Rep. Joshua Meggers (R-Grundy Center).

This week I was happy to join my House colleagues in giving a warm welcome to Micah Barnes. Micah Barnes is the 2023 TRI-STATE Rodeo Queen. I want to wish Micah Barnes the best of luck as she travels promoting lowa Agriculture, rodeo, and educational opportunities for women involved in our state and across the country.

Although this week has slowed down, I was able to run SF 490 through the House Chamber. This bill is an act relating to all written reports filed by a law enforcement officer as required under section 321.266 shall be made available to any party to an accident, the party’s insurance company or its agents, party’s attorney, the federal motor carrier safety administration, or the attorney general, on written request to the department and the payment of a fee of four dollars for each copy. If a copy of an investigating officer’s report of a motor vehicle accident filed with the department is retained by the law enforcement agency of the officer who filed the report, a copy shall be made available to any party to the accident, the party’s insurance company or its agent, the party’s attorney, the federal motor carrier safety administration, other law enforcement agencies, or the attorney general, on written request and the payment of a fee.

SF 273 passed the House and will be passed back to the Senate. This bill is an act relating to the railroad revolving loan and grant fund by making moneys available to certain railroads operating exclusively in lowa. This bill prohibits the DOT from granting any loans to a class I or class I railroad carrier, as defined by the federal surface transportation board (STB), or any

class III railroad carrier that operates trains beyond the borders of lowa.

I have been receiving lots of emails in regard to SF 494. This bill will work to make sure lowans who receive government assistance for food and health care are those who truly need it. Our goal is those who can re-enter the workforce will, and then continue to grow in their careers. SF 494 has changed quite a bit during this legislative session and is still not in its final form. We House Republicans always appreciate to get feedback from lowans on both sides of this issue to be effective in what we want to accomplish without unintended consequences.

Finally, I was glad to attend The lowa Taproom dinner and listen to positive discussions about our state’s future in health care when it comes to the interoperability of health data, with CyncHealth lowa. It was a pleasure to hear from former Speaker of the U.S House of Representatives Newt Gingrich and former Speaker of the lowa House Linda Upmeyer. The event was hosted in partnership with the American Legislative Exchange Council.

Rep. Meggers’ district, Iowa House District 54, includes all of Grundy and Hardin counties and several rural townships on the far western edge of Black Hawk County. He can be reached via email: joshua.meggers@legis.iowa.gov.