Don't add government red tape by licensing art therapists

• Roses and thistles: You can support nonprofit that helps struggling families keep beloved pets

A thistle to Rep. Mary Mascher, an Iowa City Democrat, for introducing a bill to create yet another job license in Iowa. House File 362 would add art therapists to the already too-long list of people required to obtain state permission to earn a living.

The 11-page bill would place more workers under the thumb of government and make it a crime for someone to refer to themselves as an art therapist if they’re not licensed by a state-sanctioned board of industry insiders. 

Iowa lawmakers should not add a single new licensing requirement to law until they review the hundreds of pages of existing laws and rules, including many that are arcane, unnecessary, hinder economic growth, limit competition and do not make a single Iowan safer.

And while we're on the subject of licensing, a rose to Rep. Jeff Shipley, R-Fairfield, for seeking to repeal requirements in law that massage therapists be licensed. House File 188 would allow Iowans to massage backs without approval from the state. 

The bill would make obtaining a license optional and would prohibit— a person from calling themselves licensed if they are not. Great! This is the direction Iowa needs to move for people seeking to earn money filing fingernails, cutting hair and waxing eyebrows. Make a state license optional, not required. 

A rose to The Pet Project Midwest, a Des Moines based nonprofit organization run entirely by volunteers. Established a decade ago to assist homeless and low-income Iowans with the cost of pet ownership, it developed a system to support families in distress by offering a Pet Pantry, AniMeals (a partnership with Meals on Wheels) and its Paws for Life programs.

The organization distributed more than 42,000 pounds of pet food and helped about 1,000 families in 2017. It shared more than 5,500 postings online to reconnect owners with lost and found dogs and cats.

Donations from the rest of us are what allow the organization to provide this help. One way Iowans can show support is by purchasing a $20 ticket to attend Painters for Pets from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. March 7 at Mainframe Studios, 900 Keo Way in Des Moines. The charity auction features unique artwork from local artists, including painters, photographers, woodworkers and others. Tickets can be purchased online.

Animals are an important part of families. They may be the only regular companion for a home-bound senior and the best friend of a child. The last thing someone going through a financial crisis needs is to have to give up a beloved pet because food for the animal is unaffordable. The Pet Project Midwest works to help prevent that. 

A rose to Steve Bruere and his partners for seeking to invest in Iowa and sustainable agriculture. They want to build a development on about 400 acres near Cumming. It would have an organic vegetable farm, vineyard, orchard and residential gardens anchoring a home, condo, apartment and retail development.

If the Cumming City Council approves, the roughly $260 million project could be Iowa’s first “agrihood," a planned community anchored by a working farm and community gardens.

Cumming, with a population of about 400, is only 10 minutes from West Des Moines and 20 minutes from downtown Des Moines. It is a destination for bicycle riders on the Great Western Trail. The development could attract more than 1,500 new residents while maintaining a small-town, Iowa feel. 

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