The group endorsed the reelection bids of the following legislative incumbents:

Rep. Cecil Dolecheck of Mount Ayr: House District 24 (Challenger is Jane Jensen of Clarinda)

Rep. Joel Fry of Osceola: House District 27 (Challenger is James Demichelis Jr., of Chariton)

Rep. Kevin Koester of Ankeny: House District 38 (Challenger is Brett Nelson of Saylor Township)

Rep. Jarad Klein of Keota: House District 78 (Challenger is Priscilla Marlar of Wayland)

Rep. Tom Shaw of Laurens: House District 10 (Challenger is Maison Bleam of Rockwell City)

It was May 10, 1970, in Se San, Cambodia. Spc. Leslie H. Sabo Jr. and his platoon were ambushed by a large enemy force. The 22-year-old rifleman from Ellwood City, Pa., charged the enemy position, killing several soldiers, and then attacked an enemy flanking force, drawing fire away from his comrades.

As the enemy retreated, a grenade landed near Sabo and a wounded American soldier. Sabo picked it up and threw it, while shielding his comrade with his own body. The grenade blast badly injured Sabo, but he continued to charge the bunker.

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This event will be held at the following time and location:

When: Friday, May 18, 2012

10:00 AM

Where: Peace Officer Memorial Site

Lucas State Office Building

Corner of East Grand Avenue and East 12th Street

Des Moines, Iowa 50319

(Rain Location: State Capitol Rotunda)

Senate stays focused in 2012

Prepared by the Senate Democratic Staff  (PFD)

Balancing the budget without raising taxes.

Iowa is expected to have a budget surplus of about $258 million when the current budget year ends on June 30. We also have $617.1 million in our reserve funds, the largest amount in state history. On top of that, we’re putting $60 million into the newly created Taxpayer Trust Fund.

Education and job training for a strong Iowa future.

• Reducing Iowa’s skilled worker shortage with $15 million in worker training to help Iowans qualify for skilled job openings at local businesses. Business leaders say this is the number one thing we can do to boost Iowa’s economy. (SF 2321, Education Budget)
• Keeping tuition affordable at our community colleges, state universities and private colleges so all Iowa families have the educational opportunities that lead to great jobs. (SF 2321, Education Budget)
• Providing $4.7 million for STEM—intensified science, technology, engineering and math education that helps build a high-quality Iowa workforce. (SF 2321, Education Budget)
• Ensuring Iowa kids are good readers by keeping class sizes small in kindergarten through third-grade classrooms. Smaller classes give young students the one-on-one time they need with their teachers. A new statewide Iowa reading research center will spread the best practices for teaching reading. (HF 2465, Standings)
• Continuing our commitment to strong local schools by raising academic standards, increasing teacher and administrator effectiveness, and implementing innovation that improves learning. This is a good first step on education reform, a multi-year effort to enhance educational opportunities for all Iowa students. (SF 2284, Education Reform)
  • Competency-based education that allows students to learn and complete courses at their own pace
  • Small class sizes in early grades so teachers can spot issues and bring students up to speed faster
  • Developing online teaching and learning as a tool for students in their local schools
  • Creating higher requirements for students entering the teaching profession
  • Increasing teacher collaboration and coaching so teachers can help each other improve
  • Establishing annual teacher peer reviews and administrator evaluations
  • Having school administers focus more on improving teaching rather than non-educational duties

Investing in education, research and training facilities that prepare a highly skilled workforce (SF 2316, Infrastructure Budget):

• Community College ACE (Accelerated Career Education) Infrastructure, $6 million
• Community College Maintenance, $5 million
• Regents Tuition Replacement, $25.1 million
• Regents Fire & Safety/ADA Compliance, $2 million
• U of I Dental Building, $10.25 million
• ISU Ag/Biosystems Engineering Complex, $19.05 million
• UNI Bartlett Hall Renovations, $7.78 million
• ISU Research Park, $1 million
• ISU College of Veterinary Medicine Improvements, $400,000

The Senate also approved important investments in student achievement that were not taken up by the House.

• Providing a 4 percent increase in basic state support for local schools for the 2013-2014 school year. These funds would be used for textbooks, heating bills, technology and other necessities required for students and teachers to be successful. SF 2114 passed Senate on party-line vote.
• Establishing a pilot program to promote excellence in the teaching profession by providing yearly peer coaching stipends for teachers who volunteer for the program. School districts would assign peer coaches to teachers in need of additional guidance. Part of the Senate’s original Education Reform proposal, which passed Senate on party-line vote.

Stimulating economic growth.

• Extending Iowa’s commercial and industrial highway network of interconnected roads that provides long-distance route continuity. In order to improve the flow of commerce, make travel more convenient and safe, and better connect parts of Iowa and the Midwest, a major portion of Iowa’s annual road construction budget is targeted for the commercial and industrial highway network. (SF 2153)
• Expanding opportunities for local auto dealers by allowing them to offer vehicles for sale at fairs, shows and other exhibitions. (SF 2249)
• Providing tax credits for the construction and installation of solar energy systems and geothermal heat pumps to jumpstart new Iowa energy industries. (SF 2342)
• Boosting Iowa’s ag economy with year-round farmers’ markets, so Iowans can purchase nutritious, locally grown food throughout the year. (HF 2092)
• Keeping businesses in our local communities through Employee Stock Ownership Plans by allowing employers to easily sell their business to employees and earn a capital gains tax deduction. (HF 2465, Standings)
• Helping businesses create jobs through targeted incentives and supporting efforts by Iowa’s state universities to work with businesses on technology commercialization, marketing, entrepreneurship and technical assistance. (HF 2337, Economic Development Budget;  HF 2473)
• Continuing a break at the pump for consumers who buy ethanol-blended fuel by extending the tax break for one year. (HF 2472)
• Providing incentives for a world-class baseball tournament and training complex to locate in Iowa. This project is projected to create hundreds of jobs and bring thousands of sports fans to our state each year. (SF 2239)

The Senate also gave bipartisan approval to several job creation initiatives that the House did not take up:

• Ensuring more publicly funded projects in Iowa use American-made goods, such as steel, iron and other materials, before turning to foreign imports when fixing Iowa’s roads, bridges, schools, water and sewage systems, and other public infrastructure. SF 2287 passed Senate 37-13.
• Giving Iowa businesses seeking to sell products and services to the state the chance to match competing out-of-state bids for projects under $500,000, provided the Iowa firm is within 5 percent or $10,000 of the lowest bidder. SF 2302 passed Senate 35-15.
• Leveling the playing field for Iowa’s Main Street businesses by implementing a sales tax on Internet purchases so that large, out-of-state companies pay the same amount of sales tax as small businesses in our communities. SF 2330 passed Senate 48-0.
• Providing $10 million in tax credits to help communities clean-up and revitalize their business districts and industrial parks. SF 2339 passed Senate 49-0.
• Cutting taxes for more than 260,000 Iowa households, including the families of 37 percent of Iowa’s children by increasing the state Earned Income Tax Credit. It’s one of the most effective anti-poverty programs in the nation, one that also boosts the economy when working families spend those dollars locally on such necessities as food, gas, car repairs and medical bills. SF 2161 passed Senate 48-0.
• Increasing tax credits available for wind energy projects, and reserving some for small producers who install a wind energy system of up to 100 kilowatts in wind innovation zones. SF 2326 passed Senate 41-9.

Ensuring government is accountable to Iowans.

• Protecting students’ pocketbooks by ensuring they get a minimum tuition refund if they withdraw from a for-profit school. (SF 2267)

• Offering greater convenience to Iowans and saving $1 million in tax dollars by offering online driver’s license renewal. (SF 2338, Government Efficiencies)
• Requiring an ongoing, comprehensive review of all state department rules to eliminate those that are outdated, redundant, inconsistent or incompatible. (HF 2465, Standings)
• Giving Iowans better access to government information and public records by creating the Iowa Public Information Board to address and resolve complaints. (SF 430)
• Requiring funders of automated “robo-calls” to identify themselves, thereby increasing transparency and accountability in Iowa campaign spending (SF 2236), and ensuring that campaigns are run fairly (SF 2313).
• Improving efficiency in how the state uses technology and space, and modernizing the way state government operates. (SF 2338, Government Efficiencies)
• Calling on Congress to regulate and restrict unlimited corporate campaign contributions that drown out the voices of living, breathing Americans. (SR 113)
• Improving TIF (tax incremental financing) laws to increase accountability and transparency, while continuing this effective local economic development tool. (HF 2460)
• Creating a searchable online database of the state budget so that Iowans can see how their tax dollars are invested. (SF 2316, Infrastructure Budget)

Improving health care for all Iowans.

• Reforming Iowa’s mental health system so that all Iowans get high-quality services regardless of where they live. Regional management will save money, eliminate administrative duplication and offer consistency in both rural and urban counties. (SF 2315)
• Ensuring top-quality products and services for Iowans in need of prosthetics and orthotics, including combat soldiers returning from war, by establishing statewide standards for orthotists, prosthetists and pedorthists. (SF 364)
• Ensuring a patient’s treatment preferences are respected by translating them into a medical order that may be relied upon by healthcare providers. (HF 2165).
• Attracting more doctors to rural Iowa by providing partial loan repayment for medical students who agree to practice in underserved areas of the state. (HF 2458)
• Making improvements to Iowa’s nursing homes to ensure they are safe. (SF 2316, Infrastructure Budget)
• Helping seniors live independently and safely by providing greater access to community-based services and reducing unnecessary dependence on institutional care. (SF2336, HHS Budget)
• Helping Iowans quit smoking, ensuring low-income Iowans have access to key preventive health screenings and supporting health care services and programs that will make Iowa the Healthiest State in the Nation. (SF2336, HHS Budget)
• Funding programs that help ensure all Iowans get the mental health care they need. (SF2336, HHS Budget)

The Senate also approved valuable health care initiatives that were not taken up by the House.

• Requiring that group health insurance plans for small businesses and public employees cover therapy for children with autism. SF 2128 Passed Senate 43-7.
• Establishing a comprehensive statewide strategy to help people with Alzheimer’s and their families by broadening awareness of the disease, collecting data and expanding access to quality services. SF 2270 Passed Senate 44-6.
• Creating a certification system and professional career pathway for Iowa’s 76,000 direct care workers to ensure quality services and health care for Iowans living in nursing homes, long term care centers or group homes. SF 2298 Passed Senate on party-line vote.

Maintaining safe communities.

• Toughening the penalty for domestic abuse by including strangulation or choking, an intentional act that often indicates more deadly domestic assaults in the future. (SF 93)
• Ensuring safety for corrections workers, prisoners and the public by maintaining adequate staffing at prisons and community-based corrections facilities across the state. (HF 2335, Justice System Budget)
• Increasing funding for Iowa’s troopers to keep our roadways safe. (HF 2335, Justice System Budget)
• Increasing fines and penalties for drivers who violate school bus laws. A study will also be conducted on how to best increase school bus safety for children. (SF 2218)
• Making school buses safer by requiring criminal background checks for all school bus drivers. School districts are required to pay for the background check at time of employment. (SF 2221)
• Providing a nonrefundable individual income tax credit of $50 to certified volunteer emergency medical services personnel or volunteer firefighters who meet minimum training standards. (SF 2322)
• Maintaining 911 emergency services by enhancing technology to ensure timely, high-quality responses. (SF 2332).
• Stiffening penalties for drivers who fail to move over and slow down for vehicles with flashing lights responding to roadside emergencies. Fines are increased, and license suspension is mandatory if a violation causes damage to the property of another person, bodily injury to another person or death. (HF 2228)
• Preventing child abuse by enacting recommendations from the Iowa Child Sexual Abuse Taskforce on better training for doctors, teachers, social workers, police officers and others who are mandatory child abuse reporters. (SF 2225)

• Requiring school districts to report misconduct by educators, administrators or other licensed personnel to the Board of Educational Examiners. Misconduct may include romantic or other inappropriate relationships with students, falsifying grades, test scores and other official information, or using public property or funds for personal use. (HF 2383)
• Cracking down on scrap metal theft, a serious threat to public safety that creates fire hazards and other dangers. Scrap metal dealers must now keep a record of their scrap metal purchases, including the name, address and place of business of every person who sells them scrap metal. (HF 2399)
• Banning dangerous “designer drugs,” including K2 and bath salts, which frequently send users to the emergency room with ill effects. (SF 2343)
• Improving communications and efficiency among our public safety agencies (SF 2316, Infrastructure Budget):
  • DOC – Iowa Corrections Offender Network: $500,000
  • DOC – Radio Communications: $3.5 million
  • DHR – CJIS: $1.7 million
  • DPS – Radio Upgrade $2.5 million

The Senate approved several additional measures on bipartisan votes to make Iowa communities safer but the House did not take them up.

• Helping victims of identity theft by providing a “passport” to use as proof to law enforcement and creditors that someone has stolen their identity. Victims can receive reimbursement for expenses, such as traveling to and from the courthouse to attend trial or missing work because of criminal proceedings related to the case. SF 2111 Passed Senate 50-0.
• Helping senior citizens who’ve been cheated by making them eligible for reimbursement for expenses, such as traveling to and from the courthouse to attend trial or missing work because of criminal proceedings related to the case. SF 2111 Passed Senate 50-0.
• Helping close the “justice gap” for Iowans who were abused as kids by extending the statute of limitations for filing criminal charges and civil suits. SF 2295 Passed Senate 49-0.
• Establishing a Public Safety Training Trust Fund to support statewide programs and facilities for police, fire and other public safety personnel (including volunteers) to improve training and reduce the burden on property taxes. This effort is supported by the Iowa Association of Professional Fire Chiefs, Iowa Firefighters Association, Iowa Professional Firefighters, and Iowa Fire Chiefs Association. SF 2335 passed Senate 35-13.

Honoring our veterans and service members.

• Ensuring returning National Guard soldiers get promised college tuition assistance by investing in the Iowa National Guard tuition assistance program. (SF 2321)
• Expanding eligibility for the Iowa National Guard Civil Relief Act by reducing the required days of active duty from 90 to 30.  This means that our active duty soldiers won’t have to worry about lease termination, eviction, or the disconnection of gas, electric and other services. (SF 2097)
• Allowing Iowa military veterans to request that their veteran status be noted on their Iowa driver’s license or non-operator’s identification card. The license or card will have the word “VETERAN” prominently on its face. This will make applying for veterans benefits more straightforward. (SF 2112)

• Clarifying requirements for the State’s Injured Veterans Grant program. A veteran must be seriously injured or very seriously injured, as defined by the U.S. Department of Defense. (SF 2244)
• Establishing our state’s first “Post-Traumatic Stress and Dual Diagnosis Center” at the Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown to provide long-term care to Iowans suffering from combat-related post-traumatic stress and substance abuse. (SF 2245)
• Allowing veterans to purchase an interment space for themselves and their spouse, if space is available, and allowing the surviving spouse to purchase space in the cemetery where the veteran is interred. (HF 2264)
• Allowing the Veterans Trust Fund to provide loans to help build the Iowa Veterans Cemetery. The money will be paid back by federal grants, and the trust fund will not decrease. (HF 2402)
• Helping returning veterans get jobs by allowing the Iowa Department of Transportation to waive the driving skills test for a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) if a service member can prove related active-duty training. The applicant must still pass a knowledge skills test and have a safe driving record.  (HF 2403)
• Making it easier for a veteran to receive a six-month extension of their Iowa driver’s license. The bill declares that a Department of Defense common access card is proof of current service, and a certificate of release from active duty is satisfactory evidence of previous service and honorable discharge. (HF 2404)
• Allowing additional funds to be used immediately to take care of veterans in need of assistance through the Veterans Trust Fund, and providing additional money so that more eligible veterans receive the help they need for such things as dental, vision and hearing care, or emergency home or vehicle repair. (HF 2466)
• Providing $1.6 million for veterans’ home-buying assistance. (SF2336, HHS Budget)

• Infrastructure Budget,  SF 2316:
  • EDA -  Ft. Des Moines (Veterans) Museum Renovations, $100,000
  • DPD – Capital Projects: $5.2 million total,  including  $2 million for facility maintenance at armories, $2.1 million for statewide modernization agenda at Dubuque and Council Bluffs readiness centers, $610,000 for improvements at Camp Dodge, and $500,000 for renovation of the Joint Forces Headquarters building
  • IVH – Boiler Replacement $975,919
  • DCA – Grout Museum District Oral History Exhibit: $150,000 for FY 2013, $129,450 for FY 2014

Enhancing Iowa’s quality of life.

• Protecting Iowans and reputable businesses from “stormchasers,” scammers who follow natural disasters from state to state and take advantage of victims through high-pressure tactics, bogus endorsements and false promises to repair or replace exterior damage on homes. Contractors are banned from offering customers “rebates” on their insurance deductibles, acting as adjustors or intermediaries between the customer and the insurance company, and making face-to-face misrepresentations that can be difficult for the consumers to prove. (SF 466)
• Promoting hunting and fishing by lowering the cost and increasing convenience. Iowans will be able to purchase a three-year hunting license, a three-year fishing license or combination hunting and fishing license. Anglers can also pay $10 for a third fishing line. In addition, the existing wildlife habitat fee is wrapped into the cost of a hunting license that requires the purchase of the wildlife habitat fee. (SF 2317)
• Protecting consumers and businesses by ensuring subcontractors get paid for their work and homeowners are not charged double if a general contractor fails to pay a subcontractor. A State Construction Registry will be created to serve as a state-wide repository for pre-lien notices and mechanics’ liens. (HF 675)
• Supporting local food production and distribution, which benefits Iowa farmers by helping them market their goods to Iowa schools and food retailers. (HF 2336, Ag & Natural Resources Budget)
• Helping disabled farmers continue farming by supporting the Farmers with Disabilities program, which helps with modifications that allow them to continue to operate their farm equipment. (HF 2336, Ag & Natural Resources Budget)
• Improving water quality and protecting our water supply by providing $1 million for watershed improvement projects organized by local organizations through the Watershed Improvement Review Board. (HF 2465, Standings)
• Closing 18 agricultural drainage wells that allow pollution into our groundwater and aquifers. (HF 2336, Ag & Natural Resources Budget)
• Maintaining our state’s nationally recognized court system, which provides efficient, high-quality services to Iowans. (HF 2338, Judicial Branch Budget)
• Increasing recreational opportunities for Iowa snowmobilers by improving and expanding trails. (HF 2467)
• Extending the requirement that banks and other entities foreclosing on homes inform homeowners that they can receive mortgage mediation assistance from the Attorney General’s office. This requirement has helped thousands of Iowans keep their homes. (HF 2335, Justice System Budget)
• Providing safe, stable homes for children and families at risk by supporting adoption, foster care, childcare and other key services. (SF2336, HHS Budget)
• Helping Iowans hit hardest by the recession with support for food banks, health care providers who work with low-income Iowans and programs that help families achieve self-sufficiency. (SF2336, HHS Budget)
  • Infrastructure Budget,  SF 2316:
  • Great Places Infrastructure Grants: $1.0 million for FY13
  • Historical Building Renovation: $1.45 million for FY13, and $1 million for FY14
  • CAT Grants  $5 million in FY13 & FY14
  • Regional Sports Authorities:$500,000
  • Camp Sunnyside Cabin/Kitchen Renovations: $125,000
  • Lake Restoration: $6 million
  • Lake Delhi Dam Reconstruction: $2.5 million in FY13 and FY14
  • State Park Infrastructure: $5 million
  • Water Trails & Low Head Dam Grants: $1 million
  • State Fair – Cultural Center Renovation  $250,000 in FY13 & FY14
  • County Fairs: $1.06 million
  • DOT: $3 million for recreational trails
• The Senate also approved measures to enhance Iowa’s quality of life that were not taken up by House.
  • Creating a state emergency food program by providing tax credits to food producers that donate produce to Iowa food banks or other Iowa emergency food organizations. SF 2327 Passed Senate 48-0.

Stopping Bad Ideas

Some of the best news of the 2012 session was that several bad Republican proposals were stopped because of opposition by Iowans across the state and by Democrats in the Legislature. A short list of those dead bills includes:

• HF 2245 would have ended  40 years of letting schools know how much they will received in state funds two years in advance.
• SF 2187 would have eliminated collective bargaining rights of public employees in Iowa.
• SF 2241 would have abolished the Iowa Department of Education and the State Board of Education.
• S-5203 by Senator Chelgren would have required drug testing in order to be eligible for the Family Investment program (Amendments to the HHS bill)
• S-5204 by Senator Chelgren would have allowed a non-custodial parent to demand the custodial parent be drug tested in child support payment arrangement situations (Amendments to the HHS bill)

2012 End of Session Wrap Up

I will join Majority Leader Sen. Mike Gronstal on Iowa Press this week. You can tune in to IPTV at 7:30pm Friday or 12:00pm Sunday. You can also watch it online here http://www.iptv.org/iowapress/default.cfm

On the final day of session, each of the three leaders gives a speech to the House. Below is the text of my closing remarks.

I will begin by saying thank you to the members of the Eighty-Fourth General Assembly. Thank you for your commitment and service to the people of Iowa. Special thanks to the Eighteen of you choosing to retire. You will be missed not only by your friends and colleagues here at the Capitol, but moreover by the Iowans in the districts you’ve served over the years.

I want to specifically recognize the two members retiring from the House Republican Leadership team; Speaker Pro-Tem Jeff Kaufmann and Assistant Leader Steve Lukan. I personally want to thank each of you for your friendship and your service to our caucus. Your leadership will be missed. To the other members of the leadership team: Erik, Renee, Dave and Matt – I truly appreciate your input and advice. And last but not least, the Majority Leader – Linda Upmeyer. House Republicans appreciate everything you do. Your dedication and insight are invaluable and have not only made our caucus more determined, but made the Iowa House stronger.

I’d also like to recognize Leader McCarthy. I know I have said this before, but you truly have a difficult job as Minority Leader. During the past two years you have done a commendable job working in a bipartisan manner when you could and trying to keep your opposition civil when you could not, something Iowans deserve and expect.

Once again, thank you to the leadership staff: Josie, Angie, Terri, Tony and Matt. And, in my opinion, the best caucus staff in the building – the House Republican Caucus staff: Jeff, Lew, Lon, Brad, Jason, Kristi, Jill, Amanda, Louis and Dustin. Thank you for your hard work and the timely and reliable information you provide year in and year out.

Chief Clerk Smithson, thank you to you and your staff. The work you all do right here in front me and behind the scenes helps make this chamber operate efficiently.

A special thanks to LSA for all of your hard work. Especially the time and effort put in by all these past few weeks.

I also want to recognize and thank the gentleman to my right, the Speaker’s page Tom Biedenfeld. Tom you have taken good care of me throughout the year. I appreciate your dedication and have enjoyed our baseball conversations between votes and while the House is at ease.

And finally, a special thank you to Governor Terry Branstad and Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds and their team for their resolve and unwavering leadership during these last two years.

The first day that the Eighty-Fourth General Assembly convened, I outlined to Iowans a set of goals this body would seek to achieve and principals we would follow during the course of conducting legislative business. Since that day, this body has remained focused on the issues important to Iowans and the business the people sent us here to do.
We have worked hard at putting Iowans back to work and reducing the size, scope and cost of state government.

The first action we took to put Iowans back to work was to provide Iowa’s business climate with some much needed certainty and stability. For too long, Iowa employers were reluctant to invest in their operations, preventing them from hiring and expanding. They were reluctant because they constantly threatened with job-killing legislation like the repeal of our Right to Work law and Open Scope Bargaining. House Republicans put those ideas in the rear-view mirror and moved forward.

Employers were reluctant to invest in Iowa’s workforce and economy because Iowa’s budget was unstable. State government was spending more than it took in and the threat of massive tax increases to correct the problem was real and imminent.

I can report to you today we have removed those fears and Iowa’s economy is rebounding and is headed in the right direction.

When Republicans took the majority in the House, more than 110,000 Iowans were unemployed. According to Iowa Workforce Development’s latest report, 87,000 Iowans are looking for work. That number, while still too high and worrisome, is a tangible sign of progress. It is also a reminder that we can and need to continue to do better.
In the last few days, we have had the opportunity to review the changes in the state budget over the last two sessions. Frankly, it really is quite remarkable. Normally a change in law is needed to alter the budget process. But this chamber has fundamentally changed the way state government budgets because we believed it was the right thing to do. In the past, legislators, including Republicans, underfunded previous commitments, spent more than the state was taking in and used one-time money for ongoing expenses. I’m proud to say those practices have ended.

When House Republicans took charge of the state budget in January 2011, Governor Culver had signed the four largest budgets in the state history, forced a $500 million property tax increase, borrowed over $800 million, and left a $900 million spending gap for Governor Branstad and the new legislature.

House Republicans have led the way towards a healthy and accountable state budget that has measurable results for the hardworking taxpayers of Iowa. We have turned a $900 million spending shortfall into $624 million in reserves, $300 million in ending balance and $90 million in the House Republican created Taxpayer Trust Fund. That $390 million should be returned to the taxpayers through broad-based tax relief and will be this body’s first order of business next year.

In Fiscal Year 2011 the state was spending 118% of total available general fund revenue. In Fiscal Year 2012, we reduced that to 93% of total available general fund revenue and in Fiscal Year 2013 it will be 95%.

In terms of on-going revenue, which as you might have heard is a far more important measurement for House Republicans, the state will be spending just 99% in Fiscal Year 2012 and 2013. In the future, we must remain committed to spending less than the state collects from the taxpayers.

Despite skepticism, we have, at a minimum, reduced the cost of state government by $360 million a combination of efficiencies and reprioritization.

Additionally, this General Assembly backfilled the intentional act of underfunding Iowa’s K through 12 education system to ensure property taxpayers were not saddled with that burden; and we honored our commitments to parents and students by funding previous commitments.
House Republicans see it as our duty to cut out waste in government spending so our state can be more efficient and effective. A better run state government means Iowans get to keep more of their own money. Over the last two years House Republicans have persistently tackled tax relief. We sent a 20% income tax reduction to the Senate. We sent four separate and different property tax relief bills across the Rotunda; and like most bills in this chamber all four proposals received bi-partisan support. Regrettably, we could not find common ground with the Senate on these ideas.

All Iowans deserve to see tax relief. It helps Iowa’s economy and puts people back to work. House Republicans will not be deterred or be distracted from this goal. We will be back next year continuing our fight for the hardworking taxpayers of Iowa.

When each of you walk out of here and return home you can say with pride that the House restored commonsense budgeting principles to state government while funding Iowans’ priorities including: education, public safety, healthcare and infrastructure.

In closing, I wish to thank my wife Cathy and each of our four children for their never ending support. Thank you to each of you for giving me the opportunity to serve as your Speaker for the last two years. It is an honor and privilege that I do not take lightly.

During session, each day I wake up thinking about how to move Iowa forward with the hard working taxpayers in mind. We have made progress for the taxpayers but our work is not done. We must continue to build upon the success of the last two years. Iowans deserve it. Thank you and God bless the great State of Iowa.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, ladies and gentlemen of the House.

It is hard to fully describe the honor of serving in this building but it is not difficult to know who to thank. I think I speak for us all when I say thank you to our constituents. They put their trust in us and keep us focused on what is important. It is the people of Iowa that will always make this job worthwhile.

I want to thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle. You all give so much of yourselves to do this job. It is not easy taking time away from family, work and life. But you have all done that so the people in your district could be well represented.

Minority Leader McCarthy, your caucus and your staff deserve to be commended for their tireless work and their contribution. I am proud of the bipartisan spirit that can be found in much of the legislation we have done this year.

Thank you to all the people who keep this building running – day and night. You often work without recognition, but we appreciate all you do. Thank you to Tom, Katelyn and all the pages. I am so impressed with all of you and know you have a bright future.

A special thank you to our staff: Jeff, Lon, Jason, Amanda, Kristi, Lew, Louis, Brad, Dustin, Jill, Matt, Josie, Terri, Tony and Angie. You are simply the best at what you do.

When I was thinking about what I have learned over the last two sessions and what we have accomplished, I kept coming back to one thought: big things do not often happen all at once. A building is not merely placed on the corner of a street, rather it is built brick by brick. It is the culmination of many smaller contributions through which big things are done.

It is that idea which describes the work we have accomplished over these last two years. There is no magic bill to cure all woes, and NO… waiting for one to come is not what made the last two sessions run long. To effect change, you need to make a consistent effort to focus on your priorities and principles.

Over the last two sessions we have made a consistent effort to focus on delivering a more effective and efficient state government for the hardworking taxpayers of Iowa. First and foremost that was accomplished by delivering on our promise that we would live within our means, just like Iowans have to. We committed to not spend more than we took in, and we have stood strong.

We have made the budget process more transparent and accountable. We have dramatically reduced the number of “notwithstandings” in the budget. In fact, RIIF went from 98% “notwithstandings” to only 25%. That is significant progress, but clearly there is work yet to be done. Over the years, many things were moved off budget which made it hard to determine exactly how much the State was spending each year. We tackled that, not all at once, but each day as we worked through the budgets.

We have created stability in the budget by refusing to spend one-time money for ongoing expenses. Again, this took vigilance on a daily basis by Representative Raecker and his team. Old habits die hard, but they fought for it and the financial health of our government is better as a result. Nothing is harder on our communities or erodes the public confidence more than rollercoaster budgeting. Using stable funding sources ensures we keep the promises we make and creates certainty for Iowans.

It goes without saying that balancing a budget is hard work. Even harder is finding agreement on a budget when you have many cooks in the kitchen. An expedient choice to help resolve the budget in the past was to knowingly underfund the commitments we had made to Iowans in order to balance the budget or spend more in other areas.

That is precisely the situation we found ourselves in last year with K-12 funding. Schools were underfunded by $156 million, which placed an unfair burden on our school districts and the property taxpayers. To remedy this, we committed a historic amount of new funding to education last year. Intentionally underfunding known obligations to balance the budget is irresponsible and I am proud we kept our promise to avoid it.

Sometimes making a positive change and doing the right thing can also be the easy thing to do! We made a commitment to conducting our work in the light of day, which meant we would not debate in the middle of the night. Representative Cownie, what could be easier than NOT debating after midnight? Even if it was not convenient at times, it was the right thing to do.

We wanted Iowans to have the opportunity to be participants in this process. Part of that was making sure we were not working in the dead of night. Another part of that was providing for streaming video of floor activity. What a wonderful way to truly open the doors to the people’s House.

What I covered today is only a small sampling of the many positive contributions that have come over these last two years. When you add them up, you are looking at a substantive change in the culture of state government. We should be proud that we have held ourselves accountable to the commitments we made to Iowans. That is what they expect from us and it is what they deserve.

The progress is significant, but we should not lose sight that there is more to be done. We have to turn the cultural change over the last two years into a pattern of practice. We have to continue making the hardworking taxpayers of Iowa a priority. We have to keep working towards delivering a world class education to our children. We have to continue striving to deliver the most efficient and effective government in the nation. We absolutely must continue to ensure state government is aiding job creation, not impeding it.

That has been our focus. That will continue to be our mission.
I want to thank Governor Branstad and Lieutenant Governor Reynolds for their effort to be partners in our shared goals. Your leadership and the message you have carried across this state have been instrumental.

Thank you to the members of my caucus. I am humbled everyday by your hard work and the opportunity you have provided me. Thank you to the retirees for your service. You will be missed. I am proud that you will return home knowing you left our state in a better position and that you were able to make a difference.

Mr. Speaker, as always thank you for your leadership and your friendship. The 84th General Assembly has come to a close and we should be proud of the work that was done in this chamber.

In January, the lieutenant governor and I brought forward a bold agenda focused on the dual goals of job creation and transformational education reform. I want to thank the General Assembly for considering our priorities and for adopting a significant number of them to help move our state forward. [See list below.]

Legislation passed by this General Assembly will provide our Iowa Economic Development Authority with additional tools to help meet our administration’s ambitious goal to create 200,000 new jobs. We have made significant progress on that goal during this first year and a half and the High Quality Jobs Incentive Fund and Employee Stock Option Plan legislation will help accelerate those efforts.

I am also pleased that this General Assembly took a first important step toward our goal of transformational education reform. While these initial steps may be considered by some as small, our new early childhood literacy initiative, in particular, will have lasting effects on the lives of thousands of Iowa children and significantly improve their chances of future academic and career success. We also enhance teacher accountability by requiring annual reviews.

However, the 2012 session may be remembered as much for what failed to be accomplished as for what actually was accomplished. Despite the best efforts of my office and a bipartisan majority in the Iowa House, the inability of Senate Democrats to adopt serious property tax reform has put Iowa taxpayers in jeopardy of seeing significant property tax increases in the coming year.

The Senate failed to support legislation based on the framework I believe was agreed to as a roadmap to finding a compromise between my office, the House, and the Senate. They failed to pass a meaningful step forward in our goal to make Iowa’s tax system more competitive or assist with our critically needed job creation goals.

As a result, Iowa taxpayers face yet another year with property taxes that are scheduled to grow nearly $2 billion over the next eight years. This is absolutely unacceptable and Iowa voters will have an opportunity to resolve this impasse in November.

Lt. Governor Reynolds and I are proud to work with all members of the Iowa General Assembly and proud to serve our citizens each and every day. We will continue over the next seven and a half months of 2012 to travel the state, promote our ambitious agenda, and work aggressively toward the achievement of our four goals:

1. 200,000 new jobs for Iowans;
2. 25% increase in personal incomes;
3. Reduce the cost of government by 15%; and
4. Provide our children with the nation’s finest education.