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Category: Local
News from the Hill…
There has been lots of progress this week, with several long nights of debate. Monday and Tuesday night went right up to the midnight hour. That makes very long days and wears on the body, mind and soul. Not a good mixture for making decisions. By the end of this week all of the budgets will have passed both chambers. This is a good sign as only a few will be going to conference committee. People are extremely optimistic in adjourning sine die by mid to late week. This would be the first time in six years that we would be done before May 1.
Medical Marijuana…
People have a wide range in beliefs in uses and benefits for Medical Marijuana and/or Medical Cannabidiol. The range goes from full blown legalization like Colorado to no legalization at all. In 2014 the State of Iowa decriminalized the possession of cannabidiol oil for very limited uses; however it is still a Federal Crime. This unfortunately started the process to more expansive uses down the road. Just two years later supporters are back and trying to expand Iowa’s current law. The Iowa Legislature does not approve drugs, the FDA does. This process while not perfect has served this country well and consumer safety is extremely important.
There are unintended consequences of legislating the manufacturing of “someone’s” idea of the proper amount of CBD and THC for medicine. The current Iowa Cannabidiol Act may be allowing for too much THC already and in time, may have more negative consequences for these children. Most likely, by next year, the CBD Oil, Epidiolex, being studied by Dr. Joshi at the University of Iowa and at 50 other sites across the nation, will be available at our local pharmacies across the nation legally. Epidiolex has little to no THC. But the most important part is that it has went through the double blind clinical studies to ensure it will do more good than harm. It will be what they call, pharmaceutical grade.
If we, the State Legislature, open this can of worms and start manufacturing, we won’t have what we start with for long. What we have has not been studied as all other legal medicines in Iowa have been. Soon after, there will be financial and emotional pressure to add more THC for more and more conditions.
There are pharmaceutical grade drugs being studied in the normal process with more THC, like Sativex for MS Spasticity is in Phase II of double blind clinical trials right now. It did no better than the placebo in Phase III trials for Cancer pain so they sent it back to be studied for MS. This is the important lesson here. These decisions need to be made by the best researchers in the country. Not state legislators. Even the stricter “medical” programs that have started in some states recently are getting more and more pressure to expand and a lot of the pressure is coming from those who want to make money and those who think marijuana is the cure for everything. All of this is at the expense of the young people who become addicted, lose IQ points, acquire major mental health problems, and experience more adverse consequences of using THC. Let’s don’t lose what is good in Iowa when it is so unnecessary. The connection is very clear to those in substance abuse treatment and prevention. If more people had this information, they would think twice about starting what seems harmless and only helpful right now.
“Important principles may, and must be inflexible” – Abraham Lincoln
For more information on these and other bills: www.legis.iowa.gov
Until next time,
Tom Sands
To make earth cleaner, greener and safer, which energy sources should humanity rely on? Alex Epstein of the Center for Industrial Progress explains how modern societies have cleaned up our water, air and streets using the very energy sources you may not have expected–oil, coal and natural gas.
Climate change is an urgent topic of discussion among politicians, journalists and celebrities…but what do scientists say about climate change? Does the data validate those who say humans are causing the earth to catastrophically warm? Richard Lindzen, an MIT atmospheric physicist and one of the world’s leading climatologists, summarizes the science behind climate change.
Is it true that 1 in 5 women are raped on America’s college campuses? If so, what does that say about our universities and the people who run them? If not, how did that statistic get into the mainstream? Caroline Kitchens, Senior Research Associate at the American Enterprise Institute, looks at the data and explains the very significant results.
News from the Hill…
The big news this week is that the Senate and House Majorities were able to come together to arrive at joint targets. So, what does that mean exactly? While the overall total amount of dollars, 7.349 billion dollars, was agreed on to spend for the fiscal year 2017 to a few weeks ago. How that was going to be divided up into the different budgets was not able to be agreed to until Wednesday. Both sides have been waiting for the agreement until either side started drafting and working on the individuals’ budgets. Now with the joint target agreements for each general fund budget done the actual budget bills will begin. There is much to do and time is running out.
Sluggish Revenues…
There are three months left in fiscal year 2016, which ends on June 30th. Can the revenues grow enough in the last three months to reach the estimated amount? While it is possible it could go either way. If the revenues come up short of the prediction there is about a 71 million dollar surplus of revenues above the expenditures. Obviously if revenues are over 71 million less than the estimate the fiscal year will end in the red. That is exactly why it is important to hold the line on spending and you need to have a cushion built in offset potential shortages. Personal Income, which makes up approximately 56 percent of the general fund revenue, continues to be strong. Sales and Use Tax, which makes up approximately 35 percent, of the general fund revenue continues to be a little sluggish. Corporate Income Tax, which makes up approximately 6 percent of the general fund revenue, is way behind. This of course is a reflection in the down turn in the agricultural economy.
Committee Work…
The only committees meeting this time of year are the Appropriations Committee, Ways and Means Committee and occasionally the Oversight Committee. One half of the Iowa House serves on either Appropriations or Ways and Means. We are getting to that time of the year when we will conclude our committee work so we can finish for the year. All of the budgets will need to be passed out of their respective sub-committees before they can be debated and passed out of the Appropriations Committee. So I do not see any way we can be done by our scheduled end date of April 19. However, if all goes well we should be done before May 1.
Floor Action…
This time of year can be filled with both parties spending lots of time in their respective caucuses as well as lots of time on the House Floor. In the last few weeks, the debates will get long and go into the night. But like my Mother often said, “Nothing good is going to happen after mid-night.” I hope we listen to her advice and don’t make any important decisions in the wee hours of the night.
“Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm” – Abraham Lincoln
For more information on these and other bills: www.legis.iowa.gov
Until next time,
Tom Sands
KWPC/Prairie Radio Communications, Inc Present:
2016 Spring Ag Roundtable Broadcast
Friday, April 8th 10am-Noon Broadcast Live from Muscatine’s Ag Learning Center KWPC AM860 FM95.1/Prairie Radio Communications, Inc. is hosting the 2016 Spring Ag Roundtable broadcast from Muscatine’s Ag Learning Center on Friday, April 8th from 10am-Noon. This Bi-Annual Ag Roundtable Broadcast includes guests from livestock, grain, renewable fuels, agronomy, media, risk management, legislative and more. This panel will address a wide range of agriculture issues and their impact on our local, national and global future.