News from the Hill…
Conference Committee for K-12 has had some activity this week and they continue to try to find some resolution in an agreeable per pupil funding amount of growth. This used to be called allowable growth but was changed a few years ago to supplemental state aid. The growth amount appears to be in a range of 2 percent up to 2.45 percent. The Revenue Estimating Conference (REC) is scheduled to meet on March 16 at 10:00 am. If they would lower the projected 2017 fiscal years revenue, the legislature would be bound to use the March number to build our budget. If they would raise the projected revenue we would be bound to base our budget off the December estimate. The actual revenues for fiscal year 2016, which we only have four months left until it ends is still lagging behind projections. The REC has lowered this projection since it was first set. In fact the present projection is under what the big spenders wanted to spend for this fiscal year. That is why you cannot spend the projected ending balance in your budget or you are setting up the next year in a hole to dig out of.
Respect for Firearms…
Several bills passed off the House floor and were immediately messaged over to the Senate for their consideration. There were several bills dealing with second amendment rights that were passed. One received National media attention, but the facts were left out once again. Current law allows a person, of any age, to handle a shotgun or rifle. Current law does not allow a person, less than 14 years old to handle a pistol or revolver or the ammunition. HF 2281 strikes the minimum age for a person to handle a firearm. The bill takes an arbitrary age out of Iowa Code and leaves that in the hands of a parent or guardian to determine when their child may be at the right age to handle a firearm. The bill makes a parent strictly liable to an injured party for all damages resulting from the possession of the pistol or revolver. The bill does nothing to change the age requirement for a permit to carry. A person must be 21 years of age to be able to acquire a legal permit to carry. Finally, HF 2281 allows parents the right to teach their children how to safely handle firearms. This bill passed with 62 voting aye, 36 voting nay and 2 absent or not voting. I voted for this bill.
Gun Suppressors…
One of the other bills that was passed off the House Floor and sent over to the Senate was HF 2279, which deals with lawful possession of gun suppressors. Suppressor’s merely muffling the sound at about 25 percent for protection of the hearing for the person who is holding the firearm. While we have all grown up watching movies with silencers, this movie sensation of criminal silencers is not even close to suppressors that are included in this bill. This bill would bring us in line with 41 other states that allow individuals to go through the federal process to obtain a firearm suppressor. This bill passed with 74 voting aye, 24 voting nay and 2 absent or not voting. I voted for this bill.
Filing Deadline…
This past week Governor Branstad extended the tax filing deadline for farmers to April 30. This will provide Iowa’s farmers some extra time while the Senate Democrats figure out whether they want to pull the rug out from under more than 177,000 Iowa taxpayers. This is the number of taxpayers who are able to claim a section 179 deduction on their tax returns but will not be able to claim the full deduction with the House Coupling Bill not getting passed.
“America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.” – Abraham Lincoln
For more information on these and other bills: www.legis.iowa.gov
Until next time,
Tom Sands
This week’s forums: Saturday, March 5th
9:00 – 10:30 AM Muscatine Community College Student Center
11:15 AM – 12:15 PM State Bank of Wapello Community Room