April 24, 2008

Boosting educational opportunities, property tax relief

What’s the real purpose of campaign funds?

Boosting educational opportunities, property tax relief

Greater educational opportunities for Iowa children and property tax relief for all Iowans are on the way, thanks to a bipartisan vote in the Iowa Senate on April 22.

We voted 34-15 to support replacing the state’s current one-cent local option sales tax with a single statewide penny sales tax to be shared among all school districts. 

The local option sales tax means people living in small towns and rural communities help fund schools in large districts with large shopping areas.  Some school districts receive almost $1,400 per pupil, while others get only $558 per student. 

The quality of an Iowa student’s education should not be based on the value of their parents’ home.  It isn’t fair to students or their families.  That’s why I voted to replace that system with a statewide pool to distribute money on a per pupil basis.  When fully implemented, every student in every school district will get the same amount—approximately $900 per student—from the statewide penny.

Governor Culver has said he’ll sign the bill, which will make Iowa’s system of school funding more equitable and provide more than $207 million in property tax relief over the next six years. 

I’m proud to vote to strengthen the funding for our local schools while providing property tax relief.  Dubuque schools will receive an additional $6,333,291 over the next six years due to this legislation.

What’s the real purpose of campaign funds? 

Currently candidates may use campaign funds to pay themselves for campaigning.  This raises a number of ethical questions.  Who, for example, determines when someone is truly "on the clock” campaigning, and not simply using the funds for personal purposes?  Do we really want to allow big contributors or PACs to be able to “hire” candidates for public office?

On April 21, the Iowa Senate voted to close this loophole by limiting the use of campaign funds to campaign purposes, the duties of office or constituent services.  The bill explicitly prohibits the use of campaign funds for the candidate’s personal expenses, including salary.

Violation of the law would be a serious misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $1,875.  Violators could also face a civil penalty of up to $2,000.