News from the Hill…
There has been a lot more committee action this week as we march to the first funnel, which will greatly reduce the amount of bills that will be eligible for debate on the House floor. The actual date for the first funnel is February 19, which is the end of the 6th week of the 2016 Session. This is the final date for Senate Bills to be reported out of the Senate committees and House bills to be reported out of House committees. There are a few exceptions for this joint rule, but primarily it applies to all committees except the Appropriation Committee and the Ways and Means Committee. These two committees meet all session long. Any bill that has an appropriation must be passed out of the Appropriation Committee and any bill that has a tax or fee must be passed out of the Ways and Means Committee. It is not uncommon for some bills to have both a tax/fee or appropriation implication, which means the bill would have to pass out of both committees to be eligible for floor debate.
The second funnel date is March 11, which is the final date for Senate bills to be reported out of House committees and House bills out of Senate committees. So as the session progresses, the amount of bills gets smaller, committee time decreases and floor debate increases.
Stock Market Plunge…
As I write this column the stock market is down over 300 points and the Federal Reserve has signaled a possible drop in the interest rates. This concerns me and several others on what might be on the horizon for our state and country. But many of us have been stating for years that our economy is built on a house of cards. When government tries to prop up and stimulate the economy on one hand. But on the other hand passes regulation or laws that tear down the structure you end up with a false economy built on a house of cards. While I hope there is not a recession on the way, it is definitely a time for fiscal discipline to prepare for the worse and hope for the best. As always there seems to be too many that want to bury their head in the sand and spend all they can for today and not worry about tomorrow.
House Budget Targets…
The Iowa House Republicans have released our budget targets for fiscal year 2017 which we are preparing. In order to increase school funding for the next fiscal year all other areas of the state budget is getting reduced. Most of these reductions will be found in better efficiencies, but it is never easy to reduce government spending. But there are lots of Iowans who have to make the same reductions in their personal budgets; they should not expect anything less from their government at all levels.
Visitors from Back Home…
This past week was the annual Great River Region Days. There was close to one hundred people from Louisa, Lee, Henry and Des Moines Counties here for two days of meetings and networking. There were about 30 high school juniors that attend a Southeastern Community College class, (M-Power-U) present three different topics of interest. The three topics were on minimum wage, improving Iowa’s mental health system and alternative school scheduling. The students once again showed they had done their research were thinking outside the box on finding solutions. I was able to take a few minutes out of my schedule to take these same students to the top of the capitol dome. While there are lots of stairs, this is always an exhilarating and a humbling experience especially for first time goers to the dome. It was too windy and too cold to open the door and go outside on top of the dome, but still a nice experience for most of them. I have noticed there seems to be a ‘few’ more stairs every year.
“I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts.”
– Abraham Lincoln
For more information on these and other bills: www.legis.iowa.gov
Until next time,
Tom Sands
Are electric cars greener than conventional gasoline cars? If so, how much greener? What about the CO2 emissions produced during electric cars’ production? And where does the electricity that powers electric cars come from? Environmental economist Bjorn Lomborg, director of the Copenhagen Consensus Center, examines how environmentally friendly electric cars really are.
Caucus Night…
Week four has been different than most week fours. Monday the legislature was not in session so all of the legislators could be back home in their respective districts to attend their own caucuses. Our precinct caucus was one of the biggest crowds we have experienced. Our rural caucus had 135 voters cast a ballot with another five that were minors or not voting. This is true grassroots politics and the presidential selection process has begun. Some have asked why independents do not get to participate. First of all Iowa does not have a voter registration for independents. They register no-party. Second, they can participate if they choose to change their registration to one of the political parties; they can always change back to no-party after the caucus. In addition, why would a no-party register get to participate in a selection process for the nominee of president for a particular party? At our precinct caucus approximately 40% of the ballots cast were either first time registers or people changing their registrations to participate in the republican caucus. Several had never been to a caucus before. It was good to see the room full, people willing to participate and most were patient with the process. Personally, we may agree or disagree on those who finished in the top few positions, but I think we can all agree that Iowa should be the first in the Nation and our people put a lot of time and thoughtful consideration into their own selection process. Fellow Iowans you made me proud once again to be an Iowan.
News from the Hill…
I am not sure when we became a society of wimps, but Tuesday there were few legislators in the Iowa House Chamber because of a typical winter storm. The Iowa Senate did not even meet and was called off in advance. My wife and I left immediately after the caucus on Monday night to head back to Des Moines to beat the storm if in fact it would hit. Consequently I was able to get lots done in the Chamber with only about a third of the members present.
Broadband Rules…
Last year the bill to help incentivize the buildout of broadband in underserved areas was passed and went into effect July 1, 2015. The rules on the implantation of that bill are just now being written and will soon be submitted for public viewing and comment. I have been able to read the proposed rules and sit-down with the department of revenue to discuss some of the proposals and methodologies in determining contributory value. There seems to be a difference of opinion between some of the companies who own the fiber or broadband and the department who will determine that fiber’s value. I find myself in the middle of these discussions most of the time.
Water Quality…
There seems to be more discussion on should the State be doing more/spending more money on water quality. Everyone wants and expects to have good quality and safe drinking water at their immediate disposal. As humans everything we consume turns into waste, so we all attribute to the problem. So how do we all share in the solution? Unfortunately, when the Des Moines Water works filed a law suit, in my opinion simply for political gain, it immediately caused people to draw lines in the sand and take sides. This is not the best way to motivate people in finding serious solutions to a problem we are all somewhat responsible for creating. However, there are several people trying to come together and sit down at the same table to share a wide variety of ideas, finding solutions that are reasonable, workable and affordable to move forward. It often takes a healthy disagreement that leads to a discussion to find the best workable solution. Seldom do law suits that create divisions ever lead to anything but money being wasted on lots of things, except the very solutions they were supposed to be about in the first place. Discussion is an exchange of knowledge, an argument an exchange of ignorance.
“The philosophy of the school room in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next.” – Abraham Lincoln
For more information on these and other bills: www.legis.iowa.gov
Until next time,
Tom Sands
This week’s forums: Saturday, February 6th
9:00 – 10:30 AM Muscatine Community College Student Center
11:15 AM – 12:15 PM State Bank of Wapello Community Room