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Senate
Democrats Legislative Report
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Crackdown on corporate bosses who hire undocumented
workers
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Legislature focuses on good jobs, tax benefits
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More Iowans join effort to make our state energy
independent
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Iowa Power Fund accepting applications
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Farm-to-School aims at improving student nutrition
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Panel seeks increased funding for water quality,
recreational opportunity
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Beware of costly Rapid Tax-Refund Loans
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Question of the week: hawk-i
Senate Democrats are working to crack down on
corporations that flagrantly violate U.S.
laws, cheat U.S.
workers and undermine the standard of living in our communities. Iowa needs to do more to hold corporate
executives and employers accountable for hiring undocumented workers in Iowa.
Some corporations are exploiting illegal
immigration to create a low-paid workforce. This outrage cheats legal workers
as well as the undocumented workers who are brought in to drive down
wages. It is also unfair to businesses
that play by the rules.
The President and U.S. Congress have failed to
fulfill their responsibility to reform our immigration policies and enforce
the current laws. Therefore, it is
imperative that the State of Iowa
take steps to crack down on the most flagrant violators.
The best way to curb illegal immigration is to
get tough on the big corporations that hire undocumented workers. Corporate executives should face stiff
fines and jail time for exploiting workers and lining their own pockets by
taking advantage of cheap labor.
With the economy taking center stage, there is
some good news in recent legislative initiatives that put more money into the
pockets of Iowans.
By increasing the minimum wage to $7.25 on
January 1, more than 250,000 Iowans got a pay raise that will help them pay
bills and put food on the table.
In addition, we took steps to expand jobs in
promising fields, including advanced manufacturing, information solutions,
life sciences and alternative energy.
We plan to continue our focus this year on creating good-paying jobs
that help middle-class families.
But the good news doesn’t stop there. In the coming months, 500,000 Iowans will
find a lower tax bill when they file their income tax returns. Because of action during the 2007 session,
some 64,000 working families will receive a larger tax refund this year
thanks to the $10 million expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit.
More than 430,000 seniors will also find a
significant reduction in their state income taxes. Iowans over 65 will see a 32 percent
decrease in taxes on their social security income, and they won’t pay any
state tax on the first $18,000 of other income ($24,000 for couples).
Strengthening Iowa’s middle class will continue to be
our top priority this year.
Young people often give me a new perspective
on issues at the Capitol.
Students at Iowa Central
Community College have
built 8 of 12 residence halls on campus, and they’re currently constructing
two new multi-million dollar structures that will feature geothermal heating
and cooling, advanced ventilation systems, nontoxic VOC paint, and different
types of insulation for high-energy performance.
Is this sort of “green building” a fad, some
sort of specialized subset of what it means to be a carpenter? That’s not what Simon Lindner thinks.
Lindner, an Iowa native and a 2007 graduate of Iowa
Central’s carpentry program, says that building affordable, long-lasting
houses that use 65-percent less energy is the right way to construct great
places to live. That kind of can-do
attitude is making Iowa’s
economy stronger and better prepared for the challenges of the future.
Energy costs are a major drag on our
economy. In 2006, we spent more than
$11 billion on energy; that’s more than $3,500 per person in our state. And because we import much of that energy,
we are exporting much of the money we pay for that energy.
By helping improve the energy efficiency of
our buildings, vehicles and appliances, Lindner and people like him are
strengthening our economy, saving millions of dollars each year, and creating
thousands of jobs for Iowans.
Lindner was at the Statehouse on Jan. 29 to
speak before a Senate committee considering ambitious statewide goals for
saving energy and reducing our dependence on foreign oil. Many believe we can more effectively use
millions of dollars already being spent in the state to encourage energy
efficiency. A bipartisan legislative
interim committee recommended that Iowa
aim to cut energy use by 1.5 percent each year for a decade.
Bill McAnally, the
chair of Industrial Technology at Iowa
Central Community
College in Fort Dodge, has
spent 18 years teaching green building techniques to Iowa students.
“Every one of our graduates is out there,
building homes and other buildings that use less energy, are healthier places
to live, and last longer,” McAnally said. “A lack of know-how is not the
problem. The problems are inertia,
short-sightedness, and a lack of focus.
I think legislators can help us close the gap between today’s
buildings and the energy-efficient, sustainable buildings Iowans could be
building.”
Helping Iowa
close that gap is something I’ll be working on. If you would like more information, Mr. McAnally can be reached at McAnally@iowacentral.edu.
Iowa Power Fund accepting applications
Iowa
relies heavily on imported energy with more than 95 percent coming from
out-of-state sources. That’s why we
made home-grown, renewable energy issues a centerpiece of the Legislature’s
bipartisan efforts during the 2007 session.
This week Roya
Stanley, director of Office of Energy Independence, provided legislators with
an update on the work of her office, which was formed last year to lead Iowa to energy
independence by 2025.
She said the Power Fund Board is now accepting
pre-applications for financial assistance from the four-year, $100 million
Iowa Power Fund. The money will go to
projects aimed at growing our renewable, alternative and clean-energy
industries, while bringing more high-skill, high-wage jobs to our state.
To download an application for the Iowa Power
Fund and learn more about Iowa’s
energy independence plan, go to www.energy.iowa.gov.
When children are well-nourished, they learn
more. That’s why the Legislature
decided last year to help farmers partner with local schools to improve child
nutrition and strengthen Iowa’s
farm economy.
The Farm-to-School program will provide
children across Iowa
with fresh, locally grown, seasonal fruit and vegetables, meat, milk, eggs
and nuts in their school lunches. Students will also learn where their food
comes from and how it is produced.
Another
goal is to help kids develop healthy eating habits that will last a lifetime.
Research shows that students choose significantly more servings of fruits and
vegetables when given the choice of high-quality, farm-fresh produce.
The Iowa Department of Agriculture & Land
Stewardship and Farm-to-School Council are working
to get the program up and running.
To learn more, go to www.agriculture.state.ia.us and click
on “Farm-to-School Program” or call (515) 281-8136.
Iowa’s
outdoors are a key part of the quality of life we enjoy. We’re blessed with abundant land and
water. By protecting our natural
resources and enhancing recreational opportunities, we can make our state an
even better place to live and work.
This week, a bipartisan legislative panel
endorsed a report requesting citizen approval of a three-eighths cent sales
tax increase to bolster funding for water quality and outdoor recreation in Iowa.
Supporters say the increase in funding would
stimulate the state’s economic growth and improve our quality of life in Iowa.
The legislative panel made its recommendations
after receiving input from a citizen advisory council and studying how other
states pay for natural resources. The
advisory council is composed of a variety of environmental, agricultural,
conservation and recreation organizations.
The legislative panel also examined a study by
the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development at ISU showing that
investments in natural resources and water quality lead to increased economic
activity in surrounding areas.
During
the 2007 session, the Legislature increased funding for REAP (Resource
Enhancement and Protection) by $4.5 million to $15.5 million, the highest
level in many years. In
addition, we approved $2 million for recreational trails and $8.6 million for
lake restoration projects.
These investments are helping clean up Iowa’s waterways and
expanding recreational and cultural opportunities across the state.
When you file your tax returns this season, I
encourage you to avoid Refund Anticipation Loans. These are loans borrowed against your
expected tax refund. You may have money in your pocket a few days sooner, but
you’ll have to pay extremely high fees to borrow your own money.
According to the Consumer Federation of
America and the National
Consumer Law
Center, interest on
Refund Anticipation Loans can range from about 40 percent to more than 700
percent (Annual Percentage Rate). That’s a lot to pay for an advance of just
a few days.
While a Refund Anticipation Loan gets your
refund to you in 1 to 4 days, you can have your money in as little as 7 days
by e-filing and having your refund deposited directly into your bank account.
A list of “Volunteer Income Tax Assistance”
sites and a list of “Tax Counseling for the Elderly” sites is
available at www.IowaAttorneyGeneral.org. For
more information, contact the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division
at toll free 888-777-4590.
Wasn't hawk-i, Iowa's
insurance program for children, shut down due to President Bush's vetoes?
No. Hawk-i
continues to insure 21,308 kids in Iowa
who would otherwise be without heath care coverage. Hawk-i is available for free or for a sliding scale fee.
To apply, call 800-257-8563 or visit www.hawk-i.org.
Despite President Bush's vetoes, I am confident that hawk-i
will continue. A majority of Republicans and Democrats in
Congress and in the Iowa Legislature want all American children to have
affordable health care coverage.
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