Iowa
State Capitol News – Weekend Recap
State Capitol News – Weekend Recap
by Paul Deaton
[Editors'
Note: Following is a weekly recap of stories from Des Moines that
came through the Weekend Editor's in-box in the second week of the legislative session. Check out the House Democrats page for a different take on the week here. Senate Democrats are here. Watch for this feature every Saturday while the legislature is in
session.]
Iowa Democratic Party Launches Promises for Iowa.com
On Wednesday, the Iowa Democratic Party announced the launch of a new web site to hold Republicans accountable to promises they made during the 2010 midterm election campaign. Check it out at http://promisesforiowa.com/
Veterans National Recovery Center Gains Iowa House Support
Bob Krause, President of the Veterans National Recovery Center, described the scene in the House chamber after passage of House Concurrent Resolution 7,“At the end, after final passage, the House broke out in applause in tribute to those veterans that have suffered so much from the psychological and physical trauma of war. After Vietnam, we forgot these Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) afflicted homeless veterans in part because we did not understand the affliction. Today things will be different. We know more about PTSD and its impact on homelessness.” Krause heads up a group working to bring a Veterans National Recovery Center to Knoxville, Iowa and the legislative support will be used in their application to the Veterans Administration. The Iowa Senate is expected to pass HCR7 as well.
56 Iowa House Republicans Call for a Constitutional Amendment Defining Marriage
House Joint Resolution 6, calling for a constitutional amendment defining marriage was introduced in the Iowa House on Wednesday by 56 Republican co-sponsors. Introducing such a resolution is becoming an annual ritual among House Republicans. There are plenty of plots available in the Iowa Senate cemetery for this year's resolution, which has been widely criticized by conservatives and progressives alike as an overreach. Des Moines Register Editorial is here. The bill was sent to a judiciary subcommittee on Thursday.
Iowa Senate Takes Friday Off
At 9:23AM on Thursday, the Iowa Senate received the message on House File 45, the Taxpayers First Act and House Speaker Paulsen's signature legislation to cut spending. HF45 passed the house in a partisan 60-40 vote. The Senate read the bill, referred it to the Rules and Administration committee and decided to take the rest of Thursday and Friday off. While Speaker Paulsen made much of this legislation, Senate modifications can be expected, if the bill comes out of committee before the funnel. While the discussion of changes in preschool funding has dominated public discussion of the bill, it proposes cuts to a number of programs. Senators can be expected to give more diligent consideration to each item than they got in the house.
Labor Report Goes to the Governor
On Wednesday, Leon Shearer, the governor's adviser on labor and management issues, released his “factual review” of public collective bargaining. The executive summary begins, “The unusual bargaining process that occurred in November of 2010, where the unions initial offer was immediately accepted without further negotiations, a significant reported disparity between private sector and public sector compensation and the limited rights of management to adjust the size of government makes it clear it is time for a review as to whether the evolved results makes sense in 2011.” BFIA readers who are friends of labor should read the report as it frames what is expected to be a hard nosed effort by the Governor to align public labor with the private sector, which means cutting pay and benefits.
In other news from Terrace Hill, Governor Branstad signed on to a lawsuit challenging the individual mandate authorized by the Affordable Care Act. Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller countered Branstad by announcing Friday that he would help file an appeals-court brief in favor of the national health-reform law.
Branstad also rescinded former Governor Chet Culver's Executive Order No. 22 and prohibited the use of Project Labor Agreements by the State of Iowa and its Political Subdivisions on Public Works Projects.
~Paul Deaton is a native Iowan living in rural Johnson County and weekend editor of Blog for Iowa. E-mail Paul Deaton
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