A bill that made it out of committee in the Iowa Senate last week had a last-minute change.

Senate Study Bill 1190 aims to eliminate several state regulations on public school districts that were put in place in 2008, such as a requirement for all districts to use environmentally-friendly cleaning products and to report how they are using them. By removing those requirements, school districts can decide if they want to continue those practices.

However, District 24 Senator Jerry Behn says two parts of the original bill removed requirements for districts to have nurses and librarians. “Now nothing in the bill that we were contemplating would’ve said that you had to get rid of your school nurse or get rid of your school librarian. You no longer have a mandate from the state telling you that you have to have one. If you wanted one and wanted to keep one you most certainly could. If you didn’t have one before and you wanted one now you certainly could hire one. We weren’t telling what to do, we were just telling you that you didn’t have to have that particular rule anymore.”

Behn points out the goal of the bill is to reduce the overall regulatory burden on school districts and save money. The bill is now eligible for full floor debate in the Senate.