Iowa State Capitol News – Weekend Recap
by Paul Deaton
Last week was busy with news from the State Capitol. Following is a recap of major stories that came through the Weekend Editor's in-box:
Confrontation in the Senate:
Senator-elect Kent Sorenson, who defeated incumbent Staci Appel (D-37), appeared on the Steve Deace radio program on WHO Radio in Des Moines on December 13th and said of the Iowa Senate, “it's not a gentleman's club to me…I do believe I'm going to take a different approach than [Majority Leader Mike Gronstal] has ever dealt with before…I am going to force votes that he hasn't had to take before…I'm planning on organizing people in his own district…we have to expose Mike Gronstal to the people in his district so they see who he is…I'm actually going up there to take him on.”
Early Childhood Education Under Fire:
During a legislative forum hosted by IowaPolitics.com, Iowa Senate Minority Leader Paul McKinley said that “it is very questionable” that children benefit from preschool and that the state should pare back spending on the program. The Des Moines Register quoted McKinley as saying after the forum, “Frankly it doesn’t do any good. It has been shown to not to have any impact on student achievement past third grade.” While many of us felt that the issue of the benefits of early childhood education was settled, not Senate Republicans. It is clear there will be a debate over preserving the gains made for children under previous Democratic leadership.
Impeach State Supreme Court Justices:
Julie Gauthier, of Iowa Independent, sent this along: “Three freshmen Republican members of the Iowa House are drafting legislation that would begin the process of impeachment for the remaining four justices on the state Supreme Court over their 2009 ruling that legalized same-sex marriage. 2011 Session House Speaker Kraig Paulsen said he would not stand in the way of impeachment and Senator-elect Kent Sorenson has indicated he would push for impeachment in the Iowa Senate. Bob Vander Plats, who called for the four remaining supreme court justices to resign, supports impeachment.
Governor-elect Branstad Announces Cabinet Selections:
Nancy Richardson = retained as director of the Iowa Department of Transportation.
Roger Lande = director of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
Mariannette Miller-Meeks = director of the Iowa Department of Public Health.
Chuck Palmer = director of the Iowa Department of Human Services.
Teresa Wahlert = director of Iowa Workforce Development.
Courtney Kay-Decker = director the Iowa Department of Revenue.
Dave Jamison = director of the Iowa Finance Authority.
Debi Durham = director of the Iowa Department of Economic Development.
David Roederer = director of the Department of Management.
Tim Orr = retained as the adjutant general of the Iowa National Guard.
Rod Roberts = director of the Department of Inspections and Appeals.
Jodi Tymeson = director of the Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs.
There is a lot to digest here, but it appears to be the budget cutting, pro-business and anti-regulation slate Branstad promised during the election campaign.
Iowa Power Fund Out?
Mike Glover of the Associated Press reported the Iowa Power Fund is generating $107.6 million per year in economic activity, $859,000 in tax revenue and creating more than 400 jobs a year according to a study released this week. Governor-elect Branstad has not decided whether or not to support the Iowa Power Fund, which helps generate projects related to renewable energy. Speaker-elect Kraig Paulsen (R-HD35) has called for the Iowa Power Fund to be closed down.
If you hear news about the statehouse, please pass it along to Blog for Iowa by clicking here.
~Paul Deaton is a
native Iowan living in rural Johnson County and weekend editor of
Blog for Iowa. E-mail
Paul Deaton
Blog For Iowa 