Iowa Senate Minority Leader Janice Weiner

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Iowa Senate Democrats have a new leader. With just 16 of the 50 seats in the Iowa Senate, how are those democrats trying to impact policy? We'll talk with Senate Minority Leader Janice Weiner on this edition of Iowa Press.

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For decades, Iowa Press has brought you political leaders and newsmakers from across Iowa and beyond. Celebrating more than 50 years on statewide Iowa PBS, this is the Friday, February 14th edition of Iowa Press. Here is Kay Henderson.

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[Henderson] Our guest today is a native of Iowa City. After a career in the U.S. State Department as a foreign service officer she returned to her hometown. She served on the Iowa City City Council. And in 2022 she was elected to the Iowa Senate. This past December her democratic colleagues in the Iowa Senate elected her to be the floor leader. Senator Minority Leader Janice Weiner, welcome to Iowa Press.

[Weiner] Thank you for having me.

[Henderson] Also joining the conversation, Katarina Sostaric of Iowa Public Radio and Erin Murphy of the Gazette in Cedar Rapids.

[Murphy] Senator Weiner, the University of Iowa being in your district I wanted to ask you about the federal pause on funding for the National Institute of Health and wonder what you're hearing from folks at the university, your constituents about the impact that could have.

[Weiner] Thank you for asking, Erin. It's a really serious question. People -- it has caused an enormous amount of uncertainty. We're talking about hundreds of millions of dollars of research grants that brings in researchers, Ph.D., post docs and results in things like cures for cancer and a variety of other diseases. And to have that level of uncertainty that has come through at least twice, first when they paused means and then they said they were just going to do away with a big chunk of the indirect costs, which means everything that it essentially costs to run a lab. That has been part of the compact essentially between the U.S. government and colleges all over the United States since after World War II. And to have that supposedly happen from a Friday to a Monday, that's just, it's just not acceptable. So, it's a serious issue. It is serious for our state. It's serious for UIHC. It's serious for our country because if you end up with this sense of uncertainty, not knowing if the funding is going to be there, not knowing if you're going to be able to continue to get these grants, I have to wonder what is going to happen not just to research but to medical care in this state.

[Murphy] Yeah, and I don't want to spend too much time on this, we have so much to get to, but you mentioned something. Could you give maybe a cliff notes description of what an indirect cost is because I've heard a lot about this and wanting to address indirect costs to research, but it might not mean what it sounds like on the surface, right?

[Weiner] Right, so I'm not really an expert on this, but from what I understand it means the things that it costs to put a lab together, to clean the lab, to light the lab, just the various things that allow a lab to function that aren't the specific things that you're working on and aren't the salaries. And that has been split, at least to my understanding, about 50/50 between the government and the institution since these grants started.

[Murphy] Okay, Governor Reynolds during her Condition of the State talked about establishing some task force to look into cancer rates in this state and part of that plan was a million dollars to seed research. Your thoughts on that in general? And is it possible that these two issues impact each other?

[Weiner] The second question first, yes, it's possible that there could be an impact. Iowa has the second highest cancer rate and the only growing cancer rate in the United States so I was really pleased when she talked about that in her Condition of the State speech because we owe it to Iowans to get to the bottom of whatever is causing our high cancer rate. And I'm sure that whatever money that the state puts in would be, they would hope that it would leverage more federal money, more grant money. And so, if the grant money from the federal side in question, I don't know exactly how that is going to work for Iowans.

[Sostaric] Another question about the University of Iowa, there is a bill advancing in the House and Senate that would establish a school of intellectual freedom at that university. There was a UI professor speaking to a legislative committee this week say that there is a disproportionate number of professors who are liberal at the University of Iowa. Does the university need a specific program to counteract that?

[Weiner] So, I haven't actually read the bill but my view is that we have the Board of Regents, we've had the Regents institutions for many years now, they do a pretty good job of figuring out what students need and what students want and it is their job to respond to that and I don't think the legislature should be trying to micromanage them.

[Sostaric] There is another proposal related to the Regents that would cap in-state tuition increases to 3% and would also establish some three-year degrees so that students could get through college faster. Do you feel like those proposals would help Iowans afford college?

[Weiner] They might well. I'd be interested in looking at them.

[Sostaric] Do you think that they would need to include additional funding for the universities because I know House democrats have pushed back on it for that reason?

[Weiner] The funding for the universities over the past few decades has been sort of like this weird X graph. It has gone -- tuition has gone up and funding for the universities from the state has gone down. It certainly would help to increase funding for the Regents universities.

[Murphy] You mentioned the Board of Regents and their duties related to the public universities. Last week on this show Representative Taylor Collins, a House republican, was asked about them and he insinuated that House republicans have introduced some of these bills because they feel the Regents have not done their jobs recently, in recent years. What is your view on how the Board of Regents has been operating? The Senate confirms those gubernatorial appointees?

[Weiner] Right, so I think since I've been in the Senate, we've just confirmed one Regent, I expect there will be another one up this time around. I am not, I have good relationships with the President of the University of Iowa and with various folks in management there, I am not seeing the same concern. I don't have the same concern. They're a good part of the community. They are a really vibrant educational institution. And I want them to stay that way.

[Murphy] And speaking of another one of those bills, one would deal with the Iowa -- and acknowledging this is on the House side, you're in the Senate -- but still wanted to get your thoughts on a proposal dealing with the Iowa Tuition Grant, which helps Iowa students go to private colleges with some financial assistance. House republicans want to add a few strings to that and say that it couldn't be used if a private school has diversity, equity and inclusion programs. What are your thoughts of the legislature having those kinds of strings tied to scholarships for private schools?

[Weiner] My understanding is that the Iowa Tuition Grants are there in order to allow Iowans who don't otherwise have the funds to be able to afford tuition to be able to attend some of these universities and colleges and I don't understand why we would be trying to tell them how to do their business. We're not telling the private schools how to use their voucher money, I don't think we should be telling private universities what to do with our money.

[Henderson] Speaking of telling people what to do, the Iowa House passed a bill that said there should be a moratorium on new gambling licenses. You in Iowa City live very close to an existing casino in Riverside and sort of close to the one that they broke ground on this past week in Cedar Rapids. Do you think the Senate should have taken a vote on that bill? And how would you have voted?

[Weiner] I think it would have been really helpful if we had been allowed to vote on it because as you know Senator Rozenboom did not allow a vote in state government, although we did vote in local government, and there was no floor vote on it. And then the Racing and Gaming Commission did its job. I probably personally would have voted against the moratorium because I believe that we should, just sort of like we should allow local government to do its job, I believe we should allow boards and commissions to do their jobs as well.

[Sostaric] You were on a subcommittee for a bill that would ban citizen police review boards and Iowa City is one of the five cities in Iowa that has one of these boards. How important is that board in Iowa City for police accountability? And what do you say to the supporters of this bill who say the boards can damage a police officer's reputation?

[Weiner] I think Iowa City's board is one of the oldest if not the oldest in the state. It was formed in the late '90s. It has undergone a couple of transitions. What it has been, in my understanding, is an avenue for concerned citizens to bring their issues to talk to the board. But when a board meets to talk about any, perhaps an officer's file the public is not allowed in. So, the public or even members of council never are part of those deliberations and no officer's information is ever outed to the public. So, it is more a way to allow citizens a voice and to voice their concerns and for the people who are on the board to try and address those. I mean, if they decide that they are going to pass this bill in both houses obviously the board will go away. But the citizens in the cities that have them have asked that they be created and I think it's really important that local control be allowed to create these boards.

[Henderson] As I mentioned at the beginning of the program, you are the leader of 16 democrats in the Iowa Senate and you have proposed a package that includes paid leave and child care. People who watched the Governor deliver her Condition of the State message in January heard her propose some things in the same vein. Are those things that democrats could support, the proposals that she has made on child care and paid leave for state employees?

[Weiner] There is one proposal that the Governor made on child care that would continue a pilot program that was instituted last year and I believe she put $3 million of one-time ARPA funds into it and it was matched with some private dollars. And that was, it has been a success for seven communities. I think it created something like 275 child care slots. And one of the reasons that we put out our package is to say, much as the Governor did, this can't be just a one-time program, it has to continue. But what we'd like to see is see it expand and we need to have not just one-time funding but ongoing funding for it, which is why we'd like to increase the funding or double the funding so that we can expand the number of communities that are part of it because child care remains a serious issue in this state and this is a pilot that worked. With respect to family leave, the Governor, my understanding is the Governor has proposed a fairly limited package just for state employees with four weeks for a woman who gives birth, one week for the partner and I think four weeks each if you adopt a child. It's a start but you can't get child care until a baby is at least six weeks old. So, I would love to see it expanded a little bit. But I'd rather see something rather than nothing. And right now, we have nothing and that is really tough on new parents.

[Henderson] And back to the child care element, is the state's best response in your view to subsidize the wages of child care workers or to help make the child care business more affordable by charging it property tax at the business, the building at a residential rate instead of a commercial rate, or doing those things to make the business end of it more affordable?

[Weiner] I haven't really thought very much about what you just articulated. I think that is probably a good idea as well. But the program that was piloted last year is a two dollar I think an hour wage enhancement and it has worked. We've done a similar program in Johnson County, it has worked as well, and it is great also because it is a public private partnership so businesses are contributing as well and they have a stake in it. And when you have child care workers who are professionalized and appreciated and paid more, they'll stay and that gives stability and just a better experience.

[Henderson] There is voluntary four-year-old preschool in Iowa. Do you think it should be just like kindergarten, part of the continuum of education?

[Weiner] My personal view is it should be part of the continuum of education. Children in their very early years, those are the formative years, those are the years when they are developing and learning the most. I have watched it with my granddaughter who was in child care and then did preschool or pre-K in the Iowa City community schools and came home from preschool clearly already understanding the concept of phonics. So about halfway through kindergarten she was reading. And not only does it give you that readiness in terms of academic readiness for K-12 but it also really creates the social readiness that a lot of kids don't have. They ought to pay kindergarten teachers a huge amount more when they do when you see the range of kids that they deal with at this point, kids who have had all of those advantages and who have been through preschool and all the way to kids who have probably never been in a child care.

[Murphy] Similar to Kay's question and a similar topic on maternal care, Governor Reynolds has introduced some proposals that would increase rates for midwives, have Medicaid cover doulas. Are those the kinds of things that Senate democrats also support? I know that democrats have talked about maternal care policies in the past. Are those two good ones in your view?

[Weiner] Yes, they are.

[Murphy] So, if those bills come forward those are ones that -- what else?

[Weiner] I need to read the bills but those are concepts that I think we could get behind.

[Murphy] All right. She has also proposed expanding the number of medical residencies in the state and I know that is something the medical community has asked for, the Iowa Hospital Association and other groups have said that is a great way to get doctors here. Is that a good idea?

[Weiner] It is a good idea. You have to fund it. We have to have the teaching staff and the staff at the hospitals to be able to do it. But in fact, I think just yesterday was Physician's Day on the Hill. I talked to a number of physicians who are here from the University of Iowa and they said, just create the program, we will figure out how to manage the residencies because we need those doctors here.

[Sostaric] There was a protest at the Capitol this week over a bill in the Senate that would limit certain lawsuit claims over pesticide related illness. The protesters are calling it the cancer gag act. Meanwhile, you have pesticide companies saying that it's just a simple bill to ensure they don't get sued for following federal law around their labels. I guess democrats have opposed this bill in the past. Why shouldn't the state ensure that companies aren't getting sued for following federal labeling requirements?

[Weiner] I mean, I guess I'd reverse it and say why shouldn't we as legislators be supporting what Iowans want and need? We talked earlier about Iowa's high cancer rate. We shouldn't, in my view, be taking away Iowans' Fourth Amendment rights. They can call it just a labeling law, but it's really not because it's through truth in labeling that plaintiffs have a chance to get in the door. And they can put anything - it's a floor that the EPA has, they can put more on a label should they choose. But we should not be taking away Iowans' rights. If they believe they have been harmed by a particular pesticide we should not be taking away their right to sue. And we should not be taking the side of large corporations against the Iowans who voted us into office.

[Henderson] In 2023, the Iowa Senate voted to ban drivers from handling their cell phone while they are driving by an overwhelming margin and the House is where it has always sort of wound up dying. The Governor has added to this discussion about the use of cell phones by saying that the state should require school board to adopt a policy to at least ban cell phones during class time. Does that go far enough or does it go too far?

[Weiner] I think it is -- again I haven't read the bill yet -- but I think it's just about right because there are a lot of school districts across this state that have already considered this. Talk to parents, talk to teachers, talk to administrators and they already have a policy in place. So, the fact that if we just want to create a floor and say you must have a policy, kids need to be focused on their teachers, not on their screens, and I think it's completely appropriate.

[Henderson] There are legislators who are behind the scenes developing some property tax reform measures. What input would you offer to whatever list is being developed?

[Weiner] I guess I'd offer two things. One is that they should really bring the people who are dealing with the property taxes, who are dealing with the last property tax bill and those before that to the table, the supervisors from all across the state, members of city councils and so forth and school boards who are really struggling with their budgets right now. The other is if you really want to help relieve the burden on property taxes, increase supplemental school aid because if the current proposed either 2% in the Senate or 2.25% that just passed the House, were it to become law we're going to end up with nearly half of Iowa school districts on budget guarantee, which means the school boards could raise property taxes in order to pay for those public schools. So, they just need to -- they really need to listen to the people who are most closely affected by this as they formulate their policy.

[Murphy] You have a colleague in the Senate democratic caucus, Senator Sarah Trone Garriott, who has been speaking passionately in the recent weeks about federal funding for refugee settlement programs and the impact that that is having here in Iowa. Have you heard anything from your colleagues in the majority party among republicans that indicate that they're willing to look at this, that they see this as a problem the same way Senator Trone Garriott does?

[Weiner] I don't know if you've had a chance to speak with Senator Trone Garriott -- I would hope they would but I don't know if they have because basically what this is, is the U.S. government made a promise to these people when they brought there here --

[Murphy] And I should have clarified, one of the things Senator Trone Garriott has asked for is an emergency appropriation from the state to cover any funds that the federal government is now failing to deliver. I apologize.

[Weiner] So, essentially, it's a 90-day contract with these people, they bring here, it's going to give them some minimal funds to help them with housing and food and so forth and so they can get on their feet. I think the city of Des Moines may have, or Polk County, I can't remember which may have appropriated some emergency funds. But no, I have not heard if my republican colleagues would consider that.

[Sostaric] Senator, you are the third Senate Minority Leader in less than two years. Why did you want to step into a role that has had so much turnover?

[Weiner] I decided to throw my hat in the ring because I think I am someone who can help bring some stability. I have the time to devote to it. I have from my prior career a fair amount of management and leadership experience. I have, which I guess could be a plus or a minus, I have a pretty safe district, which means I can really focus on my colleagues and their issues. And I'm willing to devote the time and energy to it long-term. And I have a few diplomatic skills.

[Henderson] Senate President Amy Sinclair was on the program right after a democrat won a special election for a seat that had been held by the republican who is now the Lieutenant Governor of Iowa. What did you learn in that special election, not necessarily about the x's and o's of the vote and how it turned out, but about candidate selection?

[Weiner] So, we were really thrilled to welcome Senator Mike Zimmer to the Senate this week. He was sworn in this past Monday. And what we learned about candidate selection is if you have the right candidate, if you find a really good candidate who has the values and can represent the values of that district really well, you have a good shot at winning regardless of the sort of flavor of that district.

[Murphy] One of the things we're often told from the experts is be careful about drawing, to Kay's point, too big of conclusions from a special election. Is there something coming out of that Senator Zimmer win that you think applies to democrat's strategy moving forward?

[Weiner] You're right, Erin, in the sense that special elections are very different than general elections. But I think we can draw a few lessons. One is as Kay asked about the candidate, you get the right candidate with the right values who is well known in the district, they have a good shot whether they are a democrat or a republican. And if you get out and talk to enough voters and connect with them that grassroots, really that grassroots effort is incredibly meaningful.

[Murphy] And we've got just under a minute left. I don't ask a caucus question I lose my Iowa political reporter card, so you are part of the new leadership as Senate Minority Leader, a leadership group in the state political party as well that sort of advises and counsels on issues facing the party. Do you think democrats should fight to get back its first-in-the-nation slot?

[Weiner] It sort of feels a little bit like a trick question now. But what Id' say is if we've learned anything from the past couple of years, as well as from the special election, it is the need to get every single county organized. And I think the caucuses over the years have given us this boom and bust cycle with a wealth of people and money coming in sometimes and as a result a lot of the county parties really suffered. And whether or not the caucuses come back, I believe that we really need to focus on the grassroots county party organization everywhere in this state.

[Henderson] I have to focus on the clock and we are out of time for this conversation. Senator Weiner, thanks for joining us today.

[Weiner] Thank you so much for having me.

[Henderson] You can watch every episode of Iowa Press at iowapbs.org. For everyone here at Iowa PBS, thanks for watching today.

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Funding for Iowa Press was provided by Friends, the Iowa PBS Foundation.

The Associated General Contractors of Iowa, the public's partner in building Iowa's highway, bridge and municipal utility infrastructure.

Elite Casino Resorts a family run business rooted in Iowa. We believe our employees are part of our family and we strive to improve their quality of life and the quality of lives within the communities we serve.

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Across Iowa, hundreds of neighborhood banks strive to serve their communities, provide jobs and help local businesses. Iowa banks are proud to back the life you build. Learn more at iowabankers.com.

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