From 2017 to 2021, Ashley Hinson represented District 67 in the Iowa House. In 2017 she voted for House File 291, which limited the bargaining rights of about 184,000 Iowa public workers; House File 295, which took the higher minimum wages that Linn and Johnson counties had set back to $7.25; and House File 518, which reduced workers' compensation benefits.
That year Hinson also voted for House File 653, the budget law that shut Planned Parenthood out of Iowa's family planning program, after which four Iowa clinics closed and use of the state program fell nearly 83%. She voted for a 20-week abortion ban in 2017 and a six-week ban in 2018.
What Ashley Hinson's Iowa House Votes Cost Iowa Workers, Patients and Clinics
- Public workers. The bargaining law Hinson voted for took away rights the old law gave to about 184,000 public-sector workers for the state, counties, cities and school districts in Iowa, The Gazette reported.
- Minimum-wage workers in Linn County. Before the preemption law, Iowa Public Radio reported, "In Linn County, the minimum wage is $8.25 and is set to increase to $10.25 in 2019." The National Employment Law Project estimated that Around 29,000 Iowans in Johnson and Linn counties could see their pay cut to the state minimum, and that more than 85,000 workers in Johnson, Linn, Wapello, Polk, and Lee Counties would be denied scheduled raises. Linn County, home of Cedar Rapids, is part of Iowa's 2nd District, which Hinson now represents.
- Family planning patients. Planned Parenthood said the four clinic closures after the 2017 budget law will affect 14,676 patients. The state program that replaced the federal one saw a nearly 83% drop in people using its services since it was created in 2017: 4,642 people received services in 2016 under the Medicaid-funded program, and In 2021, 423 Iowans received services under the program, the Des Moines Register reported.
- Injured workers. The Legislative Services Agency estimated the workers' compensation law would cut payments from the state Workers' Compensation Fund by an estimated $920,000 annually beginning in FY 2018.
Ashley Hinson's Votes in the Iowa House, 2017 and 2018
- Hinson Voted in 2017 to Limit Most Iowa Public Workers' Bargaining to Base Wages. On February 16, 2017, as an Iowa state representative, Ashley Hinson voted for House File 291, which passed the Iowa House 53 to 47 with her among the ayes. The law limits most public-sector union contract negotiations to base wages only, and Iowa Public Radio reported that It also requires unions to recertify before bargaining on each new contract. Iowa Public Radio reported that under the law public workers can bargain over base wages but not health insurance or other benefits, and the Iowa Supreme Court upheld the law in May 2019, so the limits remain in force.
- Hinson Voted in 2017 for the Law That Took Linn County's Higher Minimum Wage Back to $7.25. On March 9, 2017, Hinson voted for House File 295, which passed the Iowa House 56 to 41 with her among the ayes, and Bleeding Heartland reported that Governor Terry Branstad signed House File 295 on Thursday, March 30, 2017. The law barred counties and cities from setting their own minimum wage, and Little Village reported it would lower the minimum wage in Johnson, Linn, Polk and Wapello counties to $7.25. The National Employment Law Project said the law made Iowa the first state government in the U.S. to take away raises from low-wage workers who already received them, Bleeding Heartland reported. Nine years later, the National Conference of State Legislatures' table of state minimum wages still lists Iowa $7.25.
- Hinson Voted in 2017 to Shut Planned Parenthood Out of Iowa's Family Planning Program, and Four Clinics Closed. On April 19, 2017, Hinson voted for House File 653, the health and human services budget, which passed the Iowa House 55 to 42 with her name among the ayes. The law created a state-run family planning program and provided that Distribution of family planning services program funds shall not be made to any entity that performs abortions. Planned Parenthood said four of its Iowa health centers would close because of the law, and Clinics in Sioux City, Burlington and Keokuk will close June 30, 2017. By 2023 the Des Moines Register found the state program was paying for far fewer birth control pills, pelvic exams, pregnancy tests and related services than the federal program it replaced.
- Hinson Voted in 2017 for a Workers' Compensation Law That Reduced Benefits for Injured Iowa Workers. On March 16, 2017, Hinson voted for House File 518, which passed the Iowa House 55 to 38 with her among the ayes, and the law was signed by the Governor on March 30, 2017. The Legislative Services Agency, the Legislature's nonpartisan staff, summarized it as changing workers' compensation by reducing benefits, limiting benefits, changing the qualifications for benefits and lowering the interest paid on awards. Business Insurance reported that the law added stricter rules for disability resulting from shoulder injuries and was expected to reduce workers comp costs for employers, costs that are paid as benefits to workers hurt on the job.
- Hinson Voted for a 20-Week Abortion Ban and a 72-Hour Waiting Period in 2017. On April 5, 2017, Hinson voted for Senate File 471, which passed the Iowa House 55 to 42 with her among the ayes. The law bans most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy and added a 72-hour waiting period. The 20-week ban is in effect, the Associated Press reported in June 2018, when The Iowa Supreme Court on Friday struck down a law requiring a 72-hour waiting period.
- Hinson Voted for a Six-Week Abortion Ban in 2018 That Most Iowans Said Went Too Far. On May 1, 2018, Hinson voted for Senate File 359, the six-week ban, which passed the Iowa House 51 to 46 with her among the ayes. It was a proposal that Reynolds signed into law in 2018 before the courts blocked it. In a Des Moines Register Iowa Poll in September 2018, 52% of Iowans said the proposal went too far.
- Hinson Said She Would Not Make It Harder to Get Care, Then Voted to Defund Planned Parenthood in Iowa. At a League of Women Voters forum in Linn County on January 21, 2017, Hinson said her top concern was to make sure we’re not making it harder on anyone to get services, according to a transcript published by Bleeding Heartland. Three months later she voted for the budget law that shut Planned Parenthood out of state family planning money, and four Iowa clinics closed that summer.
Frequently Asked Questions About Ashley Hinson on Iowa House record
What did Ashley Hinson do in the Iowa Legislature?
Ashley Hinson served in the Iowa House from 2017 to 2021, holding the District 67 seat, and in 2017 she voted for laws that limited public workers' bargaining, wiped out higher county minimum wages, reduced workers' compensation benefits and shut Planned Parenthood out of state family planning money. In 2018 she voted for the six-week abortion ban that courts blocked.
Did Ashley Hinson vote to lower the minimum wage in Iowa?
Yes. Ashley Hinson voted for House File 295 on March 9, 2017, the law that set county minimum wages back to the state's $7.25, including in Linn County, where Iowa Public Radio reported the wage had been set to rise to $10.25 in 2019. Johnson County, which had the highest minimum wage in the state, would also be set back to $7.25.
How did Ashley Hinson vote on collective bargaining in Iowa?
Ashley Hinson voted for House File 291 on February 16, 2017, the law that limits most public workers' bargaining to base wages. The Gazette reported that it also eliminated such issues as health insurance and supplemental pay as mandatory items for bargaining.
Did Ashley Hinson vote to defund Planned Parenthood in Iowa?
Yes. Ashley Hinson voted for House File 653 on April 19, 2017, which barred family planning money from any entity that performs abortions. To do it, the Des Moines Register reported, the Legislature opted to leave behind $3 million annually in federal Medicaid family planning money.
Last updated: 2026-10-25