Rules Review Bills

As Chairman of the House Government Oversight committee, I have the opportunity to consider a wide range of issues on how our government operates, and the impact government has on our state.

During the legislative session, House and Senate Republicans, along with the Governor, crossed the state on the “Re-Open Iowa for Business” tour to get input directly from Iowans on what government rules and regulations were hurting their businesses. At their stops, legislators listened to concerns and are now working through remedies to address the problems Iowa businesses are facing.

There were a wide variety of concerns heard on the tour. Some solutions involve administrative rule changes, nullifications, legislation or involvement from the Governor’s office.

This week, the Government Oversight Committee considered four bills which were then passed by the full House. While each may seem relatively small, they are examples of how government can hamper business development. These bills may not grab headlines, but are very important to the businesses impacted.

House Study Bill 242: Allows hearing centers to promote their comprehensive hearing services without restrictions on exact marketing language.

House Study Bill 243: Makes it easier to have additional licensed sign language interpreters without lessening standards.

House Study Bill 244: Allows employers who have had difficult financial times another six months to keep their current unemployment rate.

House Study Bill 245: Allows companies to get state criminal background checks for certain food vendors, including ice cream truck drivers.

The Government Oversight Committee will continue to meet during the legislative interim and will continue to look for ways to make government work better for the people of Iowa.

Capitol Update – May 11th

The Legislature is now in its second week of extra session. Negotiations continue to move slowly between the Republican controlled House, the Democrat controlled Senate and the Governor.

From my perspective in the House, Republicans are holding true to our campaign promise to bring greater responsibility to the state budget. We have put together a budget that does not spend more money than the state collects in revenue.

Last week, House and Senate Republicans joined with Governor Branstad, agreeing to the total amount of general fund spending for Fiscal Year 2012. The general fund budget will be just less than $6 billion.

This amount is 97 percent of ongoing revenue and over $200 million less than the adjusted FY 2011 budget. It leaves over $300 million in the ending balance and brings the budget back to FY 2009 levels.

Even considering these difficult budget choices, the House has made it a priority to appropriate an additional $216 million dollars for K-12 education. Following Governor Culver’s 10% across-the-board cut in 2009, there was a huge hole in local school budgets that was largely shifted onto the backs of property tax payers. The House budget backfills this shortfall and restores full state funding to our schools.

This is all part of following through on my campaign pledge to help make state government less expensive, more efficient and more transparent. These changes certainly involve some difficult, yet necessary budget choices.

The next step is getting the Senate Democrats to agree on the spending level. Once that is accomplished, the appropriations bills can be approved by both chambers and sent to the Governor.

One silver lining to an extended legislative session is the opportunity to continue our work on commercial property tax reform. Commercial property tax rates in Iowa are among the highest in the country, and represent a barrier to economic development and job creation.

The House and Senate are each considering their own proposals to provide this much needed commercial property tax relief. Discussions are ongoing and I am optimistic that we can put together a package that will give Iowa businesses relief from this burden and help them grow.

We will continue working until a budget agreement is reached. At the end of the session, I am confident that we will have done our best for the taxpayers of Iowa. As always, I welcome your comments. Please feel free to contact me anytime.