Legislature called back into special session

Gov. Kim Reynolds has called the Legislature back into special session July 11, she said, "with the sole purpose of enacting legislation that addresses abortion and protects unborn lives."

This is in response to last month’s decision by the Iowa Supreme Court which left an injunction in place against a 2018 “heartbeat” law. That law would prohibit abortions after a heartbeat could be detected but has never been enforced.

It seems likely the Legislature will pass the same law again to address some of the judges’ concerns that too much time had passed since the original passage of the bill.

The Iowa Catholic Conference supports efforts by legislators to limit the harm of abortion to the greatest extent possible. “Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception,” including through the civil law [Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2270, 2273].

We encourage you to contact your Representative and Senator and, in your own words, ask them to support these efforts.

Thousands apply for Education Savings Accounts

More than 29,000 students applied for a Students First Education Savings Account (ESA) during the application period which closed on June 30. So far about 17,500 applications have been approved.

About 60 percent of the approvals are for current nonpublic school families, while 40 percent are for kindergarteners or families hoping to switch from a public to a nonpublic school.

This year, ESAs will be funded with $7,635, which can be used to help parents pay for tuition to an accredited nonpublic school. The local public school will receive about $1,200 for each Education Savings Account that is approved.

The program is currently limited by family income but will become available to all parents in two years.