A bill to raise teacher starting pay advanced out of the Iowa House budget committee Wednesday with an amendment.

House File 2611 would raise the minimum teacher starting salary to $47,500 in the first year, with a jump to $50,000 in year two. The current starting salary, set at $33,500, was decided over a decade ago.

The legislation also provides $14 million for educational support staff and appropriates $22 million in funding to assist with salary schedules.

An amendment altered the legislation to ensure all three funding mechanisms would be “sustainable.” It would move the $22 million from a grant administered by the Iowa Department of Education to an increase in the state supplemental aid given to districts for teacher pay under the Teacher Salary Supplement.

Rep. Carter Nordman, R-Panora, who ran the bill, described the legislation as a “major step forward in addressing teacher pay in the state of Iowa.”

“I’ve been hearing more and more about support staff as well, almost as much as teacher salaries. So I think this is really important bill that addresses that,” said Carter. “It’s important that we attract teachers into the profession, but also retain teachers. And I think this addresses that. I think this is a good step forward.”

Rep. Heather Matson, D-Ankeny, served on the subcommittee for the bill, said she was thrilled to see the amendment and is happy that the bill will be sustainable moving forward.

Zach Nunn, Ashley Hinson, and Mariannette Miller-Meeks file for reelection

U.S. Reps. Zach Nunn, Ashley Hinson, and Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, filed for reelection on Monday — the first day to submit paperwork for the June Primary. Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Hull, has yet to file for reelection.

Miller-Meeks and Nunn face competitive races with two Democrats — Melissa Vine and Lanon Baccam — running against Nunn in Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District. Christina Bohannan faces off against Miller-Meeks for a second time after unsuccessfully vying for the 1st congressional District in 2022.

The campaign arm of the U.S. House Democrats announced support for Democrats in Iowa’s 1st and 3rd Congressional Districts in January.

Nunn announced he filed his paperwork mid-morning on Monday. Nunn, an Air Force veteran, was elected in 2022 in a close race — beating out Democrat Cindy Axne who was elected to the seat in 2018.

“I’ll continue to bring Iowa commonsense to our nation’s capital as I fight for Iowans,” Nunn said in a news release on Monday.

Hinson, a former KCRG-TV news anchor, announced she filed for reelection later Monday afternoon.

“There is so much enthusiasm to keep this seat red, fire Joe Biden, and get our country back on track,” Hinson said in a news release on Monday. “We are going to win big in November!”

Sarah Corkery, a Democrat from Cedar Falls, is running against Hinson.

Miller-Meeks, a former ophthalmologist from Ottumwa, Iowa, announced she filed mid-morning Monday. Miller-Meeks was first elected in 2020, after longtime Democratic incumbent Dave Loebsack retired. She famously won in 2020 by six votes.

“2024 is a pivotal election surrounded by issues that face everyday Iowans,” Miller-Meeks said in a news release on Monday. “Whether it be the failing economy that has led to higher cost of living with hikes at the grocery store and the gas pumps, or the failure to secure our southern border allowing drugs to fill our streets, we must acknowledge that the current path we are on is the wrong one.”

David Pautsch, a Republican from Davenport, is running against Miller-Meeks.

The deadline for filing for the June primary is March 15.