Click here: Donors to Clinton foundation used the Panamanian law firm for offshores accounts to hide their wealth.
Category: Political
News from the Hill…
There seems to be a move to adjournment next week. Farmers are getting anxious to plant their crop, people who take time off from work are needing to get back to work and everyone is ready to move back home. Those with young families want and need their dads/moms back home. Serving in the Legislature has been a great honor and one I have truly enjoyed. But few understand the sacrifices that are made by families as well as those serving. I can’t imagine what it must have been like a hundred years ago when legislators traveled to Des Moines, by horse and buggy or train.
Mental Health Funding…
A few years ago to address some of the mandates coming down from the Federal Government, the State told the Counties they needed to look at more of a regionalism for Mental Health. While some of us may be old enough to remember the old County Home system over time the Federal government has been moving from an institutional care into more of a community care. Regardless of whether that is the right direction to move or not, states and Counties are forced to look for better ways to deliver the services. The system would need to be able to fund as well as sustain the services for an acceptable level of care. But transition is always hard, we humans resist change. However, most would agree that the counties moving to a more region service care from the each county on its own method has been a good move. The county organizations working with other counties in their region are finding efficiencies and still delivering a good level of care. But the funding mechanism of the old system, property taxes, remains to be the only funding source. The total dollar amount that can come from property taxes from each county was capped several years ago. Some counties have grown a great deal in population and others have not may. In fact, some have even decreased in total population. This is upsetting some of the smaller counties inside the region within a larger populated area. So they came to the legislature with their solution, let us raise the property taxes. This is one of my biggest frustrations with too many elected officials. Simply telling tax payers that they need to pay more is not a solution. Raising people’s taxes is merely an action, not a solution to the problem. The odds of an acceptable solution coming forward in the last week of session are slim. Finding a long term sustainable solution moving forward will require a cross section of people working together outside the capitol to come up with several different ideas. That is how the regionalism concept came together. The long-term funding mechanism will be found the same way.
Water Quality…
The bill that sets up additional funding to improve the water quality in Iowa passed the Iowa House this past Monday with 65 voting aye, 33 voting no and 2 absent or not voting. This bill, HF 2451, appropriates an additional 2 million dollars from the general fund and 5 million from the Rebuild Iowa Infrastructure Fund (RIIF) which is gaming dollars. This is in addition to the 26.63 million that is already setup to appropriate in fiscal 2017. This amount is accomplished without raising taxes and would not include the Federal dollars or the private dollars that are spent each year on water quality. We started this bill in the Ways and Means Committee; it then went to the Appropriations Committee before it was debated on the House floor. I voted for this bill, but it needs a better dedicated funding source for the future. The money in the RIIF account is needed for vertical infrastructure needs in the State.
“The taxpayer – that’s someone who works for the federal government but doesn’t have to take the civil service examination” – Ronald Reagan
For more information on these and other bills: www.legis.iowa.gov
Until next time,
Tom Sands
This weekend’s Legislative Forum:
Saturday, April 16th
9:15-11:00 am Burlington Public Library, Burlington, IA
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.
Does free enterprise hurt the poor? Is it unfair and driven by greed? Did it cause the Great Recession? In five minutes, Arthur Brooks answers these questions and more about capitalism.
News from the Hill…
Thursday morning Catherine and I joined some Iowa Cattlemen for a bill signing by Governor Branstad for the Cattlemen’s bill that will allow them to hold a referendum vote. The livestock industry is very important to Iowa for food supply, jobs and revenue. The cattlemen are obviously an integral and important group of the livestock industry. So it was an honor and privilege to join them for their bill signing. I am not able to attend very many bill signings as time just simply does not allow. But they can be a very special event and the final event to complete the “how a bill becomes a law” process.
Water Quality is flowing…
There will always be people more willing to cast blame for problems rather than look for solutions. But some have asked why should everyone help pay for improving the water quality in Iowa? The truth of the matter is that we as humans are all responsible helping to create the problem. Currently, Iowa dedicates over $20 million annually towards improving the state’s water quality through the Nutrient Reduction Strategy. The private sector invests much more of its own money for these efforts as well as Federal dollars to help improve the quality of water in the state. There is over 325 million dollars spent annually on water quality measures in this state alone when private and Federal monies are added. I am sure that we haven’t quantified all private monies which would push up the total investment. This is a significant investment, but us as a state need to do more to advance these efforts.
The Iowa Water Quality Improvement Plan will continue implementation of the Nutrient Reduction Strategy while significantly increasing the state’s investment in a manner that addresses both urban and rural water quality issues. This Plan has dedicated sustainable long-term funding sources from both the Rebuild Iowa Infrastructure Fund (RIIF) and the excise tax on metered water. Funding for rural efforts will come from the Rebuild Iowa Infrastructure Fund, focusing on long-term improvements that will reduce the runoff of nitrates and phosphorus into Iowa waterways and reduce soil erosion. These improvements will involve in-field and edge of field practices. They will be funded on a cost-share basis. The dollars in RIIF come from gaming tax revenue. While I am not particularly fond of this revenue stream for water quality, it provides a short term solution until a better long term funding stream can be found.
Ways and Means…
The bill, HSB 654, for finding a different funding source for water quality improvement started its journey Thursday morning in the Iowa House Ways and Means Committee. Presently there is a 6 percent sales tax on metered water that is collected by the state and deposited into the State’s General fund. One sixth of this would be sent back to local schools for infrastructure. This tax would be changed to a 6 percent excise tax that would be deposited into the State Revolving Fund (SRF) administered by the Iowa Finance Authority. Priority would be given for projects in which a disadvantaged community is seeking financial assistance for the installation or upgrade of wastewater treatment facilities and drinking water treatment facilities. The funding from the water services excise tax would be dedicated to urban conservation practices, improvements to wastewater and drinking water facilities in communities, and a financing program for water quality projects. So the people paying for the tax on their metered water bill would see no change or increase in their cost. The monies collected however, would be in the SRF for municipalities to receive, instead of being dumped into the black hole of the state’s general fund.
“ When there is a lack of honor in government, the morals of the whole people are poisoned” – Herbert Hoover
For more information on these and other bills: www.legis.iowa.gov
Until next time,
Tom Sands
This week’s forums: Saturday, April 2nd
9:00 – 10:30 AM Muscatine Community College Student Center
11:15 AM – 12:15 PM State Bank of Wapello Community Room