A recent report released by the non-partisan Legislative Services Agency (LSA) shows that despite the majority party’s claim that they have reduced the size of state government, the number of state government jobs has risen dramatically over the past two years. Recent growth in the overall size of state government has increased the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) positions on the state payroll.
According to the LSA report, the Legislature increased the number of authorized FTE positions from an actual 52,273 in Fiscal Year 2009 to an estimated 52,907 in FY 2010. That is an increase of 634 new positions. This occurred despite Governor Culver’s 10 percent across-the-board budget reduction.
During the 2010 session, the majority party boasted the “largest reorganization and downsizing of state government in over 25 years”. However, according to the LSA report, they still managed to authorize an additional 195 FTE positions in 2010. To most Iowans that I know, that is not downsizing of state government, but rather the opposite.
The non-partisan report outlines that despite the revenue economic downturn and dramatic overspending of the past two fiscal years, the majority party’s budgets still managed to grow state government.
What the people of Iowa need are new private sector jobs, not more and more government. The key to economic recovery is to empower our local businesses to be successful. It is Iowa businesses that will be the key to future prosperity. Unfortunately, the Legislature’s plan over the past several years has been to grow government on the backs of Iowa taxpayers.
The LSA report is further proof that the majority party did not really cut the budget or reduce the size of state government, but rather increased government jobs and spending through the use one-time funds and property tax increases. For the past two years, I voted ‘no’ on every piece of these budgets, and I will continue to stand up for and Iowa taxpayers Iowa families.
