JIM WILL ADVOCATE FOR...
STRONG PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND AEA'S
ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE AND QUALITY HEALTHCARE, INCLUDING REPRODUCTIVE CARE
MAKING IOWA AN INCLUSIVE PLACE FOR ALL, WITH GOOD EMPLOYERS AND GREAT JOBS
CLEAN &
SAFE WATER FOR IOWANS
IOWA ECONOMY & WORKING FAMILIES
Iowa’s record under the current administration has been a Race to the Bottom. Recent rankings put Iowa LAST in economic activity, ALMOST LAST in economic health, and BOTTOM HALF for innovation potential. Wages lag behind our surrounding States. Factories are leaving us behind. Only recently, CASE-NEW HOLLAND announced it was abandoning Burlington, after a century of successful partnership here. We are hemorrhaging our young people. They are leaving for better opportunities elsewhere. The old playbook of cutting taxes for the wealthy, keeping wages low, and cutting essential services, has failed us. We can do better.
RAISE THE MINIMUM WAGE.
The Minimum Wage has sat at $7.25 for 17 Years! During that same time, the Cost of Living has risen dramatically. No family can live at this wage. Iowa needs to set its Minimum Wage at $15 an hour.
INVEST IN VOCATIONAL TRAINING.
Factory jobs have been moving away. We need to work with our Community Colleges, and Union Apprenticeship programs to make it easier to learn a trade. A strong and educated workforce will attract and create new jobs.
ASSIST WITH CHILD DAYCARE.
When both parents work, Child Daycare is a major expense for working families. We need to look for ways to help them out when it is unaffordable.
EMERGENCY HELP FOR DISPLACED WORKERS.
This Legislature recently cut eligibility for Unemployment Benefits from 26 weeks to 16 weeks. It also reduced the amounts employers need to pay in to the fund. We need to help displaced workers, like the ones at Case-New Holland, to get back on their feet when their factory leaves town.
PUBLIC EDUCATION
Not long ago, Iowa Public Schools were the envy of the Nation. Our schools were consistently ranked at the top. Now we have fallen towards the middle of the pack. Outstanding Public Education not only benefits students, but helps draw new business to our State.
END PRIVATE SCHOOL VOUCHERS.
Private School Vouchers drain tax dollars that should go to our Public Schools. This Voucher program will cost our State $345 Million for the 2026-2027 school year. Iowa can’t afford it. On top of that, vouchers will be going to families that can already afford the cost. There is no accountability for what is taught, or how the money is spent. Remember, Private Schools can pick and choose the students they accept. Public Schools must be open for all students.
LET TEACHERS TEACH.
Public school teachers must obtain a degree and certification. Many pursue advanced degrees. They answer to school administrators and elected school boards. This Legislature needs to get out of the way, and LET TEACHERS TEACH. We need to end its recent book bans. Our students need to learn about the real word they live in today. They need to be taught real science, and real history. They need to be challenged to ask questions and think for themselves, so they can make the best choices
in life.
RESTORE COLLECTIVE BARGAINING.
Teacher pay has been neglected for the past decade. It has not kept up with the cost-of-living. Inadequate pay makes it hard to keep good Teachers, and harder to attract new Teachers. Iowa is experiencing a teacher shortage, particularly in math and science. Before 2017, teachers had the right to collective bargaining. Teachers and school districts negotiated teacher pay. If they couldn’t agree, an impartial arbitrator did what was fair. As a dues-paying member of AFSCME for 22 years, I can tell you just how important this right is. Public employee collective bargaining worked well for 50 years. We need to restore this right to our teachers.
HEALTHCARE
PROTECT MEDICAID.
Medicaid helps families stay healthy and get preventative care when they need it. Medicaid needs to be adequately funded. The Legislature needs to stop building barriers for those who can’t afford health care. We need to have Medicaid reimbursements to health care providers that will cover their costs. We can’t afford to lose our rural hospitals.
WOMEN’S RIGHT TO CHOOSE.
Families need the right to decide if, when, and how to have children. That right was protected by both the United States and Iowa Constitutions. But in 2022 the case of DOBBS v. JACKSON WOMEN’S HEALTH ORGANIZATION took it away. It was the first time the Supreme Court has ever stripped away a Fundamental Constitutional right. Then the Iowa Legislature passed one of the harshest laws against Reproductive Freedom in the Country. Most abortions are now illegal after the first 6 weeks of pregnancy, before many women even know they are pregnant. Many in this Legislature want to ban them completely. These actions threaten women’s healthcare. These moves have driven OB/GYN practitioners out of Iowa. We now have the worst shortages of OB/GYN practitioners in the country. We need to restore the rights women had for 50 years, under ROE v. WADE.
WATER SAFETY
THIS LEGISLATURE MUST ADDRESS WATER SAFETY. Iowa has the second highest Cancer Rate in the Nation, at 492 new cases, per 100,000 residents. It is widely accepted that Farm Pesticide Runoff is the cause. Bayer and Monsanto are the manufacturers in question. We must get serious about addressing this crisis. The Iowa Senate passed SF 394 instead. THE CANCER GAG ACT would let pesticide manufacturers, escape accountability for cancers caused by their products. The Iowa Senate has now passed this legislation two years in a row. We need to focus on a solution, and not just bail out the corporations with the most PAC money to spend.
INCLUSIVITY
The current leadership is obsessed with marginalizing LGBT people, and taking away their rights.
SF 2095 legalizes discrimination against LGBT persons in employment, housing and public accommodations. This discrimination is protected if it can be tied to a religious belief. HF 348 is Iowa’s DON’T SAY GAY law. It prohibits and sanctions talking about the existence of LGBT people in public schools. SF 496 is a book ban that targets books with LGBT characters and subjects. HF 891 targets “drag shows,” and businesses that sponsor performances, as if there wasn’t important business to address. SF 418 legalizes discrimination based on gender identity. It is the only time any State Legislature has ever stripped away Civil Rights protections from any group. But the worst may be yet to come. The 2024 Republican State Platform calls for the repeal of any laws that recognize a right to same-sex marriage. It also calls for removing sexual orientation from protection under our Civil Rights laws. If Iowa wants to be a welcoming place, it must recognize that we all have a right
to sit at the table.
