Legislative Preview: Ward Backs Mental Health Standardization

State Sen. Pat Ward (R-Clive) says she’ll push hard for bipartisan mental health reform standardizing the level of care available statewide during a legislative session where property tax and eduction reform are expected to be dominant issues.

Ward said mental health services are “pretty good in Polk County,” though there are still instances of Iowans falling through the cracks. In many areas of rural Iowa, the problem is more acute, she said.

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“There are some very sad stories,” she said. “I’ve met with a number of constituents, and people are very concerned about the availability of services for their children and adult children.”

Last year, the Legislature approved and Gov. Terry Branstad signed a bill providing that the current mental health care system “sunset” in 2013, with the expectation that legislators would hammer out the details of a new plan this session.

In his budget proposal, Branstad set aside $18 million for mental-health reform. That’s far less than the initial $42 million Human Services Director Chuck Palmer said is necessary to revamp the system, with the state investment growing to $133 million when fully implemented in fiscal year 2017.

Ward, the assistant minority leader in the Senate who represents the Polk County portion of West Des Moines, thinks there is broad bipartisan support for mental health reform, but was unsure about whether lawmakers would favor appropriating more than Branstad proposed.

“These are expensive, very expensive, services,” Ward said. “It’s a very expensive plan to implement on a statewide basis, but where that money comes from is the issue. Almost everything we do has a domino effect on something else.

“We don’t want to have unintended consequences.”

Ward Won’t Support Residential Property Increase
That’s also Ward’s mantra in property tax reform discussions that will take center stage at the Statehouse this session. She said she will not support a property tax reform plan that has a domino effect on residential property tax rates.

She said that with the second-highest tax rate in the nation on commercial property, reform is urgently needed.

“We’ve got to be competitive or we won’t have small businesses locating in Iowa, much less large ones,” Ward said. “We don’t want to see a domino effect and cause residential rates to go up.”

West Des Moines city officials have voiced concern that Branstad’s proposal could cut commercial valuations by millions of dollars, which would require substantial cuts in services or increases on residential properties. The proposal includes a provision that would protect municipalities against sudden decreases in revenue, but cities are concerned that the Legislature can’t hold future legislators to those promises.

“Yes, I want tax reform,” Ward said. “It’s essential to a growing economy. But I don’t want it to fall on the back of residential homeowners.”

Education reform will also be a priority this year. Ward said her primary goals in the discussion are to create systems that make Iowa students more competitive globally, produce better outcomes and more accountability, and have measurable results.

“We need some reform to accomplish that,” she said.

Ward May Back Constitutional Ban on Red-Light Cameras
Ward, the first Iowa legislator to propose a ban on the use of red-light cameras in Iowa municipalities, said she’s as yet undecided whether she’ll sign on as a sponsor or co-sponsor in the Senate on legislation that could lead to the nation’s first constitutional ban on the cameras’ use.

“That’s something I’ve considered,” she said. “It may not be the route, but I’m very concerned about red-light cameras.

Ward is ranking member of the Labor and Business Committee, and also serves on the Commerce, Economic Growth/Rebuild Iowa and Judiciary standing committees.