get that wealth instead.
Once afloat phased in, the program would outgo the authorities much than $340 million annually.
House Republicans voted to exempt the measure from the accepted budgetary process requiring information successful the House Appropriations oregon Ways and Means Committees, a process that each different measure that appropriates wealth is required to spell through.
Republicans reason the program volition empower parents to nonstop their kids to immoderate schoolhouse provides the champion acquisition accidental to acceptable their unsocial needs.
“It's been a precise breathtaking night... And arsenic I perceive to the statement tonight, I recognize that a batch of radical don't recognize that this was really decided backmost successful the primaries. What Governor Reynolds has done to instrumentality a basal for children each crossed the board, and I cognize we heard a batch of absorption to the ESAs during the debate. But we, particularly the freshman and the radical who person been present for galore years. We've been listening to constituents for years already. This isn't thing new. We're truly excited. We're pleased with the vote,” Republican Rep. Helena Hayes said.
Democrats accidental the measure lacks fiscal responsibility, transparency and accountability.
"It's been an exhausting process. It's been a heartbreaking process. I was adjacent with immoderate kids successful an simple schoolhouse today, a nationalist schoolhouse successful Des Moines, here. And looking astatine them, knowing that this could hap contiguous and knowing that they're going to person to get by with adjacent less resources than they person present is heartbreaking to me. Tonight, the Iowa legislature fto down a half-a-million kids successful the state," Democratic Rep. Austin Baeth said.
Before the vote, State Auditor Rob Sand, who is simply a Democrat, expressed concerns astir oversight of the plan.
"With nary transparency obligations, nary required nationalist audits, nary nationalist records and nary nationalist meetings, uncovering waste, fraud and maltreatment of your taxation dollars volition beryllium overmuch harder," Sand said.
This is simply a processing story. Stay tuned to KCCI on-air and online for updates.
Previous coverage:
English (US)