Common Good Iowa

Policy roadmap

Toward the Common Good

Good health and nutrition

Every Iowan can put food on the table and get the health services they need to get and stay healthy.

  • Robust Medicaid and CHIP (Hawki) programs and an affordable insurance marketplace

  • Access to the full range of care, including maternal and mental health services, sustainably and equitably funded, regardless of zip code, race or income.

  • Strong and accessible nutrition programs, including school lunches, SNAP and WIC.

Family safety and stability

Every family has the support they need to meet their needs and get ahead. 

  • Child Care Assistance so stretched working parents can go to work or school while their children attend quality care.

  • Material and financial supports in times of crisis to help families avoid hardships and stabilize their households. 

  • Human service and child welfare systems focused on prevention and early intervention, using proven strategies like home visiting.

Every Iowa student has access to strong public schools

  • Robust funding for the backbone of our education system: Iowa’s public PK-12 schools and Regents and community colleges

  • Expanded public preschool so no child misses out on early learning

Policymaking tied to enhancing equity

Our public systems adopt policies that break down the structural barriers that have limited the prospects of families of color for generations.

  • Analysis of the racial equity impact of proposed legislation as part of lawmaking process, like we currently model a bill’s costs and other impacts.

  • Programs and agencies analyze data by race and ethnicity and implement data-informed policies that meet the needs of all communities.

People-centered budget

Iowa’s budget meets immediate needs and lays the groundwork for economic recovery.

  • Target aid to those most in need due to the COVID public health and economic crises.

  • Protect state finances to preserve public services as the foundations of long-term economic growth and opportunity.

Equitable tax system

We flip our current “upside-down” tax system in which middle- and low-income families pay a higher share of their income in state and local taxes than wealthy families. 

  • Reform corporate tax credits to assure taxpayer dollars are used for public priorities, not as giveaways to profitable companies that do not need taxpayers’ help.   

  • Expand work supports like the earned income and child tax credits that help low-paid Iowans meet a family budget. 

Public policy sets the ground rules for a level economic playing field that contributes to family prosperity.

  • Increase the minimum wage and enact paid sick and family leave.

  • Crack down on wage theft and enforce workplace safety

  • Protect collective bargaining, IPERS and other public pensions

  • Reform workers’ compensation and unemployment systems to support Iowa workers in tough times

Iowa sets a high-road path to prosperity, protecting and enhancing quality of life now and for future generations. 

  • Weatherization and energy assistance programs make shutoffs rare.  

  • Make clean water a priority and hold polluters accountable.

  • Adopt climate-friendly energy solutions, including solar and wind power.

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