Week 5: Iowa State Capitol Report

Dear Mental Health Advocates,

Yesterday marked the end of the fifth week of the 2024 Iowa Legislative Session. Next week is the legislative funnel, which means certain bills will move forward this session and others will effectively die. (We covered the funnel last week; click here if you’re wondering, What the heck is a funnel?)

Once again, there was no full floor debate in either the House of Representatives or the Senate, as many subcommittees and committees met to try to advance bills.

Last Chance: Register for Mental Health Day on the Hill before Feb. 18!

We are just over 10 days away from NAMI Iowa's 2024 Mental Health Day on the Hill! Join the more than 100 advocates who are already registered to get educated, inspired, and engaged on urgent mental health issues facing our state. Check out the agenda and stellar speaker lineup here. Let’s fill the Capitol with mental health advocates. We are stronger together!

Access to Maternal Mental Healthcare

NAMI Iowa is proud to be part of a coalition of organizations working to extend Medicaid coverage from 60 days to 12 months after a person has given birth. Good news: This week, Senate version of the bill cleared the first funnel (passing both a subcommittee and full committee), and the House version passed out of subcommittee, with the expectation that it will move through the full committee next week.

The ongoing sticking point for the bill is the change in income eligibility levels. While the proposed legislation would extend Medicaid for a longer period of time (60 days to 12 months), it would also significantly reduce the income threshold to participate in the program. Advocates are still attempting to increase the income eligibility levels. This Business Record article explains more. NAMI Iowa supports the bill as a step in the right direction. We know that postpartum depression, anxiety, and other serious mental health conditions can extend far beyond 60 days after a person gives birth. Some studies show that up to half of mothers with postpartum depression go untreated, which negatively impacts baby and family wellbeing, and can have longterm repercussions on health.

Upcoming Legislative Forums

A key part of change-making is getting to know your legislator and educating them on the issues that matter to you. Find the Representative and Senator that represent your district by clicking here, then sign up for any emails they send and follow them on social media. You can also attend legislative forums to meet directly with policymakers. Below are the forums we are aware of occurring in the next week (this is not an exhaustive list, as more opportunities are added frequently). Check with the host site or legislators' websites for any cancellations or changes.

Saturday, February 10

8:00 – 9:00 a.m.: Discuss Iowa’s 94^th District with Rep. Vondran at Tasty Café, 209 E. LeClaire Rd., Eldridge

8:00 – 9:00 a.m.: Legislative Coffee with Area Legislators at Mealsite at the Depot, 116 W. Adams St., Creston

8:00 – 9:00 a.m.: Legislative Forum with Rep. Sieck at Emerson Community Building, 711 Morton Ave., Emerson

8:30 – 9:30 a.m.: Coffee and Conversation with Area Legislators at Smokey Row, 109 S. Market St., Oskaloosa

8:30 – 9:30 a.m.: Legislative Forum with Sen. Rowley and Rep. Wills at Emmetsburg Chamber of Commerce, 1121 Broadway St., Emmetsburg

9:00 – 10:00 a.m.: February Constituent Coffee Hour with Sen. Boulton at Best Day Coffee, 404 8^th St. SW, Altoona

9:00 – 10:00 a.m.: Legislative Town Hall with Sen. Salmon at Parkersburg Public Library, 309 3^rd St., Parkersburg

9:00 – 10:00 a.m.: Farm Bureau Legislative Forum with Area Legislators at Arlington Community Event Center, 853 Main St., Arlington

9:30 – 10:30 a.m.: Legislative Coffee with Rep. Sorensen at Adair Community Centre, 103 S. 5^th St., Adair

10:00 – 11:00 a.m.: Legislative Forum with Rep. Jones at Kings Pointe, 1520 E. Lakeshore Dr., Storm Lake

10:00 – 11:00 a.m.: Legislative Coffee with Area Legislators at Chamber and Development Council of Crawford County, 109 N. Main St., Denison

10:00 – 11:00 a.m.: Community Conversation with Rep. Cahill at Sunrise Café, 908 W. Main St., Le Grand

10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.: Coffee and Conversation with Rep. Kurth at Eastern Iowa Community College, Belmont Campus, 500 Belmont Rd., Bettendorf

10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.: AEA Community Conversation in Cedar Falls with Area Legislators at Central Rivers AEA, 1521 Technology Pkwy., Cedar Falls

11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.: Legislative Town Hall with Sen. Salmon at Allison Public Library, 412 3^rd St., Allison

11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.: Coffee at J’s with Rep. Turek at J’s Coffee and Donuts, 157 W. Broadway, Council Bluffs

11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.: Legislative Coffee with Rep. Sorensen at Farm Bureau, 115 West Ct., Winterset

11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.: Farm Bureau Legislative Forum with Rep. Bergan at Howard County Farm Bureau Office, 311 7^th St. SW, Cresco

11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.: Farm Bureau Legislative Forum with Rep. Osmundson at Monona Community Center, 407 S. Egbert St., Monona

1:00 – 2:00 p.m.: Legislative Town Hall with Sen. Salmon at Denver Community Room, 100 Washington St., Denver

Sunday, February 11

8:30 – 10:00 a.m.: Coffee & Conversation with with Sen. Donahue and Rep. Wilson at Uptown Coffee Company, 760 11^th St., Ste. A, Marion

Monday, February 12

8:00 – 9:00 p.m.: Office Hours with Rep. Baeth at Lua Brewing, 1525 High St., Des Moines

Tuesday, February 13

10:00 – 11:00 a.m.: Coffee and Conversation with Sen. Donahue at Porch Light Coffee, 417 SW 3^rd St., Ankeny

Thursday, February 15

6:00 – 7:30 p.m.: February Town Hall with Sen. Petersen and Reps. Baeth and Bagniewski at Northwest Community Center, 5110 Franklin Ave., Des Moines

Friday, February 16

8:00 – 9:00 a.m.: Mount Pleasant Area Chamber Legislative Breakfast with Area Legislators at Mount Pleasant Chamber, 124 S. Main St., Mount Pleasant

8:30 – 9:30 a.m.: Coffee & Conversation 2024 with Area Legislators at Smokey Row, 109 S. Market St., Oskaloosa

9:00 – 10:00 a.m.: Legislative Office Hours with Rep. Matson at Main Street Café & Bakery, 2510 SW White Birch Dr., Ankeny

9:30 – 10:30 a.m.: Iowa Veterans Home Listening Post with Rep. Cahill at Iowa Veterans Home Mallory Hall, 1301 Summit St., Marshalltown

11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.: Lee County Meetings for Local Legislators at Lee County Career Advantage Center, 2495 280^th St., Montrose

2:00 – 3:15 p.m.: Legislative Forum with Area Legislators at BioVentures Center, 2500 Crosspark Rd., Coralville

4:30 – 6:30 p.m.: Second Cedar Valley Legislative Forum with Area Legislators at Hawkeye Community College Van G. Miller Adult Learning Center, 120 Jefferson St., Waterloo

Saturday, February 17

7:30 – 9:00 a.m.: Legislative Forum with Sen. Dickey and Reps. Hayes and J. Shipley at Fairfield Arts and Convention Center, 1007 S. 7^th St., Fairfield

8:00 – 9:00 a.m.: Discuss Iowa’s 94^th District with Rep. Vondran at Tasty Café, 209 E. LeClaire Rd., Eldridge

9:00 – 10:00 a.m.: Iowa District 89 Legislative Check-in with Rep. Levin at Mammitas Coffee, 224 S. Linn St., Iowa City

10:00 – 11:00 a.m.: Legislative Forum with Reps. Holt and Best at Shelby County Farm Bureau, 908 6^th St., Harlan

10:00 – 11:30 a.m.: Legislative Forum with Area Legislators at Cedar Rapids Public Library, Beems A and B, 450 5^th Ave., SE, Cedar Rapids

11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.: Legislative Forum with Sen. J. Taylor and Rep. Jeneary at MOC-Floyd Valley High School, 615 8^th St., SE, Orange City

As always, you can find our 2023 legislative priorities here. Be sure to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn and share our advocacy posts with your networks. Help amplify our message!

Find your Iowa Representative and Senator by entering your home address here. Sign up for your legislators' newsletters, and follow them on social media to track what they are working on and opportunities to meet and connect with them.

Do you want to help impact NAMI Iowa's approach to advocacy and policy development? Do you want to use your personal experience to make a difference? Consider joining NAMI Iowa's Advocacy Committee. Email Bethany Kohoutek at bethany@namiiowa.org to learn more.

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