After the 2010 elections, Iowa was at the end of the four largest budgets in state history. When we began our work last year, the state budget spent $1.18 for every dollar in tax revenue. Our job was to restore fiscal responsibility to the budget, and stop spending more money than the state collects in revenue.

We have been tremendously successful. Not only have we held the line on spending, the real cost of government to the taxpayers has decreased significantly. Part of responsible budgeting also means asking the state to live up to its commitments. This year’s budget does not intentionally underfund specific programs so that we can overspend in other areas. Here are the highlights:

• We reduced total state spending by $160 million, and did not ask taxpayers to fund the $200 million salary increase granted by Governor Culver before he left office.

• The budget now fully funds our K-12 schools, rather than underfunding those obligations, and asking local property taxpayers to pick up the slack.

• Our budget no longer includes the use of one-time money for ongoing obligations. We did not scoop money out of segregated accounts or reserve funds just to grow government.

• We also now have a budget that does not use federal stimulus dollars for our ongoing operations.

• Over the past two years, we have fixed a $900 million dollar spending gap.

• We now have our reserve funds full

• We put $90 million dollars in to the newly created Taxpayer Trust Fund

• And we now have a $390 million dollar budget surplus ready to be returned to the taxpayers.

These budgets were put together not only to save tax dollars, but to put the state on solid fiscal ground for the future. Past legislatures would often go on a spending spree one year, then be forced to make across-the-board cuts the next. Our budget gives the state and the taxpayers stability and certainty going forward.

The hard work of fixing this budget usually doesn’t grab a front-page headline, but represents the majority of our efforts. As a member of the House Appropriations Committee, I am proud of the work we’ve done for the taxpayers of Iowa. We’ve made Iowa a stronger place, and set ourselves up for future success.

With this narrowed focus, we are able to finish work on the state budget and several remaining high-profile bills, most notably property tax reform.

With regard to the state budget, I will not waiver on my commitment to keep spending under control. We must also make sure that government does not spend more than it collects in revenue. These common-sense budget principles have been ignored far too often in government, and the taxpayers are the ones who end up paying.

As we craft the state budget, we need to continue to find saving and efficiencies, while continuing to fund the priority needs of Iowans. The benefits of a responsible state budget are jobs, savings and certainty.

My goal for property tax reform is to provide savings for all Iowans, including individuals and businesses and to provide certainty as people plan for the future. The House has already sent several different proposals over to the Senate, and I am still hopeful that the Senate will choose to act on one.

The time to act is now: if we do nothing on property tax reform, Iowa’s taxpayers will be facing a $2.3 billion property tax increase over the next 10 years, most of which will fall to homeowners.

Right now, the focus of the legislature should be to make it easier for employers to begin hiring people and to invest in their businesses. To meet this goal, we are working on a budget and property tax reform that will give Iowans financial security and an environment where our economy can flourish.

It is important to note that this supplemental appropriation is revenue neutral. Because of cost savings identified in this bill, the budget for the current fiscal year still does not spend any more than the state collects in revenue.

I applaud the Department of Corrections for operating efficiently enough for the current fiscal year, making their request one that we can accommodate. The Department has done a good job of reducing internal spending as much as possible in order to come in at the $7.5 million figure.

The cost savings for this bill come primarily from Medicaid expenditures, which for FY 2012 are coming in at least $6.5 million under budget.

Moving forward, the state will be forced to make additional resources available for corrections. The prison population in Iowa continues to grow, and incarcerating and rehabilitating prisoners is one the most critical responsibilities of government.

The House Republican Budget proposal spends $6.059 billion or $313 million less than the total overall spending for FY 2011 and $59.9 million more than the FY 2012 budget. The small increase is almost all due to $55 million of new expenditure to fully fund property tax credits. If enacted, this will be the first time state property tax credits have been fully-funded since FY 2000.

Despite the increase to fund the property tax credits, it is still only a 1 percent budget growth over FY 2012.

Another key component of the targets is $42.9 million for state employees, including legislators, to contribute to the cost of their health insurance. This assumes that all state employees, including legislators, will pay at least $200 per month for their premiums

In comparing other budget targets in the legislature, it is important to understand how the available revenue number is used in each proposal. Some budget proposals plan to spend all available dollars, even one-time money carried over from the previous year. The House Republican plan does not consider these one-time funds to be appropriate for spending toward ongoing projects. Spending these one-time funds only grows government, and forces tax increases in future years.

This budget will be another positive step toward aligning state spending with state revenue. With a healthy balance sheet, the taxpayers of Iowa can have greater confidence that future legislatures will not resort to tax increases to solve budget problems. This confidence will help individuals and families plan their own budgets and for employers to be able to predict future expenses.

Governor Branstad’s proposed budget meets my top criteria in that it complies with Iowa’s expenditure limitation.  Unlike prior budgets that spent far more than the state collects in revenue, this budget does not contain the budget gimmicks we have seen in the past.

The increases that are included in the Governor’s proposed budget are focused on what I consider to be essential functions of government.  The FY2013 budget contains additional money for Medicaid, education, mental health services, and prisons.  As we move through the budget process, I will be looking for ways to cover these essential services in a fiscally responsible manner.

You have my ongoing promise that I will not support any spending beyond what the state collects in revenue.  We will fully fund the priority obligations of government while we seek cost savings to make state government smaller and smarter.

All of our work this year must be considered through the lens of what is good for Iowa’s economic recovery and our future growth.  It is my belief that the best way to put Iowans back to work is to advance policies that create an environment that gets government out of the way and encourages employers to create jobs right here in Iowa.

I will be advocating for legislation that provides the certainty that job-creators require and the opportunity for careers that Iowans deserve.  What I will not support is more government “stimulus”, or another I-JOBS plan that grows government and borrows even more from our children.

Iowa’s employers must have a commitment from their government to keep spending under control so they can plan for the future and know for certain that a tax increase for them is not on the horizon to pay for bigger, more bloated government.

A big part of this challenge is my commitment that I will not support a budget that spends more than it collects in revenue.

Governor Branstad presented his Fiscal Year 2011-2012 Budget to the Legislature in a joint meeting on Thursday, Jan. 27. The Iowa Constitution requires the Governor to propose a budget and then the Legislature approves the budget through the regular legislative process.

I was encouraged to hear that the Governor agrees with House Republicans’ commitment to stop the unsustainable growth in the size and cost of government.

The Governor promised to cut the state budget and focus on creating jobs.  Voters were clear this fall that they want budget accountability and I consider this an opportunity to keep our promise to end the recent trend of spending beyond our means.

Governor Branstad’s proposal cuts state agency spending by 6 percent and does not propose any funding for the salary increases pushed through by Governor Culver in the final days of his administration.  For agencies to fund these pay raises, they will have to find the money from within their existing operations budget.  It is my hope that our public employees will return to the bargaining table, to help us fix our budget mess.

As a member of the House Appropriations Committee I am eager to get to work on implementing cuts like the ones in Governor Branstad’s proposal.  House Republicans will lead the charge to bring about this change to legislative thinking about government spending.