Iowa Catholic Conference newsletter, Feb. 25, 2024

The Iowa Catholic Conference encourages you to take action today on issues of concern at the State Legislature. Your personal messages to legislators are critical! Dive deeper:

Oppose enforcement-only immigration proposals:

https://www.votervoice.net/ICC/campaigns/112022/respond

Protect unborn children in the state’s criminal code: https://www.votervoice.net/ICC/campaigns/112023/respond

You can also use our system for sending a message to your legislator on any other topic.

Also, this week the ICC is working to get the "Med Act" conscience bill, SF 2286, to the floor for debate in the Senate. This bill provides needed conscience protections for medical personnel.

Time is running short for bills which would require age verification for adult websites (HF 2546), and parental consent for minors to have a social media account (HF 2523). Your contacts with legislators would be appreciated.

Last week at the State Capitol

The ICC supports SF 2251, which passed the Iowa Senate. The bill extends Medicaid health insurance coverage to women who have given birth to a full year (from two months). The bill scales back the eligibility for mothers on Medicaid from 375% of the federal poverty level to 215%, which would cause some moms to lose coverage. We are working to keep the existing eligibility rate in the House version, HF 2583. Still, the extended post-partum insurance is important for the moms who need it.

In related floor action, the Senate passed SF 2252, which includes some fixes for the Iowa MOMS (More Options for Maternal Support) program. This also helps new mothers by providing funding to pregnancy counseling centers.

The Senate version of the “Religious Freedom Restoration Act” (RFRA), SF 2095, passed the Senate. The bill clarifies the First Amendment’s protection of “free exercise” of religion by ensuring the government is held to a high level of proof before it interferes. The ICC is working to get the House version of the bill, HF 2454, to the floor for debate. 

Homeschool rule changes

Some members of the homeschool community in Iowa have pointed out concerns with proposed rule changes by the state. For more information see www.homeschooliowa.org.

And finally,

The Iowa Catholic Conference is co-sponsoring an Iowa Religious Freedom Day interfaith breakfast at the State Capitol on Wednesday, April 10 from 7:30-11:30 a.m. Please stop by this nonpartisan event and learn how to engage with your legislators! For more information go to www.iowareligiousfreedomday.org. Other sponsors include The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and the Des Moines Area Religious Council.