The dust has settled after a really busy "funnel" week at the Iowa capitol and we have two big wins to report!
hero_image_alt_text===Iowa Capitol building with the word "Update from the Capitol!"
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thumbnail_alt_text===Iowa Capitol building with the word "Update from the Capitol!"
First, our tobacco tax equity bill, HF 98, passed out of State Government Committee and will now move to Ways and Means Committee. This bill will tax e-cigarettes that currently are not taxed in our state and as you know, this is important as we fight the youth vaping epidemic. We want to thank our bill sponsor Rep. Ann Meyer who has been doing an incredible job and her passion for this issue has been amazing. Thank you to the volunteers who were able to take action last week, it paid off!
The next big win is around maternal health legislation, SF 2354, that was introduced and passed out of subcommittee and committee with an amendment. This amendment was critical because it changed the language from 6 months to 12 months to extend postpartum Medicaid coverage and our advocacy work pushed legislators to make this change. Kudos to Sen. Costello and Sen. Edler for making this change to the legislation and Sen. Cournoyer who helped us advocate for this change. This bill also includes the funding needed to implement this change and is another critical component to get this legislation implemented.
Stay tuned for more updates and the legislature will be working on state budgets and we will advocate for funding for the Double Up Food Bucks Program, tobacco control and prevention, Head Start and this Medicaid postpartum extension.
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