Last week was funnel week for the Iowa Legislature, which is a self-imposed deadline for killing of bills that did not make it through sub-committee approval. At Saturday’s Carroll Chamber of Commerce Legislative Forum in Coon Rapids, Senator Mark Segebart and Representative Brian Best discussed those items that did and didn’t make it through. Segebart said one of the bigger bills passing through in the Senate funnel dealt with oversight of the Managed Care Organizations (MCOs). The MCOs are scheduled to take over management of Iowa’s Medicaid program on Tuesday, March 1, if the Centers for Medicaid Services (CMS) agree. The original plan was for a takeover effective Jan. 1 of this year, but the CMS said there was work yet to be done.
Segebart said with such a short time frame left before implementation, he would not be surprised if this was delayed again at least one more month. On the House side, Best provided a listing of some of the items that made it through their funnel deadline.
He also outlined that cannabidoil for medicinal purposes got through as did bills on fantasy sports, gun rights, an extension on absentee ballot voting, weapon permit confidentiality and a ban on tanning bed use by persons under the age of 17. Segebart said late last week he was hoping a bill that would couple depreciation to the federal tax changes in section 179 would not be subject to the funnel, but an announcement made late last Friday killed that bill.
Segebart said it is hard to argue against that, but in years ahead it means we won’t be able to de-couple again because that money will be needed every year. Best said, if we did couple, we would still get that money, just not the same year. We will bring you more on the legislative forum in upcoming broadcasts.
