While lawmakers in Washington DC are negotiating to reopen. Lawmakers in Iowa are still open for business. Here are a few issues to expect in the week ahead from IPR Statehouse Correspondent Joyce Russell.
There’s no political agenda in getting a water quality bill out quickly. That’s according to House Majority Leader Chris Hagenow. The governor has made water quality a “must-do” for Republicans and it’s the first bill she wants to sign. Reducing nitrates in Iowa’s waterways will cost billions of dollars, according to some estimates. But the bills in the House and Senate spend far less.
Budget cuts are likely to get quick action. Gov. Reynolds is recommending cuts to this year’s budget because revenues have not met projections. There’s “some urgency” to get it done because the budget year is already half over. “Republicans are implying they may want to cut more than the governor is calling for,” Russell says in case revenues are again revised downward in March.
School aid could also be on the fast track. The governor recommends a 1.5% increase for schools. That’s a little more than what schools got last year.
The Department of Human Services will stay in the host seat. DHS Director Jerry Foxhoven came before the House and Senate Oversight committees last week to take questions about child protective services, including the foster care system and workloads for child protective workers. Foxhoven says he’s not asking the legislature for anything this year. Foxhoven spent roughly two and half hours before legislative committees last week. He’ll continue to be a “lightning rod for criticism of the DHS on several levels,” says Russell.
Also, Representative Chip Baltimore (R-Boone) has been removed as chair of the House Judiciary Committee following his Friday arrest for drunken driving. (Program note: This story broke after our interview with Russell aired this morning.)
