Good morning! 9:31 and I'm at the monthly League of Women Voters state legislative forum. They do one each month during the session. Co sponsor this month is the Iowa City Education Association, the school district, and Clean Air for Everyone (anti smoking)
The lawmakers are all running late which usually means another event. Wait, here comes Joe Bolkcom.
Other notables present include
Teachers are wearing stickers that say "25." Had to ask. They want teacher salaries raises to #25 in the nation - average.
9:35: Mary Mascher and Vicki Lensing (D's - Iowa City) are here.
Eats are good this AM - Bruegger's bagels. The LWV must have some spare bucks.
9:39 - Here's Sen. Bob Dvorsky (D-Coralville and the senior member of the Johnson County delegation.) Also Mark Nolte, Dem candidate in House 89.
9:40 - We're underway. The League has the disclaimer about "everyone was invited" so it looks like the GOP won't show.
9:42 - Rep. Dave Jacoby (D-Coralville) is here. Dvorsky speaks first:
Senate has passed veterans bills in first three weeks. Appropriations has passed out bills on Honey Creek Park in S. Iowa and something enabling a UIHC grant for Iowa Care.
Lots of talk on education: Vilsack looking for comprehensive bill, not piecemeal.
9:46 - Jacoby is up. House committees has reviewed Grow Iowa and Medicaid. Says Grow Iowa Values Fund working well. Bringing business to Coralville - 15-20 jobs averaging $57k.
Medicaid Iowa Care - money being spent fast, may have to cap enrollment. More solid figures next week.
Cell phone use by young drivers may reach floor.
Budget remains top item. Going well so far except education.
9:49 - Vicki Lensing. Committees just starting. Oversight is active but they meet year round. Looking at sentencing reform next couple weeks. Will continue through and after session. Judiciary/State Government - eminent domain, touch play lotto. Sex Offendres moving to Public Safety but whole leg will discuss.
Two election reform laws - clarifying procedures and extended date on state voter reg system system conversion. Bills recommeded by bipartisan auditors.
Budget and education are priorities.
9:52 - Mary Mascher is on her turf here, she's a teacher. Education got 4% allowable growth (House Dems wanted 6%). "We're on a race to the bottom." Attacks Republicans for their deceptive talk on education funding. "We used to be able to say we were at least better than Missouri - not any more." (Uneasy laughs from crowd).
High school reform - curriculum and standards. Need to adopt state standards (only state without). We want public feedback.
State Hygenic Lab - looking at building a new one, need support.
Stem Cells - has big impact on professor recruiting. We can do the research but not benefit the patients. (Human cloning ban would remain)
David Skorton is a loss to whole state and will be missed. Imporant to keep quality funding, we'll keep losing people.
9:57 - Joe Bolkcom. Still not out of woods on budget. Still $250 in hole on funding for education, health, salaries. But revenues are rebounding. Education - class size reduction remains important.
Good news last year - 30 million in new $ for regents institution. Proposing 40 mill this year. Need to keep competetive with salaries. Hygenic lab, need home for College of Public Health. Need to repeal stem cell.
Rally this week for increase tobacco tax. Might actually get to floor.
Joe will continue to work on predatory lending (this is a big one for him!) Reiterates Mascher's comments on Skorton. Hiring process needs to include faculty, students, community.
10:01 - Questions begin. First up is Superintendent Lane Plugge. Asks about funding and low increases in allowable growth, and salaries.
Bolkcom - thinks education is top priority across board, Senate Dems also proposing 6% this week. Looking at comprehensive.
Jacoby - "Pay Attention." People who pledge education support don't always follow up. Watch the votes. House GOP arging 6% irresponsible. He says NOT doing 6% is irresponsible. Reports from school dance that "the bad news is disco's back." Dave has a sense of humor. Or so he thinks. :)
Dvorsky - Need to ask "the people who aren't here" (i.e. the GOP) where they stand. (The outlying areas of the county have some Republicans.) Vilsack recommended 4% and was surprised by 6%. Dems want resources, GOP wants vague "reform." Vilsack asking all 4 caucuses to seek common ground. Most of public does not understand "allowable growth" - state controls local budgets.
Mascher - Institute for Tomorrow's Workforce appointed by Vilsack to make education recommendations. Names some names - included some prominent Republicans (Doug Gross, Brent Siegrist!) #1 recommendation - $300 million for salaries. House education chair said commission "did not understand budget constraints." But that wasn't the task. Diversity is increasing and that has education impact. 529% increase in Hispanic students!
Dvorsky - Commission hints at school district consolidation ("the C word") political will is not there. Group waws very business oriented.
10:15 - Next question is from Nancy Porter of ICEA. Reading recovery teacher, longtime active Dem.
Here's our No Shows: Sens. Dave Miller and Jim Hahn, Reps. Jeff Kaufmann and Sandra Greiner (all R's) and Ro Foege (D - who had another event). So the Dems are 5 of 6 and the GOP is 0 for 4.
Porter's question is essentially a statement: $, $, $, Plugs nea.org so I'll link. The question: "Any chance cigarette tax will increase revenue for ed"
Bolkcom: "Yes and yes." We have had little hope for cig tax - GOP solidly opposed and winning out at present. But Jeff Elgin (R-CR) held a little hope out.
Lensing: Rally this week on tobacco tax. Ex-Gov Branstad supports. But Rants refuses to allow it to come up. Two ways to look: She sees it as a health issue to discourage. Other side: what would we do with revenue. Many ideas, but we need to pass it first.
Jacoby: I'd like to pass it and just save the $. People say "I'd support it IF" money went to their favorite specific cause. Repeats his Pay Attention theme. People saying "I don't like tax but if it went up I might quit" and that's decisive.
10:23 - Question from CAFE speaker. Mostly thanking legislators for support. Brings up secondhand smoke and smoking bans.
Dvorsky - Realpolitik is blocking bans - follow the money. Rants got $60,000 from tobacco interests. Smoking opponents need stronger strategy and allies with clout like hospitals, nursing homes, etc. to make it a priority. Need to talk to legislators from other parts of state.
Jacoby: Smoking opponents banging drum loudly "like a Who concert." Need to decouple ban from tax.
Bolkcom: Great arguments, and none of it has succeeded. It will take new leadership (i.e. beating Republicans). When Senate went 25-25, every area of state government improved. First time we're seeing tobacco $ going directly to legislators. Campaign finance reform desparately needed - 5 figure donations to gov candidates!
Mascher - make across the state effort to support those who supported you (i.e. campaigns). Trying to add tobacco tax as a rider to every bill to force vote.
Lensing: 80-90% support, need a statewide network. Need people to VOTE that way. Undemocratic that we can't even bring it up!
10:36 - open questions. Lauren Reece, former school board member. School wellness programs. At this point I got sidetracked by the need for additional coffee. Legislators are providing informal suggestions to improve program. Mascher mentions the importance of dental health.
10:42 - Sue Dvorsky, teacher and spouse of senator (key activist in her own right). Lots of chuckles of recognition. Praises delegation (meaning those present and Ro). Frustrated that Rants can block discussion; wants to discuss to realpolitik of the session but will wait for answers.
10:45 Janelle Rettig brings up campaign finance and details of filing requirements. Specifically mentions MidAmerican. Need same requirements on year and off year. Also mentions touch tabs and regressivity.
Bolkcom - bill is in to increase campaign reporting requirements. Touch tabs will be debated; we're so far down the gambling road we're hooked on the money and that's bad. Payout should be looked at.
Lensing - Lottery has its own authority but must report to Oversight committee. When touch play started, we didn't expect the numbers and types of locations. The more we learn the more complicated it gets. Businesses claiming they can't live without.
10:52 - Ann Bovbjerg - crime and prison construction.
Dvorsky - Prison director went through details of the Great Escape and is moving forward well. Supplamental funding bill coming through. Vilsack wants the facility IN Ft. Madison. Legislative leadership looking at system wide study money this year. 700 inmates considered highest risk. But the rest (8000) need to be dealt with appropriately.
10:57 - Don't know the speaker, subject is seniors. Title XIX nursing home allowance, standardizing long term care insurance.
Bolkcom - we've introduced the priority senior bills, some growing GOP support. Met this week with insurance committee on standardization.
A couple more adults, and then the sixth graders are lined up.
11:00 - Jim Bailey, teacher: preschool and early childhood ed. These things are well organized and the questions are quite often statements. Now he's discussing the proposed increase of dropout age from 16 to 18.
Mascher takes on early childhood. Vilsack looking at $15 million for staffing and salaries. This will be part of the entire ed. debate.
Bolkcom - Senate proposing increase in funding for English as second language. Dropout issue - truancy task forces, some interest in increasing dropout age.
Dvorsky - not as much support last year from school districts on pre-K. Senate Dems are supportive of increase in dropout age. Worried that the various education priorities will be forced to compete.
Jacoby - Not everyone in state understands importance of pre-K education. Need to work on programs to keep kids in school. 89% graduation rate is good, but still needs to improve.
11:09 - Pat Jensen, longtime LWV activist. Asks for Legislative Politics 101 for the benefit of the cameras.
Bolkcom - money, money, money. Did I say money? We've seen that today with tobacco.
Mascher - We can all propose bills. Committee chairs or leadership can prevent action. And that often happens.
Dvorsky - The caucuses are very important. Senate Dems and Senate GOP meet in caucus and set priorites, same in House. Leadership has a lot of power. And with the tied Senate, Iverson and Gronstal have to agree on what moves forward - so BOTH of them have veto power. Republican caucus is more top-down, Dems give more autonomy to committee cochairs. Lobbyists know how to work it, ignore everyone but leadership.
Jacoby - Out of 100 Representatives, "I think 92 people have the best interests of Iowans and their districts in mind. No, I won't name names." We all take our responsibility seriously. We may need to change those 8 people.
11:17 - Moderator givs the wind-down warning. Third grade teacher Jacob Kummer looks at teacher salaries, I missed the stats.
Jacoby - We don't respect educators.
Mascher - People don't know how classrooms have changed. Disciple, diversity, powerty, health, nutrition. "Hard to teach a hungry kid." Iowa City has great programs that rural Iowa does not. Legislators not aware of these issues. Out of pocket teacher expenses. "Even shoes." Educate people about what it's like.
Lensing - Teachers need to make a living - student loan costs prohibitive and drive people out of teaching and out of Iowa.
11:24 - Here come the sixth graders. These questions are always the best.
11:37 - One last grownup talks about health insurance for students with enrollment issues. Example: Student with cancer who would have to withdraw from class would lose insurance. New Hampshire passed a bill to address this.
Mascher - also an issue with foster kids who age out. 25% end up on streets.
11:42 - the moderator wraps it up. This is pretty typical how how it goes.
Bolkcom - went to Meggitt's class yesterday. Rapid-fire answers the kids questions and generally makes them happy.
Mascher - looks at the kid's smoking ban question. Wants ban in any public area. Also looks at college tuition programs. Calls all the kids by name, what a teacher. :)
Lensing - got some of these questions in letters and has written some replies, encourages the kids. Missed out on the class tour because she was in jail ("On a tour, VISITING"). Jacoby makes a joke at her expense ("Nice ankle bracelet, Vicki") and responds to some more of the kids.
Dvorsky dittoes Joe's answers. In 1996 a majority of both parties voted no on death penalty and doesn't expect it to pass now. Looks at the war issue: war spending is double the size of the entire Iowa economy.
It's 11:49 and that's a wrap! Off to schmooze.
4 comments:
Nice job with this John - it's very helpful to get the sense of what went on at the forum. Wonder why the Republicans don't show up? :)
Great Stuff! Felt like I was there (and I've been there)! Excellent example of citizen reporting.
Nice job Deeth. Can I give you my meeting schedule so I can stay home and just read your excellent recaps?
Great job Deeth! Can I give you my meeting schedule so I can stay home and just read your excellent recaps?
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