Legislative Priorities
Quality Care and Education
Early Learning and School Readiness
- Phase in an increase of the child care assistance eligibility level to get to 200% of poverty by 2012.
- Update child care reimbursement rates to providers based on the current market survey and phase in a tiered reimbursement system.
- Provide additional nurse consultants to support full implementation of the Quality Rating System.
- Provide professional development and training that promotes a culturally diverse workforce.
- Require all home child care providers to complete pre-registration visits annually.
- Conduct annual monitoring and complete all needed follow-up of child care homes.
- Provide all child care centers adequate pre-licensing consultation, timely completion of licensing reviews and complete annual announced visits.
High Quality Preschool
- Monitor implementation of the Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program for Four-Year-Old Children and make modifications as needed to ensure the needs of low-income and minority children and their families are met.
Family Support
- Expand the use of research-based home visitation programs
Child Well-Being and Development
Child Health Care Coverage
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Expand child health care coverage to achieve universal child health coverage by 2010, which includes
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Supporting developmentally appropriate child health services; and
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Ensuring dental, vision, and nutrition services for children.
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Continue to support the efforts made by the Iowa Department of Human Services to expand coverage for parents on Medicaid.
Healthy Child Development
- Continue to expand First Five to additional communities.
Child and Family Economic Success
Income Tax Treatment of Families with Children
- Increase the earned income tax credit and improve tax treatment of families with children by closing tax loopholes.
Protections Against Predatory Lending
- Lower interest rate ceilings and provide protections against loan “roll-overs” in the pay day lending market.
- Address predatory sub-prime mortgage lending practices involving “bait and switch” and other deceptive practices.
- Curb abusive foreclosure avoidance financing schemes.
- Provide consumers with access to consumer fraud protections, including the right to sue.