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Senate
Democrats Legislative Report
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Bipartisan
cooperation is highlight of 2008 session
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Boosting educational
opportunities, property tax relief
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Expanding quality-of-life
efforts for Iowa communities
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Making neighborhoods safer
by solving ‘cold cases’
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Question of the week:
What’s the real purpose of campaign funds?
Bipartisan
cooperation is highlight of 2008 session
In the final days of the 2008 legislative session, there’s
been plenty of talk about what we’ve accomplished.
There’s no question that we’ve done good things to keep our
commitments to fiscal responsibility, to create good-paying jobs, to expand
access to affordable health care, and to make our schools first-class.
But my proudest accomplishment this session is that
Republican and Democratic legislators worked together to make our state even
better for all Iowans.
The sad truth is that the folks at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
are bogged down in partisan bickering, gridlock and games. Most Iowans are sick of it. I’m happy to report that Iowa legislators set aside partisanship
this year in the best interest of our great state.
One reason that Iowa
legislators work well together is because we – Republicans AND Democrats –
listen most to our constituents, instead of the lobbyists or political party
leaders.
Between now and the start of the next session, I’ll be
going back to the well. I’ll be
holding listening posts and forums across the district. I’ll be visiting schools, senior centers
and small businesses. And, of course,
I’ll be responding to your phone calls, letters and e-mails.
Feel free to contact me at any time. Together, we’ll continue making Iowa an even better
place to live, work and raise a family.
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.
This is a great deal for local communities, taxpayers and students.
Quality of life and a chance at financial success are key to recruiting and keeping skilled workers in Iowa. That’s why the
Senate approved a three-part initiative on April 23 to improve opportunities
for Iowans.
The first piece of the puzzle calls for creating more
local recreation and tourism. The
proposal extends Iowa’s Community Attraction
& Tourism initiative and appropriates $12 million over three years for
cultural and recreational initiatives in Iowa communities.
The bill also proposes a new $2 million River Enhancement
Community Attraction & Tourism fund to help cities develop river walks,
trails, and white-water courses along waterways in localities across the
state.
The Senate initiative also helps Iowa families create personal “Individual
Development Accounts” (IDA).
IDAs are savings accounts that
allow low-income and middle-class families to receive a match on their
savings from matching-fund partners, such as a credit union, the federal
government or the state government.
The money can be used to buy a first home, start or expand a small
business, or pay for education and job training.
IDAs are a tool to help Iowa families succeed
by breaking the cycle of poverty, improving financial literacy and building
assets.
The third part of our proposal will assist entrepreneurs
and help expand small businesses success to all corners of the state.
Many communities across Iowa have microenterprises that show
tremendous innovation and excellence.
These small businesses generally have five or fewer employees and are
truly the backbone of our economy.
Currently, our state has 230,000 microenterprises
employing more than 310,000 Iowans. This accounts for 86 percent of all Iowa businesses.
The proposal that passed the Senate would award grants to
community microenterprise organizations, which help low-income individuals
start businesses in distressed areas of rural and urban Iowa.
I am glad the Senate has taken this important step to
improve the quality of life here in Iowa,
while helping local entrepreneurs keep our economy growing.
Did you know that there are 150 unsolved Iowa murders dating back to 1960? The families and communities involved still
wonder what happened and who did it.
Next year, those “cold cases” will get a second look.
That’s because the Legislature created a new “Cold Case unit” at the Iowa
Department of Public Safety. Two investigators will be hired to
systematically review case files and take a fresh look at the evidence. There
will be a particular focus on DNA and other approaches based on today’s
sophisticated forensic technology.
The new Cold Case unit is expected to solve several murder
cases, as well as a significant number of unsolved sexual assaults.
Last year, for example, a Des Moines man was sentenced to life
without parole for the murder of a Colfax woman more than 20 years ago. A DNA sample was taken from Martin Duffy
when he was convicted of drunk driving in 2005. It matched a DNA sample taken
from the crime scene in 1986. In addition to his prison term, Duffy was
ordered to pay $100,000 to the victim’s daughter and $50,000 to her husband
as part of Iowa’s
victim restitution program.
Iowa’s
new Cold Case unit will advance our efforts to bring justice to the
perpetrators of some of the most serious unsolved crimes in our state.
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.
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