(DES MOINES) - Gov. Terry E. Branstad and Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds, along with Iowa Insurance Division Commissioner Nick Gerhart, today moved forward with administrative action allowing Iowa health care insurers to extend current insurance plans and protecting Iowans from being forced off plans they chose. A copy of the guidance sent from the Iowa Insurance Division to Iowa insurance carriers can be found here.

"Iowans deserve predictability and stability in their health care coverage," said Branstad. "The guidance issued today protects Iowans from losing plans they like, but also allows Iowans the flexibility to shop for a plan on the exchange."

Last year, Branstad, Reynolds, and Gerhart wrote to former United State Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sebelius asking for a three year extension for association health plans, saying, "In President Obama's press conference on April 30, 2013 he stated 'If you already got health insurance, then that part of Obamacare that affects you, it's pretty much already in place.'"

Sebelius granted a one year extension, without which 65,000 Iowa Farm Bureau members would have lost their insurance.

In June 2013, the Branstad Administration allowed a one-year plan extension, allowing Iowans to keep the coverage they enjoyed while also allowing for the freedom and flexibility to review plans on the exchanges.

"First, with the Farm Bureau extension and then the plan year extension, Iowa has been a leader in allowing Iowans who like their insurance to keep it," said Reynolds. "Today's action continues that commitment and gives Iowans certainty in their coverage."

In the guidance issued by the Iowa Insurance Division, Gerhart said, "We have concerns about policy cancellations and the anxiety Iowans face when they receive cancellation notices." Gerhart continues that the goal of the Iowa Insurance Division in issuing this guidance is "to assure that Iowa consumers have access to health care coverage in a stable, competitive health insurance market."

As of April 15, 2014, 18 other states have taken similar action allowing plan extensions pursuant to the March 5, 2014 guidance from the HHS. A link to the HHS guidance can be found here.

Approximately 330,000 individual and small group members are impacted by the extension, which was secured by the Branstad administration in an effort to protect Iowans.  The Iowa Insurance Division allowed all Iowa carriers to extend their plan year on existing small group and individual coverage through 2016. The extension provides additional time to become more informed about what the changes in the market mean without losing the current coverage they know and trust.

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(DES MOINES) - Gov. Terry E. Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds today called on the Iowa Legislature, which remains in legislative session, to pass a bill protecting Iowa students from sexual exploitation from a school coach. The Iowa Supreme Court ruled Friday, April 11, 2014, that Iowa law protecting students from sexual exploitation from school employees doesn't apply to coaches because coaches aren't "licensed professionals."

The ruling reads in part, "Although a coach who holds a teaching or other professional license is clearly subject to the statute, a mere holder of a coaching authorization without a professional license within the meaning of section 272.1(7) does not fall under the sexual exploitation statute. Accordingly, we reverse the conviction and remand the case to the district court with instructions to dismiss the case."

"With the Iowa Legislature still in session, I am calling on the Iowa House and Senate to send a bill to my desk to protect Iowa students from sexual exploitation by school coaches," said Branstad. "We must ensure our children are safe from those we entrust with our children at Iowa schools."

The Supreme Court's ruling went on to say, "As we have traditionally and repeatedly stated, 'We do not inquire what the legislature meant; we ask only what the statute means.'"

A dissenting opinion stated, "Today's decision no doubt will surprise school officials, parents, and coaches who had assumed the same law that made it illegal for a teacher to engage in sexual activity with students also applied to coaches. The ball is now in the legislature's court to amend section 709.15 to close this new loophole."

"As a mother and grandmother, I want to be able to assure Iowa parents that when their children are at their schools they are safe," said Reynolds. "The Legislature now has the opportunity to correct the law and protect Iowa's children from a loophole in state law that surely wasn't intended."

The ruling was in the case of State of Iowa vs. Patrick Ryan Nicoletto. The full ruling can be viewed here.

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(DES MOINES) - Gov. Terry E. Branstad today signed the following bills into law:

House File 2438: an Act relating to the administration of the tax and related laws of the state, including administration by the Department of Revenue of certain tax credits and refunds, income taxes, franchise taxes, sales and use taxes, hotel and motel taxes, and equipment taxes, and modifying provisions relating to the property assessment appeal board, and including effective date and retroactive applicability provisions.

House File 475: an Act relating to the issuance of a search warrant to authorize the placement, tracking, monitoring, and removal of a global positioning device.

House File 2159: an Act relating to miller trusts and including applicability provisions.

House File 2183: an Act related to customers with delinquent accounts for the provisions of wastewater, sewer system, storm water drainage system, or sewage treatment services by a city utility or city enterprise.

House File 2192: an Act relating to rural water providers by making changes to water services requirements.

House File 2230: an Act relating to vehicle permit requirements for equipment used primarily for construction of permanent conservation practices on agricultural land, and including effective date provisions.

House File 2274: an Act concerning notice of fees imposed and collected by state agencies.

House File 2296: an Act relating to disposition of unclaimed property provisions applicable to gift certificates, and providing applicability provisions.

House File 2387: an Act providing for notice of garnishment and levy to a judgment debtor.

House File 2388: an Act relating to continuity of learning for children adjudicated under the juvenile justice law receiving foster care services.

House File 159: an Act relating to the possession of certain products with the intent to use the products to manufacture a controlled substance, and making penalties applicable.

House File 2423: an Act relating to statutory corrections which may adjust language to reflect current practices, insert earlier omissions, delete redundancies and inaccuracies, delete temporary language, resolve inconsistencies and conflicts, update ongoing provisions, or remove ambiguities and providing effective and applicability dates.

Senate File 2168: an Act creating the Iowa uniform Power of Attorney Act and providing penalties and including applicability provisions.

Senate File 2283: an Act providing a procedure for the escheatment of United States savings bonds presumed abandoned. 

Senate File 2328: an Act providing for the reorganization of the code provisions relating to the Iowa Finance Authority, revising and eliminating programs, including the beginning farm loan program, providing for existing tax credits, providing for the powers and duties of the authority, and including effective date provisions.

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(DES MOINES) - Gov. Terry E. Branstad will sign Senate File 2339, an Act relating to the administration of the redevelopment tax credits program by the Economic Development Authority and including applicability provisions, tomorrow, Thursday, April 10, 2014, at 3:45 p.m., at Victory Companies in Davenport, Iowa. Victory Companies is located in a revitalized former public building that used to house H.M. Perry Elementary School.

Repurposing public buildings for increased economic growth throughout Iowa was a key priority of Gov. Branstad. During his 2014 Condition of the State address, Branstad stated, "Let's turn what used to be our centers of education into centers of commerce.  Let's repurpose the crumbling structures with renewed investment, and reinforce the foundation with new jobs."

The bill passed the Iowa Senate on March 26, 2014, 48-0. It passed the Iowa House on April 1, 2014, 97-2.

The following event is open to credentialed members of the media:

Thursday, April 10, 2014

3:45 p.m. Gov. Branstad signs Senate File 2339

Victory Companies

5200 30th Street SW

Davenport, IA

 

4:20 p.m. Gov. Branstad tours Victory Companies and VictoryStore.com

Victory Companies

5200 30th Street SW

Davenport, IA

Note: Tour time is approximate. Tour will last roughly 30 minutes.