It is the second funnel week for the 2024 Iowa Legislative Session, which means some more bills are about to be cut from consideration.

The first funnel week eliminates bills that have not passed subcommittee hearings in their chamber of origin. Senator for District 12 Amy Sinclair says that the second funnel week drops those bills that have not been passed by committee in both chambers, meaning a bill would need to be passed by the House, and then through a committee in the Senate. She tells Raccoon Valley Radio that there are a few bills that will be looked at heavily this week, including the one pertaining to Area Education Agencies.

“So we’re still trying to figure out what the best way forward is on that. So we have a corrective action plan in place. I think everyone would be in agreement that we don’t want the federal Department of Education coming in and telling us how to operate our systems for kids with special needs. But by the same token, we don’t want to be rash. And so we really are still exploring how best to move forward with serving those kids in our districts without really particularly undermining how that service delivery happens in rural areas.”

Sinclair mentions that other education bills are also being looked at, including safety and curriculum bills, along with judiciary and state government bills. She adds that the Senate is also beginning to look at budgeting, as bills in the Appropriations and Ways and Means Committees are funnel proof, since they are mainly discussed towards the end of session when they have the numbers they need to get started.