With the first floor debate of the year, the Senate passed our K-12 education funding proposal.

Senate File 167 is a $235 million increase for K-12 education in Iowa. When combined with last year’s budgeted amount for education, Iowa’s total amount in state aid for schools will come to $4.2 billion. That amount is almost half of Iowa’s roughly $9 billion budget for the next fiscal year. Senate Republicans remain committed to responsible budgeting, and we believe this $235 million increase for education is a sustainable amount Iowa schools can depend on.

We have heard time and time again “show us your budget and we’ll tell you your priorities.” We are confident our budget shows a dedication to educating Iowa students.

Iowans have told us they wanted income tax relief, so we delivered. We also hear a lot from property taxpayers looking for relief and we are working on that relief.

Under Senate File 167, the state of Iowa will be spending $7,983 per student, not even including local and federal sources. The total from all sources of funding for public schools is an average of $18,722 per student. Senate File 167 supports students by allocating funding increases for them and the educational environment they choose. It supports teachers as we fund the biggest teacher pay increase in Iowa’s history. It also protects the taxpayer because it is fiscally responsible.

Last week, the Iowa Senate passed Senate File 152, waiving certain testing requirements for an Iowa driver’s license for military drivers who drove as part of their service. This will make it easier for those who are qualified and did not have a state-issued driver’s license prior to their military service. Military members would be able to get one due to their experience operating a motor vehicle during active duty and get rid of unnecessary requirements for them (the written exam and eye exam will still be required).

We also passed SF 146, which prohibits the creation of a bot to purchase event tickets online, while also placing several restrictions to prevent circumvention of a fair ticket buying process. For too long, many people have been unable to purchase tickets for a future event because of the overwhelming use of bots to overbuy, upsell and horde available tickets to the consumer. The prevention of bots from this process should make access to high-demand tickets fairer and help Iowans hoping to see their favorite events live.

Senate File 22 was passed by the Judiciary Committee last week, prohibiting the use of cell phones while driving. We have heard a lot of comments over the years about this proposal, and with support from the governor this year, we are hoping to see it make it over the finish line. This is an important piece of legislation to prevent dangerous driving and keep Iowans safe on the road.

State Sen. Tim Kraayenbrink, R-Fort Dodge, represents Calhoun, Pocahontas, Sac and Webster counties.