Senator Jason Schultz

The Schultz Perspective by Senator Jason Schultz After six years, the critical issue of tort reform has finally been put to rest.  Also referred to as medical malpractice liability reform, this issue has grown in importance to our local health care system and physicians.  HF 161 passed the House and Senate last week and was…

The Schultz Perspective by Senator Jason Schultz We’ve all heard of malpractice cases in which health care providers have made mistakes and caused harm and suffering.  Sometimes the damage can last a lifetime.  When a lawsuit is filed for damages, the monetary award comes from three different categories: Economic damages are those damages that are…

The Schultz Perspective by Senator Jason Schultz An issue popped up this week in the Iowa Legislature that will impact every property taxpayer and property taxing authority.  A mistake in calculating the rollback on multifamily residential properties led to a 1.8% increase on valuations on residential property.  This could lead to a statewide property tax…

The Schultz Perspective by Senator Jason Schultz The state of education in Iowa changed forever just after midnight on Tuesday, January 24, 2023 when the Iowa Senate passed House File 68 and sent it to the governor for her signature. From now on, $3.4 billion in education spending will be aimed at the student, and…

The Schultz Perspective by Senator Jason Schultz School choice will be the biggest issue of the session and the controversy has started. Governor Reynolds’s Students First Act is the result of four years of research and smaller efforts to focus school choice on small segments of Iowa’s student population. Each effort came up short in…

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you. The 2023 session of the Iowa Legislature is underway.  I would like to thank all of you in Senate District 6 for giving me the opportunity to be your voice in the Iowa Senate. The Iowa Constitution sets the opening day as the second Monday…

The 2022 legislative session has concluded. At the end of the session, the leaders in the chamber may give closing remarks. I was thrilled to listen to Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver list out our accomplishments these last two years, and I could think of no better way to finish out the session than sharing…

As I wrote in Part 1 of the Education bill newsletter, the controversial provision that brings this bill to the end of session negotiations is the issue of School Choice.  SF 2369 creates a Student First Scholarship program for students at or below 400% Federal Poverty Level or students with an Individualized Educational Program with…

The end of session usually includes a collection of important, but controversial bills that have passed in one chamber but not the other. This leads to either the House or the Senate holding the position that any action to finish session must include their priority policy bill. Among these this year are the governor’s E-15…

The late emergence of the Bottle Bill this session sparked hope among myself and others that we could make an effort to save the remaining redemption centers and even expand the locations to return cans on which you have paid the deposit. The Senate bill brought all the industry groups together and addressed the handling…