Category: Mediapolis

News from the Hill…

The Appropriations and Ways and Means Committees each met this week. The House Appropriations Committee received and passed some of the appropriations bills that have come over from the Senate. Budget bills are being debated and passed out of one chamber and then start the process over in the other Chamber. Even with the log jam of school funding not coming to an end, the rest of the appropriations bills are starting to move. There doesn’t appear to be many positive signs on the school funding discussion, other than a new dialogue has begun.

First Week of Over Time…

We have completed the first week of the session without the clerks, and no per diem.  This, coupled with the fact of farmers wanting to get home to finish their spring work, will hopefully motivate people to get along and come to a sensible agreement on spending.  There are many issues hanging in limbo waiting to see if they may get their day of debate.  Every time you think a particular bill is dead for the year, something will breathe new life into it, and off we go. This can make some people very happy, and others are scrambling to stop it in its tracks.

Avian Bird Flu…

There seems to be new breaks with the Avian Bird Flu each day or so.  So far most of the known cases are in Northwest Iowa.  While this is devastating to the individual producers, it is unknown how much of a fiscal impact this will have on the State Revenues.  However, with more and more cases of the flu being found, the chance of a significant impact increases.  The repopulation of birds is faster than it is for cattle or hogs, but it will still take time.  So the prices paid for those commodities by consumers will go up while the income from the producers will turn into losses.  So there will be a negative impact on the state, the amount is still unknown.

“Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it.” – Dennis P. Kimbro

For more information on these and other bills:  www.legis.iowa.gov

Until next time,

Tom Sands

News from the Hill…

This week has been one to score in the record books.  I think I have received more emails, phone calls and been called more name’s than any other legislative session.  To top it off we are just over one fourth of the way through.  I am always eager to know where people stand on different issues.  I just hope people would make their decisions based on facts and not what they think is true.  The following are some correct statements to help make some clarifications.   The Road Use Tax Fund is a constitutionally protected fund that the monies can only be used for road infrastructure.  As for the bike and other recreational trails, that money comes from different federal sources as well as through the Rebuild Iowa Infrastructure Fund (RIIF), which is funded through gambling revenues and is specifically used to fund infrastructure-related projects.  None of the fuel tax money goes into the Rebuild Iowa Fund.  The fuel tax money does not go into the General Fund, but instead goes to the Primary Road Fund, Secondary Road Fund, Farm-to-Market Road Fund and the Street Construction fund, all funds dedicated to different levels of government to go toward road/bridge infrastructure.

Pressure Cooker…

The bill to increase the fuel tax continues to work its way through the process while the pressure continues to build.  The question that only time will answer is will the bill pass before the lid gets blown off.  This week has been the most stressful and hardest of my thirteen years up here.  While there is other action going on, the bill to raise the fuel tax is taking up most of the time and energy in the State Capitol.  There have been people pushing me to vote yes to raise the fuel tax for the last several years.  Just this session several people have been to the capitol and different forums to encourage me to vote yes.  I have been a no vote all along.  No matter how hard I was pushed I held my position.  Different people have taken polls and the results have been all over the board.  Some showed strong support others showed strong opposition.  There have been people showing up at the forums for the last several years on both sides of this issue.  While my stance was steadfast and I explained why I was a no vote, people seemed to respect my position even if they did not agree with it.  It does not appear all people respect my position any longer, but I have been consistent, open and honest through the entire process.  Unfortunately, that does not seem to be the case with all people. Thursday HF 351 passed the Ways and Means Committee 13 voting aye and 12 voting nay.  I was a nay vote.  It will be one of the very few bills that will pass to the house floor in the Ways and Means Committee without my support.  But this issue needs to be decided by the entire body of 150 Legislators, not a committee of 25.

Visitors at the Capitol…

While the week has been stressful, there have been some very positive times as well.  I always enjoy visiting with people from back home while they are at the Capitol.  This week it was especially helpful to see friendly faces that I could visit with on a very positive note.  It is the people of Iowa, but mostly from my district that make this position so worthwhile.  So I would like to end with a big thank you to all of you for caring enough about this state to help make it a better place for the next generation.

“I hope I shall possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man.”  – George Washington

For more information on these and other bills:  www.legis.iowa.gov

Until next time,

Tom Sands