By Tom Chapman
For The Catholic Messenger
The Iowa House passed HF 248 by a vote of 87-0. The bill, which the Iowa Catholic Conference (ICC) supports, requires employers to treat employees who adopt a child under 6 years of age in the same manner as a biological parent. The legislation now goes to the Senate.
Current ICC alerts address the immigration issue, helping students learn about the development of human life, and helping people with disabilities earn and save more while keeping Medicaid benefits. Visit the ICC website (iowacatholicconference.org) and click on the “Take Action” link. The action alerts include a call to resume international humanitarian assistance.
At press time, a House subcommittee planned a hearing for HSB 223, which would legalize online casino apps with real money. The Catholic Church does not oppose gambling per se, but the ICC opposes this bill because vulnerable people could get caught up in this form of gambling easily.
Republicans in the Iowa Legislature have released their proposal to revamp Iowa’s property tax system. The bills, SSB 1208 and HSB 313, would:
- Cap property tax growth at 2% while phasing out the current system that rolls back the value of assessments for determining property taxes.
- Limit the amount local governments can increase taxes due to the end of the rollback.
- Increase homestead and veteran credits and a property tax freeze for some people over 70 years of age.
- Provide about $400 million in property tax relief funds from the state to local governments.
For what it’s worth, both chambers have introduced an unusually large number of bills this session. It seems the House is likely to exceed 1,000 bills this year, at least 20% more than “normal.” The Senate has more than 600 bills, also an increase.
Feds drop challenge to Iowa immigration law
The Trump Administration has dropped the federal lawsuit against SF 2340, the law passed by the Iowa Legislature last year on “illegal reentry.” The law would make it a crime for a person previously denied admission or deported from the U.S. to be present in the state, even if they subsequently have received legal status. The state lawsuit against the bill by Iowa Migrant Movement for Justice continues and it appears the law is not in force for now.
At the time of the bill’s passage, the Catholic bishops of Iowa said, “At the state level, we have opposed migration enforcement measures such as SF 2340 because they place a disproportionate emphasis on punitive sanctions, undermine family unity, reduce humanitarian protections, and provide no viable solutions for long-time residents without legal status.”
Learn more about what the Catholic Church teaches on immigration on the ICC website, The Catholic Messenger website and in this week’s issue of The Messenger (Page 9).
I will emcee an “Immigration Action Workshop” at St. Catherine of Siena Student Center in Des Moines on March 29 at 10 a.m. Participants will learn about the specific needs of refugees and immigrants. Contact Aimee Beckmann-Collier at aimee.beckmann-collier@drake.edu for more information.
Save the date
Plan to attend the 12th Annual Iowa Religious Freedom Day Interfaith Breakfast and Prayer April 10 from 7:30-9:30 a.m. in the State Capitol rotunda, with a short program at 8 a.m. The public is invited. The theme for the day is “The Role of Religion in Peacemaking.” The ICC is a co-sponsor of the breakfast along with The Comparison Project at Drake University, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, DMARC and the University of Texas at Austin School of Law. Other events will take place during the day in different parts of the state. An evening symposium, “The Role of Religion in Peacemaking,” will be held from 6-9 p.m. at the World Food Prize Hall of Laureates in Des Moines.
(Tom Chapman is executive director of the Iowa Catholic Conference.)
