Ragan Report

More help for vulnerable Iowans
 
     The recently completed 2015 session required compromise on important efforts to grow Iowa’s middle class, but this year also saw bipartisan successes. In particular, the Senate approved many initiatives to help vulnerable Iowans.
• Mental health care
     Legislation improved Iowa’s mental health and disability services system by making more emergency psychiatric beds available and setting up a system for medical professionals and law enforcement to track their availability.
It will also be easier now for Iowans to get mental health and substance abuse treatment closer to home. This includes keeping the mental health institutes open in Mount Pleasant and Clarinda to serve Iowa families dealing with severe mental health issues.
• Medicaid oversight
     The Senate created an oversight committee to review and recommend improvements to the Governor’s plan to privatize Medicaid services, Iowa’s public health insurance system for the frail, the ill and those with disabilities. Legislators will also ensure Iowans can navigate the new system and get the help they need in cases where medical or support services are arbitrarily denied.
• Human trafficking
     Human Trafficking is the buying and selling of people, often for sexual slavery, forced labor or commercial sexual exploitation, and it is happening here in Iowa. New legislation will help law combat human trafficking through public awareness efforts, special training for law enforcement officers, and making the crime a forcible felony with mandatory prison time.
• Safety for victims
     The Senate passed legislation to ensure victims of domestic abuse, sexual abuse, human trafficking and stalking are safe from their abusers through an address confidentiality program. The Secretary of State’s office will establish a U.S. Post Office box for those who participate. The Secretary of State will receive the participant’s mail and forward it to their P.O. Box.
     These are just a few of the things the legislature did this year to make Iowa communities healthier, safer places. To read about all of this year's successes, go to www.senate.iowa.gov/democrats/2015-highlights.