Capitol Comments
Legislature Continues to Work
After passing the scheduled date for adjournment last week, we moved closer to an agreement this week as the final pieces of the state budget were sent to bi-partisan conference committees to iron out their differences.
Over the next week, conference committees on the state budgets and other key issues in health care, property taxes, and education will continue to negotiate and try to reach agreement. Each conference committee is comprised of five members of the House and five members of the Senate and is also evenly split between Democrats and Republicans.
Once the conference committees find common ground on their bills, the House and Senate will approve identical versions of each agreement and then they will be sent to the Governor’s desk. While there are a host of issues to be resolved, the only bills required to be approved before adjournment deal with the state budget.
When the Legislature went into overtime this week, we (state lawmakers) stopped getting paid; however, we will continue to work until agreements are reached and state budgets are approved.
Now in House/Senate Conference Committees
(Note: Bills and additional information can be found at https://www.legis.iowa.gov/index.aspx)
HF 215 — education reform involving student, teacher, and administrator programs and activities under the purview of the department of education, the state board of education, the college student aid commission, school districts, and accredited nonpublic schools.
SF 430 — appropriations to the department of cultural affairs, the economic development authority, the board of regents and certain board of regents institutions, the department of workforce development, the Iowa finance authority, and the public employment relations board.
HF 603 — appropriations to certain state departments, agencies, funds, and certain other entities.
HF 604 — funding of, the operation of, and appropriation of moneys to the college student aid commission, the department for the blind, the department of education, and the state board of regents.
SF 435 — appropriations involving state government entities involved with agriculture, natural resources, and environmental protection.
SF 447 — appropriations to the justice system.
SF 295 — establishing a property tax credit for commercial, industrial, and railway property.
SF 296 — integrated care models for the delivery of health care, including but not limited to required utilization of a medical home by individuals currently and newly eligible for coverage under the Medicaid program.
SF 446 — appropriations for health and human services.
HF 638 — appropriations to state departments and agencies from the rebuild Iowa infrastructure fun and the technology reinvestment fund.
SF 452 – standings and miscellaneous provisions
Judicial Budget Bill Sent to Governor
The Senate and House found agreement on funding for the Judicial Branch for fiscal year 2014, which runs from July 1, 2013, through June 30, 2014. Both chambers agreed to appropriate a total of $168 million for fiscal year 2014, representing an increase of $5.7 million compared to the current fiscal year.
The courts will hire additional staff for the clerks of court offices, general judicial support, and information technology. The funds will assist in opening and keeping the clerks offices open five days a week and during normal business hours. All areas of the court system need funds for court reporters, juvenile court officers, and district court staffing.
Lastly, the information technology support is needed to assist with the continued installation of the electronic data managements system (EDMS). The EDMS allows both parties to file cases and documents with the courts electronically, rather than personally filing with the clerk of the court. While this is not yet available statewide, the courts are continuing to work to ensure its availability in every county in the near future.
The bill, Senate File 442, now needs the signature of the Governor.
$1.9 Billion for Wind Energy
A decade ago, Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack pledged to make Iowa a world leader in renewable energy and opened the door to allow Iowa utilities to own wind farms. That plan is still paying dividends today after MidAmerican Energy announced another $1.9 billion wind energy investment in Iowa.
Over the next two years, MidAmerican plans to add over 1,000 megawatts of wind power with 656 new wind towers. It will create 460 construction jobs and 48 permanent jobs. That amounts to a $2.4 million annual payroll and means about 40% of MidAmerican’s energy in Iowa will come from wind energy. Blades for the wind turbines will be built at Siemens Energy in Ft. Madison and towers will come from Trinity Structural Towers in Newton.
MidAmerican said the new project will also cut energy costs for customers by about $10 million annually. Officials expect landowners will receive $3.2 million annually from the project and generate $360 million in property tax revenue over the next 30 years.
Iowa is currently the 3rd leading producer of wind energy in the nation producing enough power for over 1 million homes. Iowa already generates 25% of electricity from wind turbines, which is the highest in the nation. According the Wind Energy Association, there are about 7,000 jobs in Iowa dependent on wind energy.
Medicaid Expansion Vs. Healthy Iowa Plan
AARP recently released an analysis showing the Governor’s health care plan costs more, has fewer services and covers fewer Iowans. But even after numerous comparisons with the same conclusions, Republicans have yet to acknowledge the fiscal realities of their health plan. Compared to expanding Medicaid, the Republican plan, annually, would cost the federal government an extra $90 million, state taxpayers an extra $160 million, and Iowa businesses $16 million. Despite the high cost, the Republican plan would cover 60,000 fewer Iowans.
This latest comparison, by AARP, can be found at their website: www.aarp.org/ia , or directly at this link: http://states.aarp.org/how-house-and-senate-plans-for-healthcare-differ/ .
Thank-a-Teacher this Week- Or Any Week
Since 1984, the first full week in May is a special time to honor our teachers and celebrate their outstanding contributions. Teachers are the key role in student success, and sometimes a simple “thanks” is all a teacher needs to feel valued and appreciated.
Teacher Appreciation Week, May 6-10, is the perfect time to thank current or former teachers for their sacrifices and support for our students. Teaching takes dedication, hard work, skills and intelligence, but it also requires the ability to strike a balance between discipline and freedom, to encourage individuals while considering what is best for the class.
Schoolchildren and parents can show appreciation for their teachers by sharing kind words or a special card this week – or anytime at all J
– Representative Art Staed
Enjoyed a pancake breakfast to benefit the Kenwood Park Neighborhood Association. Had a great visit with Dorothy Higdon and many other constituents….and ate some delicious pancakes! If you live in the area and would like to get involved, you can learn more about this community of friends and neighbors here: http://www.kenwoodparkia.org/
Had two Listening Posts last Saturday at our local HyVees and I really appreciated the great attendance and discussion of ideas. Once again, major priorities were: education funding and reform, mental health and developmental disabilities, Medicaid Expansion, small business growth, commercial and agricultural property taxes, road repair and gasoline tax. We covered a lot of ground and I’m grateful for the wonderful input!
I appreciated guest speaker Representative Tyler Olson’s remarks, and the questions asked by members of the League of Women Voters at their Annual Meeting. I’m a new member, as my wife signed me up at the last legislative forum hosted by the League! The League is a non-partisan group and would benefit greatly from your participation. You can learn more here http://www.lwvcrm.com/
I arrived back in CR in time to attend Teacher Appreciation Day, sponsored by Linn Area Credit Union. The Teacher Store is located at 605 5th Ave – wonderfully located right next to Kathy’s Pies! With fellow teachers, Jennifer Carstensen and Alyssa Sayer. I’m admiring the classroom resources they got at a bargain at the Teacher Store. Kathleen M. Ulrich, Volunteer Extraordinaire at the Teacher Store, is ringing up customers’ purchases. One way you can earn “Teacher Bucks” (to pay for purchases) is by volunteering at the Teacher Store. Lots of fun!
Constituent and long-time friend, Diane Peterson is introducing U.S. Congressman, Dave Loebsack, and me at a recent event in Cedar Rapids. It’s great to have close communication and cooperation from our federal representatives.
(Above two photos) I was honored to be asked to speak at Kaplan’s graduation ceremony, by a constituent and local Kaplan University President, Susan Spivey. I wasn’t nervous until arriving onstage at the beautifully restored Paramount Theater and seeing the large crowd of graduates. Wonderful ceremony and it was an honor to be a part of it. Congratulations graduates!
Read More from the Iowa House
To read the rest of my Statehouse News go to: http://iowahouse.org/StatehouseNews/5-10-13.html
