Next Friday is the second funnel day at the Iowa Legislature, when Senate bills have to be passed out of a House committee and House bills have to be passed out of a Senate committee if they are to move forward.

With that deadline approaching, the Business Record took a look at some of the bills that are still alive as the session begins its 10th week.

Here’s what’s still alive:

• House File 2279 reduces the unemployment benefit period from 26 weeks to 16 weeks, creates a one-week waiting period before a person would become eligible to receive unemployment, and reduces the period that unemployment would be paid for someone who is laid off due to their employer going out of business from 39 weeks to 26 weeks. The bill also proposes caps on jury verdicts for medical tort claims and on claims against commercial trucking operators. The bill has not been approved by the full House, and that must happen before it moves to the Senate where a committee must pass it for the bill to move forward. Reducing the benefit period for unemployment was a priority listed by Gov. Kim Reynolds in her Condition of the State address in January.

• House File 2128 requires most Iowa gas stations to offer E15 ethanol blend fuel. It was approved by the House earlier in the session but remains under consideration by the Senate Ways and Means Committee.

• House File 2198 would allow 16- and 17-year-olds to be employed in child care settings and provide care without supervision. It was approved by the House on March 2 and has received recommendation for approval by the Senate Human Resources Committee.

• Senate File 2268 and House File 2131 increases the child-to-provider ratio in child care centers, increasing the number of 2-year-old and 3-year-old children allowed under the care of an individual provider. The Senate already approved its version. The House version remains under consideration.

• House FIle 2461 would make the development and deployment of ransomware illegal except in cases of testing or research. It passed the House on March 2 and has been assigned to the Senate Commerce Subcommittee.

• House File 2547 would license and regulate certified professional midwives. It passed the House on March 8. It has been assigned to the Senate State Government Subcommittee.

• House Study Bill 693 allows the maximum benefit amount under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for families with eligible members. No action has been taken on the bill since the House State Government Subcommittee approved it on Feb. 17.

• Senate File 2369 gives taxpayer funds to families wanting to place their student in a private school. The bill was approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee. A House version of the bill was approved by that chamber’s Education Subcommittee on March 8.

• House File 2499 requires schools to post all educational materials online for parents to review along with the district’s policy for challenging materials. The bill remains on the schedule in the House Education Committee. A version in the Senate allows parents to sue a district or a teacher if they disagree with their decision. That bill was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Feb. 21.

Earlier in the session, a bill creating a flat income tax, lowering corporate tax rates and eliminating taxes on retirement income was approved and signed into law by Reynolds.

A bill banning transgender girls from participating in sports was also approved and signed into law.

The funnel deadline does not apply to tax-related and spending bills.

The last day of the 2022 session is scheduled for April 19, the day per diem expenses to lawmakers end.