Mike Klimesh, Iowa State Senator
We just finished up week seven in the legislature and are barreling toward the first funnel at the end of next week. Any bill that does not clear committee on either side is dead for the session, except for those in the Ways and Means Committee and the Appropriations Committee. It has been an extremely busy session, and I have been working on policy issues in several committees. I am also the new chair of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, which has been a challenging and extremely interesting committee.
Some of the policy issues that I am working on this session include a bill regarding geologic hydrogen development in the state of Iowa. Based on both USGS and the Iowa State Geologist, Iowa sits poised on a potentially huge deposit of geologic hydrogen. It is anticipated to be of a high enough level of purity that it would require no further refining and would provide clean energy. It could be used to spur on ammonia development in the state and provide a huge impact on Iowa’s economy.
The country right now imports roughly 60 percent of its ammonia from China and Russia, which is commonly applied by Iowa’s farmers as fertilizer. The current process is very energy intensive and is currently produced in those countries using coal power plants. The earth has an estimated 6.2 trillion tons of hydrogen deposits. If 2 percent of that was tapped, it could provide power for the country for 200 years. This year, I introduced SF-268 in the Natural Resources Committee. This bill provides the framework for geologic hydrogen development in the state and sets up regulations on underground pooling to ensure all Iowans have the potential for financial benefit from their mineral rights.
This week we also voted on SF-418. This bill concerned the words “gender identity” in Chapter 216 of the Iowa Code. Many have said that this bill removes rights for some. I would say it restores rights for everyone. It restores the right of any city council to pass an ordinance without the fear of having that ordinance overturned in court due to the existing language in the Iowa Code, against the will of their residents. Iowans have spoken, and 70 percent of Americans agree, they don’t want boys in girls’ bathrooms, and they don’t want boys in girls’ sports. I have voted on both bills in the past years and, this last election cycle, the voters in my district sent me back to Des Moines to continue to represent their values, I would add, at a higher level of support than they did in 2020. My consistency on this stance carried through on my yes vote on SF-418.
This vote ensures that the voters get to decide on policy in this state and not the court, especially when its hands are tied by the code. Within the last two weeks, there was a case filed against our law regarding biologic sex and bathroom use, once again setting the stage for the use of lawfare to overturn the will of the vast majority of Iowans. This bill also will prevent the continued expense of Iowans’ tax dollars to fund sex changes for Iowa prisoners, which so far has already topped over $2 million because of the court ruling in Good vs. Iowa Department of Human Services. To put that into perspective, the bill I introduced this year providing funding for the Double Up Food Bucks Program that incentivizes healthy eating for those Iowans on food assistance and would increase profitability for our farmers markets asked for $1 million. I would argue the latter is a much better use of Iowa’s tax dollars.
To those who would say this change will lead to massive discrimination, I would point out that Iowa will now join 28 other states that never had these provisions in their code, and widespread discrimination does not exist in those states.
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