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The 2008 Session of the 82nd General Assembly adjourned on Saturday, April 26, 2008, at 2:38 a.m.  Governor Culver will have 30 days from the end of session to sign, item-veto, or veto the legislation passed at the end of session.

Below is a list of appropriations funded in the budget passed this year, as well as several significant policy bills passed by the General Assembly.

Appropriations

House File 2679 – Education Appropriations

UNIVERSITY OF IOWA

Study on Women and Minorities in STEM Programs and Colleges – requires the Board of Regents to collect data and report on the proportion of women and minorities enrolled in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics programs and colleges, including high school programs such as Project Lead the Way.  Institutions under the control of the Board of Regents are also directed to take every reasonable measure to improve the proportion of women and minorities in university science, technology, engineering, and mathematics programs and colleges.
 
Public Radio Operations                                                                                $500,000

Liaison Advisory Committee on Transfer Students (LACTS) – requires the existing LACTS committee to provide a report on the history of articulation agreements, the number of existing articulation agreements, and any recommendations the committee may have.

Advanced Placement Examination Fee                                  $500,000 (standing annual appropriation)

House File 2699 – Economic Development Appropriations
University of Iowa
Research Park and the Center for Advanced Drug Development                $259,206

Senate File 2425 – Health and Human Services Appropriations
Iowa Care – University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics
Fiscal Year 2008 Supplemental                                                    $ 15,684,211 (FY 08 total $52,968,795)
Fiscal Year 2009                                                                                 $63,253,949

Psychiatric Hospital – The Fiscal Year 2008 appropriation of $7,321,954 was de-appropriated and the funding was replaced with disproportionate share funding from Medicaid at an equal amount.

Study of care provided to students, patients, and former inmates.  Requires the Board of Regents, the Department of Human Services and the Department of Corrections to review the provision of treatment and care to the inmates, students, patients and former inmates provided at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.

College of Dentistry for pediatric primary dental care      $100,000

Senate File 2432 – Infrastructure Appropriations
Tuition Replacement
Fiscal Year 2009                                                                                 $24,305,412
Fiscal Year 2010                                                                                 $24,305,412
(The annual bond payment of University building construction financed with bonds backed with tuition revenues)

Public Radio                                                                                        $2,000,000

Policy Bills

House File 2212 – Smoke Free Air Act
Prohibits smoking in most public places in Iowa, including the entire campus of the University of Iowa, beginning on July 1, 2008.  Signed into law by Governor Culver April 15, 2008.

House File 2539 – Health Care Reform Bill
Expand the hawk-iprogram to 300% of poverty and cover all eligible children over a three year period through expanded outreach activities to assure enrollment. Also contained in the health care reform bill is language that establishes the criteria for medical homes and for chronic care management. It also creates advisory councils in the areas of medical homes, chronic care and Medicaid quality.

House File 2197 – Textbook Information
Recommends that every public and private university and college in Iowa post the list of required and suggested textbooks for all courses and the corresponding international standard book numbers at least 14 days before the start of each semester or term, to the extent possible, at the locations where textbooks are sold on campus and on the web site for the institution.

House File 2645 – Changes to Public Employment Relations (Collective Bargaining)
The bill makes changes to Chapter 20 governing public employee collective bargaining, including the powers and duties of the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB).  The bill changes collective bargaining law from the current “limited scope” negotiations to “open scope” negotiations.  The bill also outlines the process for addressing grievances relating to discipline and discharge of teachers.

PERB is a neutral agency administered by a three-member board, and it work to resolve public employee disputes before the disagreement goes to binding arbitration, which is more costly. Currently there are more than 1,161 certified bargaining units in Iowa's public sector.   Some of the changes in HF 2645 are technical in nature, including typos, which have been in existence in Chapter 20 since it was passed in 1975.

House File 2328 – Family Development and Self-Sufficiency Council

SUI – Director of the School of Social Work or designee.
ISU – Dean of the College of Human Sciences or designee
UNI – Head of the Department of Design, Textiles, Gerontology and Family Studies or   
           designee
Signed by Governor Culver on April 11, 2008

House File 2400 – Water Resources Coordinating Council
The bill creates the Water Resources Coordinating Council.  The purpose of the council shall be to preserve and protect Iowa's water resources, and to coordinate the management of those resources in a sustainable and fiscally responsible manner.  University members will be:
                SUI – Dean of Dollege of Public Health or designee
                ISU – Dean of College of Agriculture or designee
                UNI – Dean of College of Natural Sciences

Signed by Governor Culver on April 3, 2008

House File 2690 – Student Loans  
Covered institutions shall develop, in consultation with the college student aid commission, a code of conduct governing educational loan activities.  The code shall be published, administered and enforced.