Much of what I did this week was behind the scenes as we continue working on tax cuts and the balancing the budget with the House and the governor’s office. I am working towards being finished by our deadline of April 17, but we need to work together to accomplish this goal. ...

There is only a little more than one week left before the scheduled ending of this legislative session. The 100th day is April 17. While we are still working hard to be done by this day, we have plenty to do on the budget for the next fiscal year. A Bill to Create a Dyslexia Response Task Force...

One of the topics that comes up early in every legislative session is funding for K-12 education. This is because the schools need to set their new budget by March 15. A large part of our state is rural and smaller communities. These communities have much higher transportation costs than urban areas, like Des Moines. ...

This week the Iowa legislature passed a long-awaited water quality funding bill. The bill’s passage makes this the first piece of legislation to head to Governor Kim Reynolds’ desk for signature in the 2018 session. This bill sets up a Water Quality Infrastructure Fund within the Division of Soil Conservation in the Iowa Department of Agriculture to help fund programs that are means tested by the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy (INRS). ...

The 2017 Legislative session finished up early Saturday morning.  As many in the media noted, this session saw the most action ever taken in the legislature.  There was a lot of debate, and issues that were always voted down in years past finally got a full hearing.  The session was filled with passion on both sides but as the final gavel fell, the book closed on one of the most monumental session in Iowa. Thank you for allowing me to represent you!...

This week, the Iowa Revenue Estimating Conference noted the current 2017 fiscal revenue needs to be reduced by another $131 million. This is on top of the $118 million that was cut in January.  With only three months left in this fiscal year it seems the best option is to take $131 million of the rainy day fund...

In early January the legislature cut $118 million out the on-going 2017 budget.  It has been noted that this may not be a big enough cut and the legislature may need to cut more this year. The Revenue Estimating Committee meets on March 14, and they will tell the state how much more needs to be cut to keep the state budget balanced. ...

We spent the entire week last week debating a collective bargaining bill. This bill has been one of the biggest challenges in my nine years and changes how public union employees bargain in employment matters. The reasoning for changing this part of the Iowa Code was to create more opportunity for schools, cities and counties to pay based on merit and allow employees to get paid at different rates. ...

Each year the federal government doles out money to each state. This is block grant money used for community programs around the state. Iowa received $6.2 billion this year from the federal government for grant projects that included childcare development, low income energy assistance, community development, social services, child health services and mental health...

I feel like I am living the movie "Ground Hog Day." It's about a man living the same day over and over again. Well, I feel this same way in the Legislature, every session we see the same bills again and again. It seems NO bill ever dies! Wrong Board Getting the Ax...

This past week I tried to pass an amendment in the Iowa Senate that would return excess collected tax dollars back to Iowa citizens. Two years ago, when Gov. Branstad took over this state, we were facing the largest spending gap in the history of Iowa. ...

The 2013 session is underway. The Senate will be controlled by the Democrats this session; they have 26 members versus 24 Republicans. The party that is in control has the power over the entire agenda, including what policies get discussed and brought up for a vote. The Iowa House of Representatives will be controlled by the Republicans with 53 members versus 47 Democrats...

This past week the Senate approved internet gambling. The bill that passed would allow Iowa's casinos to create a platform where a person could get a password from the casino and play online at their home or business. The online gaming bill was packaged as a way to create safeguards and protocols to make online gaming safer for those who play it. Online gaming is an illegal activity in every state in the nation...