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| Date: From: Subject: | 4/13/2011 9:32:34 AM Home School Legal Defense Association Iowa--Deadlines Trump Good and Bad Bills |
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====================================================================== From the HSLDA E-lert Service... ====================================================================== Iowa--Deadlines Trump Good and Bad Bills Dear HSLDA Members and Friends: HSLDA and Network of Iowa Christian Home Educators (NICHE) adopted a very vigorous legislative agenda this year in the cause of expanding liberty and increasing opportunities for homeschool families, knowing that sometimes the fruit comes only with patient effort. Iowa's legislative session consists of two essentially separate years. Bills that do not succeed in the first year can be brought back for the second year. None of the bills for which HSLDA and NICHE worked achieved enactment this year. But we will vigorously promote these good bills next year--and look for any unusual opportunities that might arise to advance good bills during the remaining two weeks of this year's session. GOOD BILLS THAT DID NOT GET FAR ENOUGH Independent Private Instruction, a new homeschool option with much less red tape, passed the House but did not come out of Senate committee in time to make any further progress this year (HF 588). A companion Senate bill, SF 160, did not move. Parent-taught driver education, HF 584, passed the House, but did not emerge from Senate committee in time to make further progress this year. A companion Senate bill, SF 146, did not move. A measure that would have allowed Iowans to vote on amending the state Constitution to protect the time-honored definition of marriage, HJR 6, passed the House by a wide margin but failed to make it through the Senate. A similar bill in the Senate, SJR 3, did not receive attention. HF 604 (formerly HF 115) would have prevented education from becoming a pawn between quarrelling parents during a divorce. The bill did not emerge by "funnel date," so it is not moving forward. A bill that would have given homeschoolers more flexibility in qualifying for the Post Secondary Enrollment Option program, SF 423, failed to emerge from committee in its house of origin, so it will not receive further attention this year. BAD BILLS THAT WERE HALTED Three bills to raise compulsory attendance age from 16 to 18 have halted, HF 71, HF 275 and HF 116. A bill that would have allowed social workers to enter any "program, facility or school" without a warrant, HF 191, never emerged from its house of origin. A bill that would have undercut the authority of parents to determine whether grandparents can visit grandchildren, HF 297, did not make it out of committee in its house of origin. A bill that would have had the unintended consequence of making it impossible for a licensed teacher to instruct a student outside compulsory attendance age without government approval, HF 580, did not emerge from its house of origin. HF 599 would have mandated new tests for a student to graduate from high school, or enter or receive financial aid at a state-supported college. The bill stopped moving when it did not receive House approval by the deadline. SF 445, "Deaf Children's Bill of Rights" (formerly SF 190), would have been harmful to parent-child relationship in families with deaf children as originally drafted. It was significantly amended however, and, is no longer a threat. It continues to make progress toward enactment. Thank you for standing with us for freedom! Scott Woodruff HSLDA Senior Counsel ---------------------------------------------------------------------- -> How long are you in for? Some families are facing what seems like a lifelong commitment to homeschooling, with children at both ends of the spectrum -- some graduating and some just reaching school age. If you're going to be "in" for a while, consider a lifetime membership with HSLDA. 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Thank you for your cooperation. ====================================================================== | |
