The View From Here

The fourth week of the legislative session reminded me of the start of planting season. We’ve been preparing to get work done for a long time and we finally are “in the field” beginning that work. Subcommittees are the first step for any bill, so they are a little like planting as the first step in raising a new crop. All of the preparation work is for nothing if the subcommittee doesn’t happen.

The Senate had over 50 subcommittees this week and a few full committees were held as well, meaning this year’s “crop” of legislation is off to a good start. I’ll try to pick a few of the bills that might be of interest to the folks in my district.

One of the first things we try to pass each year is funding for our K-12 education. The Senate is proposing an increase of almost $100 million for the next school year, bringing the total spending on K-12 education to $4.35 billion. That amounts to $8,133 per student directly from the state.

When we talk about education funding, school choice and educational savings accounts are often criticized by public school proponents. With ESAs, Iowa parents across the state have the opportunity to send their children to the school that works for them. While giving choice to parents, ESAs also encourage public schools to compete and improve the education landscape statewide.  Recently, Iowa City Community Schools announced a new campaign titled “School Choice? Game On.” They are promoting why their school may be the best fit for local parents who are looking at other options for their children. Competition fosters improvement in other sectors of the economy, and it will do so in education as well.

Property tax relief is a big issue for Iowans across the state and we currently have three different proposals that are being studied. The Senate version is the only one that does not use a hard cap of 2% revenue growth per year. Our version includes an inflation factor and is a more tailored approach to give local governments more flexibility while also implementing limitations that control local budgets to bring relief to Iowa taxpayers. If local governments want to spend more, they will have to take it before a vote of the people. I want local government to maintain local control, but I also want to enable residents to know why taxes go up and have input on new spending.

Smaller bills that advanced included SSB 3024 which prohibits the Iowa DOT from issuing drivers licenses or non-operators ID card if the applicant cannot provide proof of legal citizenship or legal immigration status. SSB 3038 deals with Iowa Public Retirement System (IPERS) and how they distribute funds, allowing a retired recipient of IPERS to choose a reloadable payment card instead of electronic funds transfer. It also changes the timing of when reports are issued in order to even out the workload of IPERS employees.

• I will be holding a town hall in Forest City on Friday, Feb. 13th at Waldorf College.
• On Saturday, Feb 14th I will hold three town halls. The first will be hosted by the League of Women Voters at 8:45 at the Roland Public Library located at 221 North Main St. in Roland. The second one will be at the Belmond City Hall at 1:00.The third one will be at the Humboldt Community Center at 3:00.
• I will be at the Briggs Woods Conference Center near Webster City on Feb. 20th at 11:30.

"If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert, in 5 years there'd be a shortage of sand." - Milton Friedman