Senate Democrats Release 2018 End Of Session Report

Posted on May 7, 2018 by Trish Nelson

2018 End-of-Session Report

The Democratic plan for 2018 calls for Putting Iowans First

  • Investing in public schools & preventing more school closures
  • Keeping job training & college affordable for all Iowans
  • Making child care more affordable for working parents & those training for better jobs
  • Raising wages for Iowans
  • Increasing use of renewable energy & fuels
  • Revitalizing rural Iowa with good jobs & a great quality of life
  • Examining tax breaks for big, out-of-state corporations that put the state budget in the red & don’t create Iowa jobs
  • Requiring the Senate GOP to pay for their $1.75 million sexual harassment suit instead of taxpayers
  • Ending privatized Medicaid, especially for our most vulnerable Iowans
  • Keeping health care affordable & accessible for all Iowans
  • Fixing & investing in Iowa’s mental health system
  • Cleaning up the corruption & cronyism in state government


 Gov. Reynolds & Republican lawmakers: Misplaced priorities & mismanagement

  • Instituting the most restrictive abortion ban in the country (SF 359)
  • Slashing investment in skilled worker initiatives (SF 2117, HF 2493)
  • Making record-low investments in public schools (HF 2230)
  • Sending more money to out‐of‐state, for‐profit online schools (SF 475)
  • Raising tuition & reducing opportunities with millions in mid‐year cuts to community colleges & state universities (SF 2117)
  • Allowing unregulated health care plans that can deny people based on pre‐existing conditions (SF 2349)
  • Reducing services at county courthouses with mid‐year cuts (SF 2117)
  • Cutting $4.3 million from an already strapped Department of Human Services (SF 2117)
  • Eliminating protections in current gun ownership laws (HJR 2009)
  • Banning sanctuary cities even though Iowa doesn’t have any (SF 481)
  • Putting Iowans’ safety at risk with lower inspection standards (HF 2297)
  • Cutting energy efficiency programs & discriminating against renewable energy options (SF 2311)
  • Passing a huge tax giveaway that overwhelmingly benefits corporations & the wealthy (SF 2417)
  • Failing to extend funding for school infrastructure & providing more than $100 million in property tax relief with SAVE (HF 2481)
  • Failing to take advantage of industrial help as a promising agricultural commodity (SF 2398)
  • Allowing doctors to give incomplete information to pregnant women (SF 2418)

Several bipartisan bills were approved

  • Requiring ignition interlocks & no temporary license restrictions for OWIs (HF 2338)
  • Ensuring health care coverage for telemedicine services (HF 2305)
  • Expanding mental health services for complex needs (HF 2456)
  • Expanding Move Over law to make the roads safer (HF 2304)
  • Expanding consumer security freezes to protect credit (SF 2177)
  • Expanding Safe Haven laws (SF 360)
  • Helping more veterans by expanding the Veterans Trust Fund (SF 2366)
  • Creating security plans for all Iowa schools (SF 2364)
  • Prohibiting shaming of students who can’t pay for their lunch (HF 2467)
  • Protecting student athletes with new concussion protocols (HF 2442)
  • Requiring suicide prevention training for school employees (SF 2113)
  • Cracking down on electronic forms of identity theft (HF 2199)
  • Licensing for genetic counselors (SF 2228) & autism counselors (SF 192)
  • Enhancing funding for EMS transportation (HF 2285) & 911 HF 2254)
  • Establishing Future Ready plan to train more skilled workers (HF 2458)
  • Expanding work background checks for those with access to personal info (HF 2321, HF 637)
  • Cracking down on electronic eavesdropping (HF 2392)
  • Expanding help through Crime Victims Compensation Fund (SF 2165)
  • Giving schools (HF 2441) & communities (SF 2258) flexibility with certain funding to meet local needs
  • Improving teaching for those with dyslexia (SF 2360)
  • Approving a plan to start combatting Iowa’s opioid crisis (HF 2377)
  • Providing sharing incentives for schools to improve efficiency & save money (HF 633)
  • Protecting the privacy of student data (HF 2354)
  • Taking a first step toward fairer funding for rural schools with high transportation costs (SF 455)

 

Good news: These GOP bills failed

  • Raising property taxes & reducing local services by ending the state’s property tax backfill for local governments & school districts (SF 2420)
  • Shifting $200 million from public schools to private & home schools through vouchers (SF 2091)
  • Eliminating the Iowa Department of Public Health (HF 2017)
  • Reinstating the death penalty (SF 335)
  • Instituting political discrimination for university faculty (SF 288)
  • Intimidating abortion providers to limit health care choices for women (SF 26)
  • Ending retirement security for public employees, including teachers, fire fighter, & police officers (IPERS, PORS & 411) (SF 45)
  • Defining abortion as murder, even in cases of rape or incest (SF 54)
  • Putting Bible literacy classes in public schools (HF 2031)
  • Removing gender identity protections from Iowa Civil Rights Code (HF 2164)
  • Making Iowa Supreme Court Justices part‐time & paying them like lawmakers (HF 2036)
  • Giving Iowans a “license to discriminate” against fellow citizens who are different from them (SF 2338)
  • Creating new requirements & drug testing for recipients of Medicaid, FIP & SNAP, while limiting food items (SF 2370)
  • Requiring a super‐majority vote for Iowa Supreme Court decisions (SF 2282)
  • Ending state accreditation for community colleges (SF 2272)
  • Extending school bus riding times for K-12 students (SF 2137)
Posted in Blog for Iowa | Tagged , | Comments Off on Senate Democrats Release 2018 End Of Session Report

Shame On The Republicans In The Iowa Legislature

Posted on May 6, 2018 by Dave Bradley

iowa state capitol

Fetal heartbeat bill may signal the return of the reality of back alley abortion days.

I don’t think I can do this subject justice. As a child, as a teenager and as a young man there were always stories of women who died due to a botched abortion. Many of the stories were from the supposed pits of sin known as big cities. Sometimes, however, there would be stories of young girls in rural areas. There were stories of Protestant girls and Catholic girls. There were stories of mothers.

Some were self administered abortions, the infamous coat hanger. If the woman didn’t die she could be messed up for life. Some were administered by people who claimed to have some training but were in reality butchers. But the fear of the unwanted child was greater than the fear of death or injury.

I am trying to write a dispassionate commentary on a phony legislative bill that will put women’s lives in danger much like they were prior to 1973, but it is almost impossible. I have daughters of child bearing age. If for whatever reason they felt the need for abortion access, this state wants to deny that to them for religious reasons. Instead of having safe, legal abortions available, our state chooses instead to put the lives of our mothers, daughters, friends and neighbors in jeopardy. So it is personal.

Were those who voted to outlaw abortions truly against abortions there would have been no carve outs for anything. Not for rape, not for incest, not for the health of the mother. If the birth of every fetus is so paramount, then make it so that every fetus is born no matter what. 

If these people were truly “pro life” then there would also provisions to make sure that the provisions for life were available for these forced birth children. Adequate food, decent shelter, good education, good medical care through to adulthood with provisions for their families so a child is raised in a loving, nurturing environment.

Yet you and I know that while the richest country in the world could afford to feed, clothe, house, educate and care for the poor Republican legislators across the country have made a war on the poor one of their top goals. So the very people who regurgitate the mantra of “pro life” hypocritically work their asses off to take away any help the child may have to grow into an fully developed adult.

While these hypocrites dance around spewing their “pro life” mantra the savior that they claim is the source of their beliefs, Jesus, actually never said a thing about abortion. But he surely did take hypocrites to task. Just google Christ and hypocrites and take your pick.

What they really want is punishment for women who have sex. There must be some consequence. Whether you are married or not if you become pregnant then the child must be born as a consequence. Then there is the lifetime of care that comes with the child. The woman must be responsible for that. Where is the punishment for the other half of the sexual encounter? 

The other part that often goes with abortion restrictions is restrictions in access to contraception. See if women have sex, then we must assure that there are consequences. I suspect that if Iowa is dumb enough to return Republicans to power in Des Moines, contraception access – especially plan B – will be there next target.

If Republicans truly, truly wanted abortions to become rare they would adapt programs that have proven to work. The first step in that program is simply sex education. Even in this day and age there is still a remarkable ignorance concerning sex. Abstinence has been a proven failure. 

The second step is to make contraception cheap and easily available. For teenagers free is about the price most can afford.  A condom is far cheaper than a baby. A condom is also far cheaper than housing a person whose life was aimed for a life of crime in a prison at $60 or $70 thousand a year.

The third step is to guarantee that families with children have the aforementioned needs covered – food, shelter, medical care and education. How such a program is structured can be quite flexible. However, if making sure women have babies is your goal, then ensuring that a woman does not view having said child as an impossible burden. Once again, it is also cheaper than maintaining people in prison.

This will not end all abortions, but it will cut them down dramatically.

A pilot program in Colorado targeting unintended pregnancies among teens over 5 years had incredible success with teen pregnancies dropping more than 50%.  

So we can approach the abortion issue with research, funding and proven programs that we continue to improve on. or we can approach it with punishment that singles out women and their forced children based on ancient religious perceptions that have never been proven. 

We know that the latter will lead to a return of the back alley abortions or the self inflicted problems that were rampant prior to Roe v. Wade.

Posted in 2018 Election Campaign, Blog for Iowa, Iowa legislature 2018, Republican hypocrisy | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Sunday Funday: Gas Price Rise Eats Up Tax Cut Edition

Posted on May 6, 2018 by Dave Bradley

Leave it to the Republicans. They claim that Americans will get a huge tax cut and have money falling out of their pockets. Back in February, Paul Ryan – that magnificent Speaker of the House – celebrated with a tweet that Americans will be getting a whole $1.50/ week more to frivolously blow as they so pleased! $1.50! Yachts, planes, vacation homes!  

But alas! Here we are in the bright sunlight of May and it looks maybe all that tax cut and more will be going to the oil companies through higher gas prices at the pumps. Makes one almost wonder why Republicans didn’t just take our tax money and hand it directly to the oil companies like they used to? Instead we have to get involved. 

Well it looks like spring will divert our attention from the now quickening pace of revelations of the illegal and possibly treasonous activities of our Dear Leader. Much of the quickening pace can be attributed to new presidential counsel Rudy Giuliani who could easily be mistaken for a snitch.

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tip of the hat to democratic underground.com

Um – well let’s just do it:

  1. What did Michelle Wolf say that Sara Sanders burned to make her “perfect smoky eye?”
  1. When he joined the presidential lawyers team Rudy Giuliani said he would wrap the investigation up in two weeks. When did his time expire?
  1. Promising a hard response to Michelle Wolf’s monologue at the WHCD, what right wing comedian finally came up with calling Wolf a “Poopy headed dum dum” on Twitter?
  1. Thursday it was revealed by the Washington Post that what former news man had an additional 27 harassment charges above the eight that had already been reported?
  1. The Iowa legislature quickly passed and sent to the governor the nation’s most restrictive bill on what last week?
  1. Friday, May 4th was the 48th anniversary of what nation shocking incident?
  1. Quietly Thursday what Iowa embarrassment and former campaign aid to Dear Leader left the USDA where he was once nominated as undersecretary for research, education and economics despite having no background?
  1. What head of state gave a speech to his parliament that was broadcast in the US claiming Iran was still working on its nuclear program?
  1. Iowa governor Kim Reynolds’ appointments to the Iowa Judicial Nominating Commission included what relative of hers?
  1. What mustachioed lawyer suddenly announced his departure from the team of lawyers for Dear Leader last week?
  1. It’s a resurrection of sorts. What US House functionary was unfired by Paul Ryan after his controversial dismissal a couple of weeks ago?
  1. Thomas Homan announced his retirement Monday as the acting director of what controversial agency?
  1. What senior administration official was revealed this week to have referred to Dear Leader on multiple occasions as an “idiot?”
  1. GOP senate hopefuls nominated Dear Leader for a Nobel Peace Prize last week. But he couldn’t be nominated. Why?
  1. What GOP senate candidate referred to Mitch McConnell as “Cocaine Mitch” last week?
  1. What manufacturer of musical instruments announced this week that it was filing chapter 11 bankruptcy?
  1. According to a survey by the World Health Organization 20 of the 30 most polluted cities in the world are located in what country?
  1. ”When you hear about slavery for 400 years. For 400 years?! That sounds like a choice.” What recording star made this ludicrous statement last week?
  1. Sen. Grassley is mad at EPA director Scott Pruitt. Not for ruining the environment or the department. Why is Grassley mad at Scott Pruitt?
  1. What senior administration official did new presidential lawyer Giuliani state was “disposable?”

In an interview Iowa senator Chuck Grassley started out by saying “I really believe this president is doing the best he can to keep his campaign promises.” If Grassley is serious he is either delusional or incredibly removed from reality. But I’d like to think he is auditioning to be the entertainment at next year’s White House Correspondents Dinner.

Image (1) Grassley-Trump-300x200.jpg for post 33850

Satirists have an almost impossible job to outdo politicians these days.

Answers:

  1. Facts not “fat” as some “news” sites reported.
  1. End of the business day last Friday.
  1. Dennis Miller – a self described comedian anyway.
  1. Charlie Rose – some went back to 1986
  1. Abortions 
  1. The Kent State massacre
  1. Sam Clovis
  1. Bibi Netanyahu of Israel
  1. Her father
  1. Ty Cobb 
  1. The House chaplain Father Patrick Conroy
  1. ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement)
  1. Chief of Staff John Kelly
  1. Nominations for the peace prize closed Feb. 1 – so just a bit late.
  1. Don Blankenship of West Virginia.
  1. Gibson
  1. India
  1. Kanye West. Remember he is a good buddy of Dear Leader.
  1. Grassley believes Pruitt is ignoring RFS (renewable fuel standards) and allowing some oil companies to bypass these standards. Other than that Grassley thinks Pruitt is doing a great job.
  1. Jared Kushner. As far as I know this is one of Giuliani’s statements that has yet to be walked back.

Sara Huckabee Sanders was finally called on a blatant lie at the press briefing this week. Amazing.

Andy Borowitz: “Sarah Huckabee Sanders Says Giuliani Incident Underscores Dangers of Telling Truth”

Posted in #trumpresistance, Blog for Iowa, Humor | Comments Off on Sunday Funday: Gas Price Rise Eats Up Tax Cut Edition

China Refuses To Buy US Soybeans

Posted on May 5, 2018 by Dave Bradley

No tariff is paid when you don’t buy the product.

Well, here comes the blowback from the extremely ill-considered tariff threat that our Dear Leader made against China. Because China has made friends across the globe and has pockets full of cash they can be picky about where they shop. If the place they want to shop suddenly raises prices on them, they can take their money down the street to the competitors.

And that is the situation the US and farmers in Iowa and other soybean growing states find themselves in today. Wednesday it was announced that China would be filling their needs for soybeans by purchasing from Canada, Brazil and other countries. They won’t have to pay our tariff if they don’t purchase the product from us.

 

  • “Whatever they’re buying is non-U.S.,” Soren Schroder, CEO of New York-based Bunge, the world’s largest oilseeds processor, told Bloomberg in a phone interview.

  • China canceled a net 62,690 metric tons of U.S. soybean purchases in the two weeks ended April 19, the Bloomberg article pointed out, citing USDA data for the current marketing year.

  • The country is the second largest market for U.S. agricultural exports, and soybeans have historically have been one of the top products sold to the Asian giant, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service.

 

Firing a supplier is a strategy that Walmart has used on their suppliers for decades. If you want to sell to us you have to meet our expectations. If you don’t meet our expectations then your competitor will. In the case of soybeans, our Dear leader thought he could shove his weight around, but the customer balked.

Considering that at this time of year farmers have secured loans to buy seed, fertilizer, herbicides and purchase or fix equipment, they may be stuck in a situation reminiscent of the 1980s. Many farmers had loans they couldn’t repay when prices collapsed. If we have a huge harvest without markets prices will surely collapse.

Of course if the farm economy collapses it will take down many local businesses in the wake. 

Planning and negotiation with seasoned negotiators would have been a far smarter approach to the perceived problem. We have done things this way for many decades. Bullying may get short term victories, but it often results in strained or severed relationships.

As I wrote last week many of our current trading partners are checking their options as our unstable and unpredictable president lurches from one extreme to another.       Unfortunately, much of our mainstream media does not cover the destruction to the American way of life that is going on behind the scenes. Stories of presidential misdeeds and threats of warfare grab the media attention. 

So here we are now early in the growing season and our best customer is looking elsewhere to buy their goods. Some of the lost sales may be made up elsewhere, maybe even through some third party sales to China. But the smart play would be to heal this rift quickly before permanent damage is done.

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Laura Liegois For House District 91

Posted on May 5, 2018 by Dave Bradley
5a5e443c1ffe2.image

Laura Liegois

Muscatine county has an exciting candidate for representative to the Iowa statehouse in Laura Liegois. House District 91 is in southeastern Iowa entirely within Muscatine county.

District 91’s current person at the state house does not really represent the people of Muscatine county. Gary Carlson is there merely as a rubber stamp to whatever crazy legislation is proffered by Republican leadership. The people of Muscatine county certainly deserve better.

Laura Liegois offers a dramatic contrast to her opponent. Liegois will not be a rubber stamp vote. When you look at her background as the solid waste manager for Muscatine and now as a small business owner whose business is to bridge people to their government, Liegois is well grounded in how government is supposed to work for the people.

Liegois is also the mother of two and deeply involved in the Muscatine community. Her experience is well suited to bringing the constituents voice back to Des Moines. She will speak for her constituents because she is one of them.

Her opponent represents an old philosophy of government ruling the people. This is a philosophy that even the founders rebelled against. His voting record has been dismal as he has supported one bad bill to another from busting unions to underfunding schools.

From the Iowa House Democrats profile of Ms. Liegois, Laura states:

“People in Muscatine County work hard and I want to work hard for them to have a better quality of life. This includes better paying job opportunities, health care, and the best education that will engage students in learning for a lifetime,” said Liegois. “It’s time politicians get back to the basics in the State Legislature–that means improving public safety, wages, health care and education.” 

Laura is married to Jason, an educator, with two children, Jacob and Madeline. She was born and raised in Muscatine and has been an active volunteer and leader there her whole life. Laura serves the community through her involvement with the Greater Muscatine Chamber of Commerce, Salvation Army, Muscatine Community College Alumni, Muscatine Diabetes Project, and the Muscatine Boxing Club. She also volunteers with the Vineyard Church and Muscatine High School. Laura was named as One of 50 Faces of Volunteerism by the Governor and the Greater Chamber of Commerce of Muscatine’s Volunteer of Year in 2016.

“I am running to take the views of my neighbors in southeast Iowa with me to Des Moines. I have worked to improve the lives of the folks in Muscatine and I am ready for the next step to fight for them at the Iowa Capitol.”

The choice is stark here. For those who want a true representative for their views, Laura Liegois is a great choice.

IowaHD91

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Remembering May 4, 1970

Posted on May 4, 2018 by Trish Nelson

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Three Key Issues Where You Can Still Make A Difference In This Session

Posted on May 3, 2018 by Trish Nelson

Action alert from Rob Hogg:

This is a quick email update to urge you to speak up over the next 48 hours with Governor Reynolds and legislators about three key issues where you can still make a difference in the overtime session:

(1) Ask Governor Reynolds to veto the bad energy bill, Senate File 2311. Her office number is (515) 281-5211 and is open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

SF2311 would take away some consumer protection authority from the Iowa Utilities Board and would mandate a reduction in energy efficiency investment of over $100 million a year, threatening consumers, energy savings, small businesses, and clean energy jobs. (Governor Reynolds authored the 2016 Iowa Energy Plan, which touted energy efficiency and conservation, so she should—and might actually—veto SF2311.)

(2) Ask legislators to reject the reckless tax proposal from Republican leaders (SF2417/HF2489).

Details about this proposal were provided to me yesterday. It would slash taxes for the wealthiest corporations and individuals at the expense of ordinary Iowans and public services. For example, in 2019, the taxpayers in Iowa making a million dollars a year or more (there are 2,616 of them) would, on average, get an income tax cut of $18,773. By contrast, taxpayers making between $30,000 and $40,000 would, on average, get a $92 income tax cut. This is grossly unfair. The proposal also raises sales taxes on ride services (taxis and Uber) and digital services (like Netflix, Pandora, and Spotify) that many Iowa families use. The proposal would also eliminate the state’s solar energy tax credit for projects built after July 1, 2018, threatening jobs in our growing solar energy industry. Overall, the state would lose more than $400 million a year in revenue needed to fund education, health care (including mental health), public safety, and natural resources – important services for Iowa families. Republicans have already made mid-year cuts in 2017 and 2018; this tax bill would make that problem much worse. To speak up, you can reach State Representatives at 515-281-3221 and State Senators at 515-281-3371, or use their individual contact information available at www.legis.iowa.gov.

(3) Ask legislators to protect local services and property taxpayers from proposals (SF2081/HSB678) to phase out “the backfill.”

“The Backfill” is state assistance to help police, fire, and other local services provided by cities and counties that lost revenue from the 2013 commercial property tax cut. It was a promise of the Legislature and the Branstad-Reynolds Administration to protect local services and property taxpayers. Cutting the backfill would jeopardize local services and increase property taxes.

— Rob

Senator Rob Hogg
Cedar Rapids

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Why The Farm Bill Was Drafted In Secret

Posted on May 3, 2018 by Trish Nelson

Action Alert from Citizens for Community Improvement (CCI)

The House’s draft of the Farm Bill is nothing short of a disaster. Members of Congress have turned their backs on our independent farmers and everyday people.

Tell your representative to throw it out and start over!

The bill was drafted in secret – and now we know why.

The House has set out to give even more handouts to Big Agribusiness corporations, while at the same time slashing conservation programs, eroding agriculture markets, and attacking vulnerable communities.

This Farm Bill fails us because it…

Props up the factory farm industry.
The bill creates new massive loopholes that benefit the largest mega farm operations and factory farm owners, allowing them to receive unlimited amounts of public subsidies.

Strips away local control.
Iowa’s very own Representative Steve King was able to insert a “Right to Farm” amendment that would prevent local governments from having their own agricultural standards, significantly limiting their ability to protect citizens and support local farmers.

Takes food away from people in need.
This bill increases the requirements that recipients of SNAP (food stamps) need to fulfill to receive basic food support. This bill will result in fewer people from being able to feed themselves and buy the food family farmers grow. These changes to SNAP will hurt our neighbors.

Eliminates conservation programs.
The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) is a popular nationwide program designed to help farmers establish and be supported in a whole farm conservation plan. But, this Farm Bill eliminates CSP and attempts to replace it with vague “stewardship contracts.” Even worse, these contracts could be used by factory farms — meaning more public funds going toward expanding the factory farm industry.

We deserve better. Write to Congress today and demand they go back to the drawing board.

We heard from the beginning that, with a tight federal budget, this wouldn’t be a year for major shifts in the Farm Bill.

But, it’s clear that Congress has its sights set on more corporate consolidation in the agricultural industry. We should be making it easier – not harder – for family farmers to thrive.

TIME IS RUNNING OUT. Chairman Conaway could bring the Farm Bill to the floor as early as next week. Tell your Representative to vote NO on the Farm Bill, and instead bring forward a bill that puts PEOPLE and PLANET first – not big agribusiness corporations.

Big Ag is loud, but we must be louder. Take action today!

For a Farm Bill that works for farmers, workers, eaters and the environment,

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Is Factory Farm Hog Manure Guilty Of Trespassing?

Posted on May 2, 2018 by Trish Nelson


BFIA editor’s note:  This group of Iowans is suing the DNR in an attempt to save our state from being destroyed by factory farms (CAFOs). If you would like to help, donation information is located in the text below. Please share this. More info. at their website.  http://www.civandinc.net/

Please read the information/fundraising request by Bob Watson below.

###

Four months ago we petitioned the Iowa DNR to issue a declaratory order acknowledging that air emissions from hog confinements contain manure, and asked them to regulate hog confinements accordingly. The Iowa Code requires that manure be retained in the building, except when it is being removed for disposal, normally land application. The DNR had 60 days to respond to our petition. Since they did not respond we will be suing the DNR in Polk County District Court in a couple of weeks.

This is a fundraising email/letter. We are asking for your help. The Iowa Attorney General will be defending the DNR. We are assured of an appeal no matter how the decision turns out. We will be up against the state of Iowa coffers, and will need all the monetary help we can get.

The range of monetary help we are asking for starts at “Best Wishes and Goodwill” and goes up through $50, $100, $250, $500, $1000 or more if you can afford it, or any amount in between. We would appreciate any help you can give us in this endeavor.

If you have not seen our legal documents and arguments, they are here.

Before you read those documents, if you are not familiar with our endeavor, there is a good newspaper article that will give you background and a sense of our arguments and effort.

The link to the Decorah Newspaper article is here

When you go online to read the legal documents, it would be best to start with the media guide pdf. That document has notes in the margin that will help you understand what we are doing and how we have constructed our argument. The last page of the media guide is the template we had to follow in order to make our request of the DNR for the declaratory order. That template will also explain what we are about in the document when we say “this addresses template number such and such.”

After reading the media guide, you can go to the main document if you want – A CAFO Petition – to read it without the handwritten notes. The legal documents online include our argument, expert witness letters and their studies, lists of research studies which justify our position, and the studies themselves. We feel comfortable that we have arguments that will address deference, legislative intent, and statutory construction that we are fairly sure the AG will bring forth in their arguments to try to get our case dismissed.

Checks should be made out to and sent to the Midwest Environmental Law Center, note DNR lawsuit in the memo line, at 4403 1st Ave. S.E., Suite 402, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52402. Midwest is a 501(c)(3) housed in Wally Taylor’s law office, so your donation is tax deductible.

We will keep track of donations. If in the event of a large sum of money left over, we will make every attempt to return a portion of your donation. In the earlier case of our lawsuit against the EPA (Zook v. EPA), the people we contacted asked us to keep the remainder for a new effort. That is the money that we started this lawsuit with.

If you feel this is a worthwhile endeavor, and if you have networks of your own, please send this along to others who you think might be interested in this or interested in helping us with a contribution for this effort.

If you live in another state and if you think this is something that might work with the laws in your state, please use our arguments as a template for your efforts.

Contact me with any questions you may have.  Thank you for your help with this endeavor.

Bob Watson
2736 Lannon Hill Rd., Decorah, IA 52101
563-379-4147
bobandlinda@civandinc.net
http://www.civandinc.net/
for Larry Stone, Dick Janson, and Lew Klimesh

 

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Joe Bolkcom: Adjournment Looms “Not Pretty”

Posted on May 1, 2018 by Trish Nelson

From Senator Joe Bolkcom’s newsletter:

Yesterday the Senate Appropriations Committee met twice to consider seven budget bills. The GOP-led committee had less than 24 hours to review the bills, and the public had zero opportunity to offer input. Rotten process. All the bills were approved.

IT’S TIME TO REVERSE COURSE AND PUT IOWANS FIRST

With the Legislature now in its second week of overtime, gridlock continues at the Statehouse.

We’re just starting to see budget proposals for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1. Time is of the essence, but it’s difficult to finalize a budget when some legislators still hope to pass tax changes that will have a huge impact on state finances, and mostly benefit Iowa millionaires and big corporations.

Bloated tax schemes could do irreversible damage to health care, education and public safety—especially at a time like this, when state government is making massive cuts, reducing critical services, borrowing millions of dollars to pay bills and taking too long to get Iowans their income tax refunds.

We should learn from the mistakes of Kansas, Oklahoma and other states that were forced to RAISE taxes on hard-working families when tax-cut plans didn’t produced the predicted economic growth.

I will continue to push for fiscal stability and a state budget that reflects Iowa values. That means Putting Iowans First by ensuring we all have opportunities to get ahead, including good-paying jobs, the best education in the country, rural prosperity and a great quality of life.

Provide Input on Clean Air

The state wants Iowans’ input on how to improve air quality with our allocation from the 2016 Volkswagen settlement. Approximately $21 million more from the federal government will be available in Iowa for projects that reduce nitrogen oxides in a cost-effective way.

A public comment period runs through May 25. The draft plan, developed with the help of a public survey last year, and the comment form can be found at www.iowadot.gov/vwsettlement. Specific project proposals will be accepted once the plan is finalized.

State Senator Joe Bolkcom is an Assistant Leader and ranking member on the Appropriations Committee. He also serves on the Human Resources and Ways & Means committees, as well as the Health & Human Services Budget.

How to Contact:

Joe Bolkcom
319.337.6280
joe.bolkcom@legis.iowa.gov
joe@joebolkcom.org
www.joebolkcom.org
www.senate.iowa.gov/senator/bolkcom
www.legis.iowa.gov

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