Session Extending Past April 16
Next Tuesday, April 16, marks the 100th day of session. April 16 is also the final day that that legislators receive their service per diem, making the date the final advanced scheduled day of session and the target to conclude session business for the year. While next Tuesday marks the last day that legislators will be paid, it will not be the last day of the 2024 session as budget work is still continuing and no where near a finish line to complete by April 16.
In the initial budget bills, the House proposed an increase of $409 million (4.7%) from last year’s budget. The Senate budget was far more conservative in their proposed spending increases – roughly $82 million below the House figures and $47 million lower than Governor Reynold’s proposal. This week marked negotiations between and across parties and chambers as legislators work to find common ground and spending consensus.
Within the Department of Education appropriations bill, the priority funding for the Iowa Rural Primary Care Loan Repayment Program maintains its line item appropriation of $2.5 million for FY2025. Of note, the appropriations bills are structured differently than familiar in previous years with the departmental reorganization. Expanded line items we’re used to seeing no longer show in the same manner, taking more time to affirm the budget specifics for some of those key programs, i.e. the rural healthcare workforce initiative that supports IMS’s statewide strategy work.
Appropriations leaders have stated publicly that while those line items may not be called out individually within the current bill formatting, unless they are recognized in the bill for increase or reduction, funding figures for those programs were included in the broader calculations at their FY2024 levels. As budget negotiations and discussions continue, the IMS advocacy team continues to delve deeper into the budget proposals to ensure funding for all priority work is maintained.