Senator Annette Sweeney's newsletter for weeks 2 & 3

        The legislative session is really flying by! I serve on the following committees this session: Chair of Natural Resources, Co-Chair of International Relations, and member of the Health and Human Services, Agriculture, Technology, Commerce, and Ways and Means committees. 
        With so many committees, I spend a great deal of time connecting with the Chairs of each committee to understand their vision for the session and share ideas for bill language. This process is vital for shaping the legislation we work on. Crafting the right language for a bill is no small task—it requires a lot of conversations, emails, and reaching out to constituents directly impacted by the bill. It’s definitely time-consuming but an incredibly important part of the process.
       The following bills are a few of those I worked on this week. I will keep you posted on their status as the session progresses. 
    First, a fun bill that I chose to introduce and work on. SSB 1064: The American Cream Draft Horse resolution is back on track! I made a minor adjustment after visiting with folks at the Cream Show in Iowa Falls this past summer. It was so heartwarming to hear stories from people whose grandparents used these beautiful horses in their farming operations. Their passion for making the American Cream Draft Horse our state horse has been truly inspiring. This resolution has really taken a village to bring forward. 
     Brought to my attention during the interim is related to drainage districts. When a buyer purchases a property, they receive an abstract of the property. The abstract is a record of everything that’s happened with that property. But currently, it doesn’t show if the property is in a drainage district, which can surprise property owners/purchasers in counties with these districts. Land buyers can be caught off guard when they receive a drainage assessment. I believe this needs to change. It’s essentially taxation without representation. Currently, property owners can reach out to the auditor or treasurer for this information, but the recorder doesn’t have the data to put in the abstract. Your input on this issue is welcomed. 
      I’ve also had several meetings regarding property tax concerns with our county officials, and they have been incredibly helpful as we work through many details. 
      Turkey hunting has also been a hot topic lately, with SF 148 being introduced to grant “landowner tags”. I’ve heard from several landowners regarding this both pro and con. Let me know what you think.

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