Photos

	Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal of Council Bluffs met with constituent Bryan Hill and his children, Colin and Delaney. The Hills were at the Statehouse April 10 and had the opportunity to tour the historic building.
	On April 1, Gov. Chet Culver signed Senate File 2347 into law, providing $4.6 million to create a statewide system of optical scan voting machines before the November elections. This new law will give Iowans a verified paper record of the ballot they cast and will guarantee that voters with disabilities have the same opportunity to use a protected voting system.
	Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal met with Girl Scouts from Council Bluffs when they visited the Statehouse on March 18. The group was accompanied by Sen. Gronstal's daughter, Kate Gronstal, chair-elect of the Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa. From left: Ronette Bruner, Sen. Gronstal, Kate Gronstal and Jordan Brittain.
	Senator Daryl Beall of Fort Dodge, Senator Mike Gronstal of Council Bluffs, and Senator Nancy Boettger of Harlan welcome Rob Denson, the President of DMACC, and Arvydas Daunoravicius, the Consul General of Lithuania, to the Senate chamber on Thursday, February 21st. (02/21/08)
	Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal of Council Bluffs met with constituent David Brandt of the Pottawattamie County Farm Bureau on Feb. 20.
	On Feb. 19, Sen. Mike Gronstal of Council Bluffs met with volunteers from Iowa Western Community College in his Senate office.
	Governor Chet Culver signed a bill increasing the state's contribution to local schools by 4 percent on Feb. 12. The appropriation, which passed the Legislature last week, provides our K12 schools with an additional $222 per student. The money is used for textbooks, heating bills, technology and other necessities that help make students, teachers and schools successful.
	Iowa Western Community College students traveled to Des Moines on January 31 to meet with Senator Mike Gronstal of Council Bluffs. Iowa’s community colleges provide the training Iowans need to move up in life and the skilled workers the state’s economy needs to grow. Gronstal told the students that he will support increased funding for community colleges in order to keep tuition affordable.
	Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal met with Don Kohler of Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs on January 30 to discuss support for Iowa's community colleges.
	Helping Iowa children learn to read was much discussed at the Iowa Statehouse on Jan. 24. I met with Jane Kornfeind and Betty Longe, Reading Recovery teacher leaders for the Council Bluffs Community School District. The Reading Recovery program involves short-term one-to-one tutoring for low-achieving first graders. Reading Recovery focuses on developing a student's vocabulary and comprehension. Left to right: Jane Kornfeind, Betty Longe, and Senator Gronstal.
	I spoke with Ralph O'Donnell of Council Bluffs and Des Moines Police Officer Ted Stroope January 23. The two were at the Iowa Statehouse on behalf of the Iowa Association of Chiefs of Police and Peace Officers. We talked about the unique challenges law enforcement officers face on the job every day and what the Legislature can do to help them keep the rest of us safe. (01/23/08)
	Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal of Council Bluffs opens the 2008 legislative session January 14 at the Iowa Statehouse. He said his primary goal this year is to keep making progress on commitments made last session to improve teacher pay, expand access to quality child care, limit increases on college tuition, make health care more affordable, and boost the state's economy through the Iowa Power Fund initiative. Gronstal said there is no reason for the state to break its promises at a time when the state's rainy day funds are the highest level ever and there is more than half a billion dollars in the state's savings accounts. Audio and transcripts from Sen. Gronstal's address are at http://www.iowasenatedemocrats.org/media/
	Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal of Council Bluffs and other legislative leaders announced Monday at the Iowa Statehouse their priorities for the 2008 session, including the best ways to stand up for middle-class families and to continue responsible, prudent budget-making. Gronstal said last year’s budget left the state in better financial condition than the year before, and he pledged to repeat that accomplishment in the 2008 session, which convenes Jan. 14. Pictured at a Statehouse news conference, from left: House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy of Des Moines and Gronstal. (12/3/2007)
	Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal receives the Voice for Children Award from Orchard Place CEO Brock Wolff on Nov. 19. A former social worker, Gronstal efforts on behalf of Iowa children include enhancing programs for foster children, funding insurance programs for children from low-income families, and ensuring that major psychiatric disorders are covered the same as physical illnesses by insurance companies. Orchard Place, which serves about 7,300 children per year, is one of the state's largest nonprofit organizations for children.