| This week in the Senate we continued our work on bills received from the House. This process is key to getting the bill ready for floor debate through discussion and amendment if necessary. Three of the committees I serve on, Judiciary, Commerce, and Workforce, all met.
This week in Commerce Committee we passed HF2401 which addresses PBMs or Pharmacy Benefit Managers. PBMs are companies that manage prescription drug benefits on behalf of health insurance companies. PBMs have an impact on drug pricing and all our pharmacies in our state, especially our smaller communities. This bill addresses spread pricing, appeals and disputes, wholesale distribution, and reverse auction services. The components of this bill also provide a huge benefit to Iowa businesses by creating a pass-through pricing model that will ensure Iowa businesses who are paying for their employee’s health benefit plan will receive applicable rebates and coupons owed them based off prescriptions filled on their employee’s behalf. This bill also supports our pharmacists who work very hard to provide their customers with expert service, professionalism, strong customer relationships, and the products we can rely on.
Another bill SF 2349 passed off the floor recently and has caught statewide attention. This bill relates to defense subpoenas in criminal cases. It provides protection for a victim of a crime in the event the defense counsel subpoenas the personal or private information of the crime victim, a witness, or any other person.
This bill puts guardrails on the defense subpoena powers by providing a process where a defendant or counsel shall not issue any subpoena for documents, or other evidence except upon application to the court. For a subpoena to be granted by the court there must be a compelling “need” for the evidence sought, and it cannot include the private information of the victim. Private information means information where a person has a reasonable expectation of privacy, including but not limited to information requiring a search warrant, nonpublic electronic communications, and personal information immaterial to the prosecution.
Recently I’ve been asked how SF 2349 relates to the recent charges of illegal gambling involving student athletes. It doesn’t appear they have much in common at all. One reason being, this bill was first introduced last session in 2023, well before the gambling incident occurred. Secondly, even under this bill most defense subpoenas would still be granted by the court as this bill is a tool to argue against inappropriate requests. Thirdly, this bill addresses private information. The state of Iowa requires an individual to complete an application for gambling online. That applicant shares their information voluntarily by completing the form and agreeing to how that information may be used, publicly or otherwise.
In contrast, this bill guards against prying into a victim’s private life and their personal information which can amount to a fishing expedition to find personal information (pictures, posts, social media) to discredit a victim. SF 2349 is a bill to protect Iowan’s privacy and their private information.
Now that the second legislative deadline has passed (second funnel) we will be focusing on floor debate, Governor Reynolds’s appointees to boards and commissions for review, and budgets. There is still much to do before the 90th General Assembly ends. I want to thank you for your emails, your interest, and your support throughout this session!
This week it was a pleasure visiting with Neal and Mike Norland at last week’s forum in Emmetsburg. I also enjoyed visiting with Iowa Lakes Electric Cooperative and Heartland Power Cooperative on REC Day at the Capitol. Thanks to all the members of ISAC (Iowa State Association of Counties) who came down to the rotunda on ISAC County Day! |
