Legislators from the 90th General Assembly have finished for the year, and according to Iowa House Representative for District 23 Ray Sorensen, they may be thinking about what they accomplished.

Sorensen says that there are several bills that he’s pleased passed through the chambers and were either adopted into law after passing Governor Kim Reynolds, or have at least made it to her desk. He tells Raccoon Valley Radio about one such bill pertaining to emergency hospitals.

“It was a priority of our caucus from day one. And, you know, a rural emergency hospital is a healthcare facility that maintains (a) 24 hours emergency room, but does not include acute inpatient care. It (the bill) establishes licensure in Iowa this kind of healthcare facility, allows them to be more successful by receiving reimbursement from Medicare and Medicaid at a higher rate. That one was an important bill.”

Sorensen mentions that another bill enhanced penalties for those involved with human trafficking, especially the trafficking of those under the age of 18. He adds that Senate File 588 pertaining to protection against foreign animal diseases was another important one that added an additional $250,000 to hire additional state veterinarians to help fight animal illnesses, like bird flu and swine flu.

Sorensen names the Property Tax Reform Compromise as one of the bills that has already been signed by the governor, explaining that it provides tax relief for all taxpayers by curbing budget growth without discouraging economic development. He says it lays the groundwork for future reform, and is the first time the threshold for bond amounts has been adjusted for inflation in the last 30 years.