HELPERS AND THE 2022 ELECTION

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The Iowa Helping Community Policy Policy Group asked all state candidates and all federal Congressional candidates to respond to a survey on their support for three helping workforces: child care workers, direct care workers, and community health workers.

31 Iowa House candidates,14 Iowa Senate candidate, and 1 statewide candidate responded and both U.S. Senate candidates and two U.S. House candidates responded.

The questions and their responses are provided in the Resources section BELOW. .

The Iowa Helping Community Policy Group is developing talking points and tools to assist essential workers and their advocates to ensure the voices of frontline workers in direct care, child care, and community health are raised and heard during the 2022 election.

As these tools are developed, they will be posted below. The basis message, however, is simply to talk about these issues with others who listen to you. The "Educate Engage Energize" document in The resources section gives tips on doing just that.

The Iowa Helping Community Group hosted a 2022 Virtual Summit on July 27th -- focusing upon the role those working in the most essential frontline occupations (direct care, child care, and community health) and those who care about them can can do to advance dialogue as part of the 2022 election campaign. The Summit explored oppRrrrr

The slides for the Summit are in the resources section below. The recording of the Summit can be accessed at: https://www.zoom.us/rec/play/urKydU0XpSCPA1F9TB9yBFv2O7HWdYe5uxI6hAlJf8CVKcvmB1evlipgh0Xz35N9oRYgTLifBX6hbje3.Mbqd0Zf3sdkOmYrr?autoplay=true&startTime=1658952007000

The narrative begins 15 seconds into the recording.

The Iowa Helping Community Policy Group asked all candidates for state offices to respond to three questions -- regarding state investments in child care, direct care, and community health workers.

 Thanks to state auditor candidate Rob Sand; state legislative candidates Steve Hansen,  James Eliason, Joe Kerner, Diana Swartz, Sean Bagnieswki, Erick Zehr, Molly Buck, Surresh Ready, Brian Lohse, Bridget Carberry Montgomery, Gary Overla, Penny Vossler, Beth Wessel-Kroeschel, Ross Wilburn,

Sue Cahill, Charles Aldrich, Jennifer Hanson, Jeff Cooling, Tracy Elhert, Art Staid, Craig Cooper, Luana Stoltenberg, Sara Yedik, Lisa Ossian, Jacob Onken, Adam Zabner, Monica Kurth, Rebecca Bowker, Tom Shiply, ToYa Johnson, Alejandro Murguia-Ortiz, Todd Brady, Herman Quirmbach, Sam Cox, Jenn Wolff, Whitney Mixdorf, Jed Ganzer, Molly Donahue, Deb VanderGaast, Janie Weine, and Mary Figaro for completing the survey. 

The CARES Act and American Rescue Plan Act took first steps in making increased federal investments in child care workers, direct care workers, and community health workers -- but these investments are time-limited. The Iowa Iowa Helping Community Policy Group asked Iowa candidates for the U.S. Senate and Iowa's four Congressional Districts three questions on making these investments permanent.

The first set of responses to the survey are shown in the resources and references section. Thanks to Mike Franken, Chuck Grassley, Ashley Hinson, and Ryan Melton for responding.