Photos

	On April 22, Governor Chet Culver signed Senate File 2420 following remarks by Lt. Gov. Patty Judge. The bill will help make up a $200-million-a-year shortfall in Iowa’s transportation budget. Estimates show that the legislation will generate about $125 million by 2012, in part by changing the way pickup fees are assessed. This is a first step to developing a stable, fair and long-term way of maintaining the safe roads and bridges that support Iowa’s growing economy.
	Tom Slater of the State Public Policy Group talks with Sen. Steve Warnstadt during a Statehouse visit on March 18. SPPG helps state agencies and private sector organizations promote their issues, define their goals and evaluate their results. Projects include the Association of Iowa Workforce Partners, the Iowa Peer Support Training Academy, and the Successful Families Caucus. For more on SPPG, go to www.sppg.com.
	Senator Steve Warnstadt of Sioux City and Senator Daryl Beall of Fort Dodge met with General Dardis of the Iowa National Guard outside the Senate Chamber on Feb.19. General Dardis was at the Statehouse to deliver the Condition of the Iowa National Guard to the Joint Session.
	Governor Chet Culver signed HF 2065 on Feb. 14. The Military Leaves bill allows a government employee who takes a leave of absence for military service to take one day of leave for each workday. In addition, this bill requires that an employee returning from military service be given a position of like seniority, status, and pay if not returned to the employee’s original position. Current law only requires restoration to a similar position and not restoration of the same position or one with like seniority. Sioux City Legislators Sen. Steve Warnstadt, and Rep. Wes Whitead both worked on this bill and were present when Gov. Culver signed it into law.
	Gary Brown, director of Woodbury County Emergency Services, was at the Statehouse on Jan. 31 to talk with legislators about the challenges facing Iowa's emergency workers. While at the Capitol, Brown talked with Senator Warnstadt of Sioux City, a strong supporter of Siouxland’s regional emergency services training center.
	Western Iowa Tech Community College students, Tonia Woehler, Ben Rouse, Paul Thomas, and John Kennedy, traveled to Des Moines on Jan. 31 to meet with Senator Steve Warnstadt of Sioux City. 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. Warnstadt told the students that he will support increased funding for community colleges in order to keep tuition affordable.
	Members of the United Way of Iowa were at the Statehouse January 30 to thank the Legislature and Governor Culver for supporting last year’s “2-1-1” initiative. 2-1-1 is a free 24-hour referral helpline that allows callers to speak with trained professionals about a variety of health and human services. The 2-1-1 service is available in all of Iowa’s 99 counties and receives more than 20,000 calls a month. Iowans can also access information by going to www.211iowa.org. The support that 2-1-1 received from the Legislature last year is enabling the United Way to better serve Iowans by developing a single database of organizations and services. The program is nationally recognized for its effectiveness during disasters and crisis recovery efforts. From left: President of United Way of Siouxland Tim Stiles, Senator Steve Warnstadt of Sioux City, and Labor Liaison for United Way of Siouxland Mike Peters
	Senator Steve Warnstadt of Sioux City met with staff from the Community Action Agency of Siouxland at the Iowa Statehouse on January 15. The group was at the Capitol to talk with legislators about the FADSS program, which is designed to help families achieve financial independence. Left to right: Deb Goerings, LaRae Lyons, Nicole Bunce, Warnstadt and Joan Butts.
	State Senator Steve Warnstadt met with Governor Chet Culver at the Iowa Statehouse on Monday to discuss the best ways to stand up for middle-class families and to continue responsible, prudent budget-making. Warnstadt and other legislators from across Iowa were at the Capitol to discuss priorities for the 2008 session, which convenes January 14. Last year’s budget left the state in better financial condition than the year before, and Warnstadt and other legislators pledged to repeat that accomplishment. Pictured from left: Warnstadt and Culver. (12/3/2007)
	On Oct. 17, the Transportation Investment Moves the Economy in the 21st Century Committee met in Des Moines to discuss long-term solutions to funding Iowa highway infrastructure. Senator Steve Warnstadt of Sioux City is a member of the committee, which is studying how to bring in roughly $200 million more annually. The TIME-21 Committee will make its recommendations to the Legislature in January. Among the funding streams under discussion are an increase in the gasoline tax, an increase in pickup-truck registration fees, and increasing license fees.