Wessel-Kroeschell – District 45

Will the session end?….As the 2012 legislative session drags on nearly two weeks past its scheduled adjournment, there are two key issues holding up adjournment that many of you have written about:

1. The $65 million difference between the House and Senate in funding for the Regents.  We must make sure that our state universities are centers of excellence and affordable to all Iowans. I am dismayed that some in the Iowa House can talk about job creation but underfund our universities while providing more and more tax breaks to out of state corporations.
2.  An amendment to the health and human services budget to make access to reproductive healthcare difficult to impossible for many Iowa families. The repercussions of this amendment go well beyond reproductive health care and threaten all health care for Iowa’s disabled and low-income.

Additionally, we do not have agreement on the key issues we all agreed would be addressed in this session: property tax reform, K-12 education reform and disability delivery system reform.

Disability Reform….A top legislative priority this year was to reform Iowa’s Mental Health, Developmental Disability, and Brain Injury delivery system. The goal of the disability system redesign is to improve access to services and set statewide standard services and criteria for eligibility. This week, the House voted to regionalize the delivery system and set a statewide standard for both eligibility and services.

Funding has always been the most serious issue causing service delays or denials. The redesign of the system did not adequately address the funding issue and therefor, I voted no. Without adequate revenue, reform will be inadequate to meet the needs of Iowa’s vulnerable. I hope the Senate improves the funding formula so that we can be assured that disabled Iowans have access to the services they need.

Tobacco cessation and prevention funding….The Center for Disease Control recommends that Iowa spend nearly $37 million on smoking cessation and prevention. I have supported increasing our support to those who want to stop smoking and to help keep young Iowans tobacco free. Here is the history of funding this program:

FY 08 – $12.29 million
  FY 09 – $11.9 million   
FY 10 – $9.66 million   
FY 11 – $7.39 million 
    FY 12 – $3.25 million diverting $453,830 for enforcement of tobacco laws

Many of you have written and asked me to support the Senate version which would fund $5.7 million to tobacco cessation and prevention programs. Although tobacco use remains a problem in Iowa with an estimated 4,400 Iowans dying from tobacco-related illnesses annually, we saw a significant reduction in tobacco use when we invested in prevention programs. Youth smoking rates declined by 76% for middle school students and nearly 40% for high school students. Adult smoking rates declined by 40%.

Tobacco use is expensive to Iowa taxpayers; in the Medicaid budget alone, Iowa taxpayers spend $301 million in smoking related annual health care costs. Committing $5.7 million in the short-term will likely save Iowans hundreds of millions in the long-term.

Other news….

• The House and Senate have both approved a bipartisan government efficiency bill that will save the state over $3.5 million next year.
• Google announced another $300 million investment at its facility in Council Bluffs, which will create another 50 good-paying jobs.
• The House approved a one year extension of the ethanol tax credit to encourage more Iowans to use ethanol and support good-paying jobs here in Iowa.
• A new group of hunting advocates are promoting a new partnership between hunters and local communities touting an industry that generates $288 million in spending and supports over 6,000 jobs.
• A state report out this week showed gas prices dropped nine cents last week while diesel prices dropped two cents.
• Despite strong gains for women in education, a study from the Iowa Women’s Leadership Project shows women in Iowa still make up a small minority of business executives, school superintendents, and legislators.
• After getting the Governor’s signature, a new Iowa Public Information Board will be created next year to enforce Iowa’s open meetings and public records laws.

Quote of the week: “UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”  -The Lorax

Will the session end?…As we come to the end of our scheduled session, the three biggest issues have yet to proceed to real negotiations between the House and the Senate: Property Tax, Education, and Disability Delivery System Reform. We are closest in coming to a true bipartisan bill on the Disability Delivery System Reform. I expect to have a more complete update on this issue next week. Yesterday, conference committees were assigned on the following budgets: education, administration and regulation, economic development, justice system, judicial branch and agriculture and natural resources. However, the budget subcommittee that I serve on, Health and Human Services, has not even been debated on the House floor. Our last scheduled day of work is next Tuesday.

School Start date….Every year, we vote on whether to require schools to start after Labor Day. The groups behind this bill include the Iowa State Fair and the Iowa Tourism Industry. I have always supported local control. I believe local school boards are aware of local schedules and commitments and that the decision should rest with them. This year there is more pressure to push back the school start date.

The school start date bill did not go through a policy committee. Educators were not consulted on what this would mean to schools, education and communities. Since the bill passed, I have heard that some school districts complete their first semester before Winter Break and under this bill, students will be studying for finals over break in those districts. I have heard that AP classes will not be complete and AP exams will be taken because those dates are set by a national group.  These two arguments confirm that this issue needs more deliberation and confirms my commitment that this should be a local decision.

House votes to end class size reduction funding...On a straight party line vote, the Iowa House majroity party ended Iowa’s class size reduction initiative for early elementary grades.

Under this program, each school district receives funds to meet class-size goals of 17 students to one teacher in kindergarten through third grade.  Schools who already meet this goal use funds from this program to enhance reading and basic skills. If our students are going to be reading at grade level by 3^rd grade, this funding is critical.

Despite strong support from legislators, schools, and parents, the House majority party wants to end the program, which would result in teacher layoffs and larger classes.  Democrats worked to continue the successful initiative, but were voted down; the Senate has already voted to continue the funding.

In that same legislation, special education services for students offered through an area education agency (AEA) was also reduced by $20 million.  Some of the services offered by AEAs include teacher training, hearing specialists, speech pathology, and reading specialists.

This legislation now goes to the Senate for consideration where a compromise must be reached before adjournment.

Veteran designation on driver’s licenses….Honorably discharged veterans will be able to get the word VETERAN printed on their driver’s license.  This will assist veterans if they need to show proof that they are a veteran.  This bill has been passed by both chambers and is awaiting the signature of the Governor. 

The Department of Transportation will work with the Department of Veteran’s Affairs to determine which records or forms must be presented when veterans request to have their status put on their license.  Veterans will not be able to get a duplicate license, but must wait until their license is up for renewal. 

Quote of the week…It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge…Albert Einstein