Iowa House Democrats file bills to raise minimum wage, protect collective bargaining rights
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Iowa House Democrats are introducing a slate of bills that they say will raise wages and lower costs for workers, although majority Republicans are expected to ignore the proposals.
"I want to send a message to Iowa’s workers and that is that we see you," House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst, D-Windsor Heights, said at a news conference Tuesday. "We understand how frustrated you are. We know that you’re tired of seeing corporations hoard money while you struggle to pay your bills."
House Democrats laid out five proposals on Tuesday. They would:
Amend the Iowa Constitution to protect the right to collectively bargain (House Joint Resolution 2003).
Require employers that do not offer retirement plans to automatically enroll their employees in state-facilitated individual retirement account. The employee could choose whether to contribute to the plan.
Raise the state's minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 an hour by July 2026 (House File 2293).
Expand Iowa's sales tax holiday from two days to the first two weeks of August and expand the number of tax-free items (House File 2300).
Provide a subsidy to child care workers who require child care themselves (House File 2338).
Democrats hold just 36 of 100 seats in the Iowa House, and Republicans are unlikely to take up their proposals. However, Democrats said they plan to offer the bills as amendments to Republican legislation as it comes up for debate.
"Even if a bill is no longer eligible for debate and consideration by itself, we think it’s important that these conversations happen," Konfrst said. "And so we’ll be continuing to look for amendment opportunities to talk about this."
Republicans are expected to consider bills this year that will further lower Iowans' income taxes, although lawmakers have yet to agree on a proposal.
Stephen Gruber-Miller covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. He can be reached by email at sgrubermil@registermedia.com or by phone at 515-284-8169. Follow him on Twitter at @sgrubermiller.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa Democrats file bills to raise wages, protect bargaining rights
