Field Notes - Local food and community solar bills advance

Policy

Alongside lawmakers, we continue to comb through bill introductions as week four of the legislative session commences. Also on the docket are numerous subcommittee and committee meetings scheduled to consider and discuss bills.

We are excited to share progress on the rural grocery and local food legislation we wrote about on Jan. 21. Identical versions have been filed as companion bills House File (HF) 59 and Senate Study Bill (SSB) 1054. Our recent efforts included bringing legislators from both the House and Senate together to identify a clear path forward. Agreeable amendments were determined, and our staff look forward to further conversations in the coming weeks.

Also of note, HF 59 and SSB 1054 include an appropriation from the general budget, so the next steps include asking legislators leading the House Appropriations and Senate Appropriations Committees to consider the funding request.

This past week, House Study Bill (HSB) 81 was introduced, which would establish a community solar facility program. The bill was assigned to a subcommittee, who met on Jan. 27. Staff presented comments at the subcommittee meeting and are registered in support. After passing out of the subcommittee, the bill is awaiting consideration by the full House Commerce Committee. We will continue to monitor and engage on this bill.

See below for more details about these bills and the others we are following.

Do you have feedback on the bills we are monitoring? Do not hesitate to reach out to me and share the rural issues important to you at [email protected] or 402.687.2100 ext. 1034.

Thank you for making your rural voice heard.
 

Rural grocery / local food

House File (HF) 59 / Senate Study Bill (SSB) 1054 — Support: Introduced in both the House and the Senate, these Center priority bills would create the Grocer Reinvestment Program and the Local Food Processing Program as well as appropriate money for the grocery reinvestment and local food processing fund. The legislation would give the Iowa Economic Development Authority direction to create a grant program for new or current grocery stores. Proposed amendments would provide updated eligibility requirements for grocery stores based on town population; the grocery store must exist in and benefit a community with a population of 20,000 or fewer and not share a border with a city with a population of 40,000 or greater. Prioritization would be given to projects focused on cost-saving efforts and business efficiency measures to ensure the long-term sustainability of stores. Grants would be directed to help small, locally owned grocery stores selling perishable foods in rural communities. The House subcommittee met on Jan. 23 and recommended passage of the bill. The Senate version has been assigned to a subcommittee, but a meeting has not yet been scheduled.

Check out this feature story of Mulholland Grocery!

SSB 1012 — Support: Introduced by the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services by Chairperson Mike Klimesh, this bill would allocate funding to the Iowa Healthiest State Initiative to administer Double Up Food Bucks. This program doubles the investment for purchases of fruits and vegetables by Iowans participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). It also specifically benefits local food producers who accept SNAP at farmers markets, grocery stores, and other local places of sale. The bill was assigned to a subcommittee on Jan. 16. The subcommittee considered the bill on Jan. 22 and recommended its passage.

Senate File (SF) 9 / HF 179 (previously HF 32) — Monitor: These companion bills have been introduced in both chambers. The legislation would distinguish two separate categories for food processing licenses: a category in which meat or poultry is processed on a farm or private residence and a general category including all other processing locations. In 2023, the general assembly revised the methods used to calculate the annual license fees imposed on food processing plants. The updated correlating license fee structure is included in the bill. The House version passed through the House Agriculture Committee on Jan. 28 by a vote of 23-0. The Senate subcommittee considered the bill on Jan. 28 and recommended its passage with amendments to make the bills identical.

Water quality

SF 3 / House Study Bill (HSB) 83 — Support: Introduced by Sen. Lynn Evans and Rep. Megan Jones, this bill language would designate additional flood mitigation activities to include reconnection of floodplains as well as wetland and oxbow restorations as “essential county purposes” in regard to the issuance of General Obligation bonds by counties. The Senate version was assigned to a subcommittee on Jan. 14. The Senate subcommittee considered the bill on Jan. 22 and recommended its passage. The House version was reassigned to a subcommittee on Feb. 3, but a meeting has not yet been scheduled.

Renewable energy

HSB 81 — Support: Introduced by Chairperson Shannon Lundgren of the House Commerce Committee, this bill would establish a community solar facility program enabling any entity, including farms and small businesses, to own and operate a solar farm that has at least three participants who subscribe to the community solar. Subscribers would receive a credit to their energy bill based on the energy generated by the facility. The program would allow those who are unable to invest in individual solar systems to participate in a renewable energy project and capture energy savings. A community solar facility program offers additional options for Iowans to invest in solar energy generation to help meet the growing energy demand while helping to lower participants’ energy bills. This bill had a subcommittee on Jan. 27 and the subcommittee recommended its passage.

Other bills of interest

HF 33 — Support: Introduced by Reps. Chad Ingels and Shannon Latham, this bill would establish an agriculture education grant program to expand high school students’ access to instruction related to agriculture, food, and natural resources. The bill was assigned to a subcommittee on Jan. 30, and a meeting is scheduled for Feb. 5 at 2 p.m.

SSB 1051 — Monitor: Introduced by Chairperson Jason Schultz of the Senate Judiciary Committee, this bill relates to pesticides and the duty to warn or label. It would provide pesticide companies civil liability protection in a court of law if their products meet sufficient duty to warn label requirements and are approved and registered by the Environmental Protection Agency. The bill was assigned to a subcommittee on Jan. 30, and a meeting is scheduled for Feb. 5 at 1:30 p.m.