A University of Iowa graduate student is challenging an incumbent in a race for Washington County's Iowa House seat.

Incumbent Heather Hora is facing a challenge from Anna Banowsky, who is seeking to become the area's second UI graduate student in the House after Iowa City's Adam Zabner.

To help voters make a decision on casting their ballot, the Press-Citizen sent questions to all federal, Iowa City area legislative and local candidates running for political office this year. Their answers have been lightly edited for length and clarity.

Who is Heather Hora?

Who is Anna Banowsky?

What would be your top issue should you be elected?

Hora: Property tax reform.

Banowsky: Education. All of Iowa's children deserve to have a high-quality public education, regardless of where they live.

What policies would you support to improve Iowa’s education system?

Hora: I believe we need to do more work on improving education outcomes. Last session, we did a lot of work on making Iowa's Education System better, and I believe we will continue to build on what we started. We have amazing Teachers throughout Iowa and when I meet with them, I hear about the troubles they are having with classroom management. We need to empower teachers and give them the disciplinary tools they deserve in the classroom. This will not only help the teachers but will improve the classroom learning environment for our students. A better learning environment for students and teachers will be a great start to improving outcomes in Iowa's Education system.

Banowsky: I would support repealing the private school vouchers, as these have only served to take money away from public schools and funnel it into the private sector, where it is less accountable to the populace. I believe that we ought to fund Iowa's public schools so that our education system is seen as competitive and top-rated among the states. We need to pay our teachers and other school faculty a competitive rate to attract and retain the best people for these positions and to improve student outcomes. We also need to fund the AEAs, as schools and families rely on the services that these agencies provide.

What do you think Iowa’s tax policy should be? Do you believe the state’s priority should be on lowering rates or spending on services for Iowans?

Hora: If there is one thing I know for sure, Iowans care about taxes. I believe in a well-rounded tax policy, controlling government spending and lowering taxes to a sustainable level. We need to keep as much of Iowans hard earned money in their hands. We need to simplify our tax code, not just for individuals but for businesses as well. House Republicans talked about a number of ways to responsibly cut property taxes last session, I believe we will get something done this session. While I am not sure what it will end up looking like exactly, what I do know is that it will be a very well-thought-out approach to provide Iowans with common-sense tax reform.

Banowsky: It is best to strike a balance between lowering rates and spending on services. We should be careful that the cost isn't shuffled onto the counties or municipalities when the state lowers taxes, as has been seen with the raising of local taxes as a result of the voucher system funneling money from public school districts. We must ensure that Iowa spends the money received from taxes wisely and invests in the services that Iowans rely on without overspending. Certain expenses, such as the private school vouchers, could be cut; these vouchers cost a lot of the tax dollars that hard-working Iowans contribute while benefiting the wealthy families whose children already attend private schools.

What policies would you support to improve school safety in Iowa?

Hora: As a mother of three school-aged children, improving school safety will always be a priority for me. Last session, we passed House File 2586, Improving School Safety. While working on this bill House Republicans met with school administrators, law enforcement, and teachers to develop legislative solutions that would make our students safer at school. Our rural schools can experience longer response times in emergencies, I will continue to advocate for a grant to pay for one SRO for every rural school district in Iowa. We need to make sure that there are people in our school buildings able to respond when needed. This will lower response times in emergencies when every second matters.

Banowsky: I would support an investment in mental health services in schools. Our public schools should have more psychologists, counselors, and social workers to address the mental health and well-being of the student body. Adequately funding the AEAs would go a long way for providing these services. I would also support a red-flag law to prevent dangerous individuals from having firearms; while the average gun owner is responsible, it is important to have standards in place to ensure that those who are irresponsible do not have access to deadly weapons.

Iowa’s six-week abortion ban is now in effect. What next steps do you believe the Iowa Legislature should take when it comes to abortion?

Hora: Now that the Heartbeat Bill is in effect, I believe we should focus on fighting for policies that promote life and support strong families in Iowa. There is so much we can do in this regard. We can work to improve our foster care and adoption systems, increase access to quality maternal health care, provide financial and educational support for new parents, particularly in the case of unplanned pregnancies, and expand access to quality and affordable child care. I feel that it is also important we take care of new mothers as so many women struggle with postpartum depression and are unable to get the help that they need as their focus is on taking care of their newborn.

Banowsky: I believe that the six-week abortion ban is far too strict, and I would like to see this law repealed for a number of reasons. A majority of Iowans do not agree with the current law. Six weeks is too soon for a majority of women to even know if they're pregnant. We've also seen similar bans in other states lead to women dying, as well as an increase in infant mortality. Finally, I believe that the decision on if, when, and how one becomes a parent ought to be made by the individual in conjunction with a qualified healthcare professional, not mandated and enforced by the state.