(C) Iowa Capital Dispatch
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D.C. Dispatch: Border business, Iowa visitors and California pork [1]

['Luke Clausen', 'Jay Waagmeester', 'More From Author', '- May']

Date: 2023-05-12

This week, Iowa’s lawmakers focused on introducing bills on border policy. Former governor of Iowa and ambassador to China Terry Branstad also made an appearance on Capitol Hill, as did members of the Greater Des Moines Partnership.

Border wall

Iowa lawmakers are calling for the Biden administration to take action to stop undocumented immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border. Title 42, a rule turning away migrants due to a risk of spreading COVID-19, has expired.

Sens. Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst have introduced legislation to continue construction of the Trump administration’s border wall. The BUILD IT Act would force the Biden administration to give already purchased border wall building materials to states to continue building the wall.

“We can expect with Title 42 ending, this rapid influx of illegal migrants,” Ernst said in an interview with Fox. “It is devastating, not just to those border states, but to all of our states. Even Iowa, right smack dab in the middle of the country, is experiencing fentanyl deaths to an unprecedented level.”

House passes border security bill

All of Iowa’s House members voted for, and the House passed, the Secure the Border Act of 2023. The bill would resume construction of a border wall and expand Border Patrol staffing as well as strip funding from nonprofits that aid migrants. It also would restrict the Biden administration’s use of parole programs to allow nationals from Haiti, Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela to work temporarily in the U.S.

“In our Commitment to America, House Republicans promised that we would counter President Biden’s border crisis with serious proposals to protect our families,” Rep. Randy Feenstra said. “Today, we delivered on our promise by passing our Secure the Border Act to keep fentanyl out of our communities, maintain Title 42, fully fund our border patrol agents, and finish the wall.”

Rep. Ashley Hinson added: “While the Biden Administration is telling the American people they should accept this chaos as the status quo, I was proud to support legislation that will secure our border, combat illegal immigration, support Border Patrol agents on the frontlines, and help stop the flow of fentanyl into our communities.”

Greater Des Moines partnership takes on DC

Members of the Greater Des Moines Partnership shared its federal policy agenda with Iowa lawmakers this week. According to the organization’s website, its agenda features advocating for more access to child care, federal funds for Iowa Confluence Water Trails, securing more federal infrastructure funds and more.

I hosted a forum with local government leaders from across our community yesterday. We discussed ways to partner on key opportunities like broadband, roads and water infrastructure. @DSMpartnership pic.twitter.com/T4qkbXLs0D — Congressman Zach Nunn (@ZachNunn) May 12, 2023

Branstad discusses climate, Grassley proposes conservation reserve reform

Grassley and Democratic New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, members of the Senate Agriculture Committee, introduced the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) Reform Act, which would prioritize enrolling marginal farmland in the CRP, rather than prime farmland. The legislation is meant to help new and beginning farmers.

“For decades, the Conservation Reserve Program has been a valuable tool for landowners to enhance soil and water quality for their environmentally-sensitive land,” Grassley said in a press release. ”However, entering large tracts of land into the program can make it difficult for new and beginning farmers to access land.”

The act would cap the overall acres enrolled in CRP at 24 million until 2028.

Grassley also invited Branstad to testify at a hearing on climate change, where the governor spoke about Iowa’s climate record.

Watch Branstad’s statement here:

Watch Grassley’s questioning of Branstad here:

Lawmakers criticize California pork ruling

A U.S. Supreme Court decision on a law restricting the sale of pork in California prompted responses from Iowa lawmakers. The California law restricts what pork, egg and veal can be sold in the state based on the available floor space per animal during production.

I disagree with today’s SCOTUS decision that would allow liberal CA lawmakers to regulate Iowa pig farmers. Pig farmers in Iowa take care of their animals & the environment and produce high quality products. 👀 I’ll soon be reintroducing legislation to stop this bacon ban! — Ashley Hinson (@RepAshleyHinson) May 11, 2023

Prop 12 represents red tape at its worst, raising costs for our producers and pork prices for our families while inflation destroys our economy. As the top pork-producing district in the nation, I’ll continue to work with my colleagues to repeal Prop 12.https://t.co/31J1JbkQ8c — Rep. Randy Feenstra (@RepFeenstra) May 11, 2023

Lawmakers propose tax legislation

Feenstra and Republican Illinois Rep. Danny Davis introduced legislation to expand the role of the national taxpayer advocate. The National Taxpayer Advocate Enhancement Act would specify that the national taxpayer advocate can hire attorneys to support her efforts.

Republican Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy and Democratic Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin have introduced a companion bill in the Senate.

“American taxpayers expect and deserve the best customer service and case outcomes when filing their federal taxes. Since 1996, the National Taxpayer Advocate has helped achieve these goals, serving as a nonpartisan resource to save taxpayers money and help them navigate the IRS,” Feenstra said. “However, for too long, the National Taxpayer Advocate has faced a significant hurdle to effectively do her job and help taxpayers nationwide receive the largest refund possible. By clarifying that the National Taxpayer Advocate can hire her own attorneys to support her work on behalf of taxpayers, American families will benefit from fewer headaches when dealing with the IRS and a more accountable government.”

Feenstra also, with Democratic North Carolina Rep. Wiley Nickel, introduced the Access to Credit for our Rural Economy (ACRE) Act of 2023, which grants tax-exempt status on earned interest for community banks that administer agricultural real estate loans. The exemption would also apply to mortgage loans for single-family in rural communities with fewer than 2,500 residents and for mortgages less than $750,000, according to a press release.

“We need to give our main street lenders much-needed flexibility to offer agricultural and home loans at affordable rates to grow our rural communities,” Feenstra said in a statement.

Grassley, Ernst introduce health care legislation

Grassley reintroduced a bill that would authorize Medicare payments for pharmacy services such as health and wellness screenings, diabetes management and immunizations. The Pharmacy and Medically Underserved Areas Enhancement Act is aimed at encouraging pharmacists to offer the services if state law allows, according to a news release.

Sens. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico and Bob Casey of Pennsylvania and Republican Mississippi Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith joined in sponsoring the bill.

For many seniors in rural areas, especially in Iowa, it’s simply easier to get to a pharmacist than a doctor,” Grassley said in a statement. “Licensed pharmacists should be compensated by Medicare to perform basic medical services so seniors can be saved taxing trips to far-flung doctors’ offices.”

Ernst, Feinstein, Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Republican Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall introduced the National Task Force on the COVID-19 Pandemic Act, a bill that would “create a 9/11 Commission-style task force to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the COVID-19 pandemic,” according to a press release.

“In hindsight, there were many missteps made in the preparation and response to COVID-19—and possibly even in the origins of the pandemic,” Ernst said. “Learning from these mistakes is the only way to avoid them in the future. Every day we delay this independent, transparent investigation, we risk a fatal repeat. I am proud to be part of this bipartisan effort to uncover the truth before it is too late.”

Counterfeit pills

Grassley reintroduced legislation aimed at production of counterfeit drugs that have been associated with a surge of fatal overdoses.

The Stop Pills that Kill Act would create new penalties for counterfeit pill production. It also would expand existing penalties for possession of paraphernalia used to manufacture methamphetamine to also apply to paraphernalia used to make counterfeit pills that contain methamphetamine, fentanyl or fentanyl analogues.

Democratic Sens. Dianne Feinstein of California and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire joined in introducing the legislation.

“Across America, families are burying their loved ones who were lost to accidental poisoning from counterfeit pills. Knockoff pills have become a highly lethal and rapidly evolving front in the drug epidemic. Our bipartisan proposal will ramp up criminal penalties to deter this illegal and dangerous trend, and help save lives,” Grassley said.

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[1] Url: https://iowacapitaldispatch.com/2023/05/12/d-c-dispatch-border-business-iowa-visitors-and-california-pork/

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