District 11 State Rep. Craig Williams (R-Manning) highlighted a busy week of floor debate and community engagement in his latest legislative newsletter. The Iowa House debated 46 of the 330 bills to survive the legislature’s Feb. 20 funnel, advancing measures on law enforcement training, child support interest, and vacancy appointments for local offices. Williams makes special note of a bill to end non-compete contracts at the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics, which may force a doctor to leave the state when they decide to pursue employment elsewhere. He also noted a bill that would require elected positions vacated within six months of an election to be filled by appointment, to avoid a one-issue election that can cost taxpayers thousands of dollars. Among the measures Williams floor-managed was a proposal expanding eligibility for certain public officials to request redaction of their names from online county records. That measure comes in response to the politically motivated murders of state legislators in Minnesota last year. Lawmakers in the House also approved bills addressing parental decisions for mental health or substance abuse treatment for minors, election procedures, Medicaid services, and public records access. Rep. Williams also appeared at the legislative forum hosted by the Carroll Chamber of Commerce and Carroll County Growth Partnership (CCGP) in Manning on Saturday. Carroll Broadcasting will bring you more from that forum in upcoming newscasts.
