Week two of the session is complete and work is well underway. All the pomp and circumstance of the first week is behind us and we are focused on the hard work of moving our bills through committee. One of the first budget issues we will act on is the Supplemental State Aid for K-12 Public Schools. We have not yet decided on a precise amount. The governor called for $104 million increase in the Condition of the State Address last week, and that number seems to be within reason given our current budget estimates. House Republicans are committed to setting SSA as early as possible so that our school boards and administrators have time to plan their budgets for the 2020-21 school year. We will also be continuing to work on school transportation equity that helps our rural schools with high transportation costs keep more dollars in the classroom. Governor Reynolds has announced plans to create a School Safety Bureau headed by the Department of Public Safety and Department of Education. The Bureau will provide resources and work closely with Iowa’s school districts and law enforcement to keep students, faculty and staff safe. The plan is intended to provide consistent training for rapid response teams, an anonymous reporting tool, and law enforcement assistance when needed. House Republicans appreciate the Governor’s attention to this important issue and look forward to working with her on it during the session. This new bureau will help leverage past actions the legislature has taken to improve school safety. In 2019, the Legislature passed an extension of the SAVE penny that is used for school infrastructure and property tax relief. This legislation ensures that school boards and administrators are able to use these resources for school safety measures and prioritizes upgrades like secure entrances, security cameras, and other safety enhancements. We have also passed legislation requiring schools to develop emergency response plans in coordination with local law enforcement. While most schools already had a strategy in place, some schools lacked a high-quality plan. This legislation also required teachers to go through active shooter training once a year so that if a situation ever arose, schools and staff are prepared to respond. Over the last several sessions, we have championed efforts to provide school districts with unprecedented flexibility over the funding they receive from the state. As part of these efforts, we have made it easier for schools to direct more resources towards hiring school security personnel. With greater flexibility, school boards now have the ability to address their own unique safety and security challenges in a way that best meets their district’s needs. We have also passed legislation that protects students from known predators in schools who move undetected from district to district by requiring administrators to report employee misconduct in a timely way. House Republicans will continue to look for opportunities this session to ensure the safety of Iowa’s students, faculty, and staff while at school. As always, I hope to see you here at the capitol during the session. This is a beautiful building and well worth the time to visit and tour it. I can also have my clerk take constituents up in the capitol dome and out into the cupola overlooking the city. Representative Dean Fisher House District 72