Iowa Catholic Conference Newsletter, April 20, 2025

Legislators stop getting paid on May 2 but it’s looking unlikely the session will finish by then. One of the big-ticket items to be decided is property tax cuts. The current proposal would call for the state to give counties and schools about $400 million to make up for current property tax revenue. The state’s budget can’t be figured out until legislators decide if they need to spend the money or not. 

The Iowa Catholic Conference (ICC) is tracking several pieces of legislation still under consideration at the Iowa Capitol. The “human smuggling” bill, HF 572, is on the Senate’s debate calendar for today. The ICC opposes the bill – here’s why.

SF 248 is also on the Senate’s debate calendar. The ICC supports the bill, requires businesses to provide adoptive parents the same benefits as biological parents.

The ICC is fighting final approval of SF 615 to add work requirements to the Iowa Health and Wellness Plan. The Reynolds administration has applied for a federal waiver to implement these requirements.

Please consider contacting your Senators on these bills through our Action Center.

The Iowa House passed three bills on Thursday with the support of the Iowa Catholic Conference:

• SF 175, the so-called “Baby Olivia” bill, was approved on a vote of 60-30 and sent back to the Senate with an amendment. The bill requires schools to show students a “medically-accurate” video on fetal development. We think the proposal will ensure that students can see how the miracle of life develops in the womb. 

• SJR 9 passed 87-6. It proposes a constitutional amendment to limit the ability of defendants to personally confront children or persons with mental health issues in court. If it passes the Legislature in 2027 or 2028, it will go to the people of Iowa for a vote.

• SF 288 passed unanimously and will go to the governor. It requires state universities to make reasonable accommodations for students who are pregnant or who have recently given birth. The universities are already making accommodations, but the bill will publicize their availability.

The Senate has approved SJR 11, which now needs to be passed by the House before going before the voters of Iowa. It is a constitutional amendment that would require a two-thirds majority of the legislature to approve an income tax increase or a corporate tax increase.  This bill would allow a relatively small minority to stop what might be needed legislation to protect the common good. Perhaps a future Legislature would find it easier just to increase the sales tax, which low- and moderate-income people tend to pay in higher percentages of their total income. The ICC is opposed to the bill.

Other issues of concern:

• The ICC supports HF 571, which would protect medical conscience rights for medical professionals. The bill is ready for debate in the Senate.

• The ICC supports HF 965, which would increase the tax credit for adoptive parents to $20,000. Any excess credit is refundable. The bill unanimously passed the House Ways and Means Committee last week.

SF 473, which provides conscience protections for prospective foster care and adoptive parents. The proposal would ensure that potential foster care/adoptive parents are not excluded because of their moral or religious beliefs by the state Health and Human Services Department or their contractors. We are encouraging the House to take it up for debate. The legislation would not change Iowa’s law which requires placements to be made in the best interest of the child.

Does restricting abortion in Iowa limit care for miscarriages?

Concerns have been expressed in news stories that laws restricting abortion can limit care for women experiencing a miscarriage. In “Iowa’s Fetal Heartbeat Law and Catholic Health Care Ethics,” the Archdiocese of Dubuque’s Medical-Moral Commission sets out the stipulations of Iowa law, clarifies what is and is not allowable legally for interventions on a pregnancy, and compares this with Catholic health care ethics.

ESA application period opens

All parents are now eligible to apply for an Education Savings Account to send their child to a Catholic school. New applicants will be required to first create an ESA Portal account before starting the application process. Applications are available in English and Spanish. Returning applicants will log in to their existing ESA Portal account to complete a new application for the 2025-26 school year. You can visit the state’s ESA website for more information.

National budget reconciliation package should not put additional burdens on those struggling

“As Congress continues to work towards budget reconciliation legislation, we implore them to protect programs such as Medicaid and SNAP and to expand the Child Tax Credit (CTC) to the most vulnerable children,” said Archbishop Borys Gudziak, chairman of the United States Catholic Conference’s (USCCB) Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, and asserted that the Catholic Church’s closeness to the poor informs its advocacy efforts.

He was joined by Sr. Mary Haddad, RSM, president and CEO of the Catholic Health Association of the United States, and Kerry Alys Robinson, president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA, as they underscored their message to lawmakers on the importance of Medicaid and other policies essential to families’ ability to meet basic human needs.

In a letter, they said, in part: “The Church’s closeness to the poor informs our advocacy.” The USCCB has an action alert in support of safety net programs. Please tell your members of Congress to prioritize families.