Under the Golden Dome
The legislature is slowly working its way toward adjournment. It won’t be this week. While budget talks are happening behind the scenes, we have yet to see any budget bills out of the House. The Senate has passed all of their budget bills out of committee but with no numbers, waiting for floor debate to fill in the blanks once the budget is agreed upon.
The best news this week is that the Senate passed HF 93, prohibiting noncompete clauses for mental health professionals and HF 671, allowing Iowa’s entry into the counseling compact. Both bills had previously passed the House and will now be sent to the governor for her signature.
Keep making contacts with your legislators and especially Senators Costello and Edler on Medicaid reimbursement. House health and human services budget chair Joel Fry has included $10 million in his budget to raise mental health Medicaid rates! With your advocacy, we can make Iowa more competitive with the surrounding states.