Yet another reason to go to your legislative forum (14.5 minutes)

As we have been doing weekly we will print the weekly legislative forum schedule. This runs from Saturday morning to next Friday evening. Forums are listed in date and time order. When you find one near you, click on the link to find the specific address:

02/16/2019 Event Time TBD Legislative Forum – Oakland

02/16/2019 7:30 AM – 9:30 AM Eggs & Issues – Burlington

02/16/2019 7:30 AM – 9:00 AM Public Forum – Fairfield

02/16/2019 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM Legislative Forum – Anamosa

02/16/2019 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM Legislative Forum – Spencer

02/16/2019 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM Legislative Forum – Arlington

02/16/2019 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM Legislative Forum – Newton

02/16/2019 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM Legislative Forum – Clinton

02/16/2019 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM Town Hall – Denver

02/16/2019 9:30 AM – 10:30 AM Legislative Forum – Burlington

02/16/2019 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM Legislative Coffee – Harlan

02/16/2019 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM Legislative Coffee – Washington

02/16/2019 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM Legislative Forum – Monroe

02/16/2019 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM Legislative Forum – Storm Lake

02/16/2019 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM Listening Post – Waukee

02/16/2019 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM Legislative Forum – Cedar Rapids

02/16/2019 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM Legislative Forum – Algona

02/16/2019 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM Legislative Forum – Des Moines

02/16/2019 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM Town Hall – Dunkerton

02/16/2019 11:15 AM – 12:15 PM Legislative Forum – Waukon

02/16/2019 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM Legislative Forum – Okoboji

02/16/2019 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM Legislative Forum – Knoxville

02/18/2019 9:45 AM – 11:15 AM Office Hours – Ankeny

02/18/2019 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM Town Hall – Rock Rapids

02/19/2019 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM Town Meeting – Hampton

02/20/2019 7:45 AM – 8:45 AM Town Meeting – Traer

02/20/2019 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM Legislative Forum – West Des Moines

02/22/2019 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM Legislative Forum – Grimes

02/22/2019 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM Public Forum – Keokuk

02/22/2019 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM Legislative Forum – Rock Valley

02/22/2019 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM Education Forum – Iowa City

02/22/2019 4:30 PM – 6:30 PM Legislative Forum – Waterloo

Thanks again to the folks at infonetiowa.org for putting this info together.   http://www.infonetiowa.org/calendar/events/

Legislative activity is really starting to crank in Des Moines. It sounds like Education funding has been pretty much put to bed for the session, with schools once again coming up short.  https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/2019/02/13/iowa-education-schools-money-funding-classrooms-legislature-kim-reynolds-debate-kids-k-12-budget/2859348002/ 

Questions that are still out there include what will happen to IPERS. Also whether Republicans are still so mad about the gay marriage decision some 10 years ago that they will throw out one of the best judicial nominating processes in the country in order to turn Iowa’s courts into partisan shops. That would be devastating.

Another question not looming large yet, but may in the future is what will happen to Iowa’s cities when the property tax backfill ends. This could really devastate many of Iowa’s smaller (and often idealized) cities. As noted by the Des Moines Register this week, Iowa’s cities are deeper in debt than ever and the future doesn’t look promising.  https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/2019/02/11/iowa-city-debt-surpasses-6-billion-dollars-first-time-state-history/2747227002/#