Sinclair hopes to tackle budget, Medicaid transition in upcoming session

Dec. 30--Editor's Note: Each year before the Iowa Legislative Session convenes, the Newton Daily News interviews local legislators. The following Q&A features Iowa State Sen. Amy Sinclair, who is serving her second term in Senate District 14, which includes all of Clarke, Decatur, Wayne and Lucas counties with most of Marion County and the southeast quarter of Jasper County. The Legislature convenes Jan. 9, 2017.

Q. What are your top priorities as you enter the 2017 Legislative session?

A. There is no single, most-important issue. Several issues will come before the Legislature that deserve a solid plan. The state's budget decline due to the commodities market must be our top concern, as well as dealing with the Medicaid transition and water quality. One important issue beyond those top concerns just listed is to find equity in the state's education funding formula. Currently Iowa's funding has two built-in flaws: 1) a difference district-to-district in the cost per pupil and 2) no acknowledgment of the transportation cost variances for necessarily small districts. The district cost per pupil inequity has been in place since the state began its current funding formula for local districts. When it was enacted, the formula allowed local school districts to levy an additional per pupil property tax in addition to the state per pupil funding based on historical expenditures. Today this means that some districts are allowed to locally levy a larger amount per pupil than other districts. For very urban districts, this can mean hundreds of thousands of dollars a year they are unable to access for educational purposes. On the opposite end of the spectrum is the issue of transportation costs. In rural areas of the state where districts must cover larger areas to transport fewer students, the cost to get a child to school may exceed $1000 per student, which comes directly from the amount available to provide educational opportunities. These costs vary by district size and population and create a huge inequity in the funding going into each classroom across the state. Last year I introduced a bill that would address both the cost per pupil funding, as well as the transportation funding. It was a ten-year plan, developed with input from several education stakeholders, that would eliminate the inequities and allow schools to provide the same high-quality educational opportunities for students regardless of their zip code.

Q. With your party in the majority in both houses, what does this mean to K-12 funding? Will the Legislature follow the law in terms of submitting funding on time?

A. The simple answer is yes. I believe we will find common ground, pass state aid funding quickly, and move on to the rest of the issues that will come before the legislature this session.

Q. A Republican majority makes it seem possible some abortion restriction proposals might be pursued. Do you feel these will be largely partisan issues, and how will you and your party approach such proposals?

The fact that I am pro-life has never been a secret. Our Declaration of Independence identifies our God-given rights, outside of government, to only a handful of things. The first listed is life. Therefore, the primary responsibility of civil government is to protect life, whether that is from hostile foreign enemies, from criminals, or any other threat. I can't speak for my party, nor for the Democrat party. I can only speak for myself. I will defend the life of every person I represent as best I can.

Q. You've said you support community health clinic funding ahead of funding Planned Parenthood or any national or "city-centric" services. Will this be debated in the Legislature in 2017?

A. I do believe it will be a topic of debate. And I would absolutely support family planning dollars finding their priority in community health clinics. They provide broader availability of the citizens of Iowa, particularly the rural Iowans I represent. There are zero Planned Parenthood clinics even offering services to my constituents. To contract tax dollars to an organization that cannot meet the needs of the entire population where they live makes no sense and is an irresponsible use of revenue.

Q. You've said education and economic development are top priorities. What legislation will be important in these areas in the upcoming session?

A. In addition to the funding equity that I see as a top priority, I believe the legislature will address simplification of the tax code, overreaching regulation, tort reform, and concerns surrounding local control and decision making for school districts and school choice options.

Q. Medicaid privatization has caused delays in service and other issues. Do you feel the Legislature should address these problems?

A. The move to privatize Medicaid has had some serious difficulties. Often when major systemic change takes place, there are hurdles to overcome. The move to managed care has been no exception. The Governor has final say in the process of privatization, as the action of carrying out Medicaid services is an executive duty through the Department of Human Service. Personally, I have been addressing the issues on a case by case basis. I have worked with several private healthcare providers to overcome billing and payment difficulties, facilitating the payment of tens of thousands of dollars owed to these agencies. Additionally, I work with any private individuals who hare having difficulty with enrollment and access to services. The Legislature overall has the responsibility of oversight of the transition and continued allocation of funding adequate to meet service demand. During the past two sessions of the legislature, I voted in support of strong oversight efforts to ensure a smoother transition and ensure consumer protection. I will continue to advocate for oversight, both through the Legislature and as an activity of the Iowa Insurance Division. As a state we must ensure consumer protection through access to care and improved health outcomes, proper and timely payment to providers, and fiscal stability of the companies providing insurance services.

Q. You've said any change to how SAVE money is spent should go back to the voters who approved the method of funding school infrastructure. Republicans have mentioned various ways to fund more water quality programs. Which approach do you support?

A. I do not support SAVE dollars being used to fund water quality efforts. As you said, those taxes were originally approved to address school infrastructure and property tax burdens. If there is to be changes made to that original purpose, those changes should be voter approved as was the original method for levying them. I believe identifying the best method for funding water quality is premature, as most proposals are not even fully defined yet. A starting point will likely be the bill proposed by the House during the 2016 session, where RIIF funds and drinking water taxes were used to develop both urban and agricultural conservation approaches.

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