From Rep. Sharon Steckman –
This week I would like to comment on a situation that has been brewing over the last few months since Governor Branstad announced he would close two mental health institutes in Clarinda and Mt. Pleasant. They both provide critical, high-level services to Iowans who require a higher level of care than hospitals, local nursing homes or other institutions can provide.
Lawmakers of both parties have been critical of the Governor’s plan to close these facilities when there is no transition plan in place to ensure Iowans get the care they need. The Senate has already approved a bill to delay closure of the facilities until a transition plan has been established and the House is likely to take the bill up soon.
Unfortunately, the Governor has now stated that he plans to ignore the Legislature’s wishes again if such a bill passes – just like he did a few years ago when he closed the Toledo Juvenile Home for girls without warning.
It seems to me that this reckless plan ultimately punishes those Iowans who need help the most.
On the education front: Republicans are still insisting on no more than 1.25% in school aid next year. While they claim the state can’t afford more than that, it just isn’t true.
The numbers below are generated by the non-partisan Legislative Service Agency (LSA) that provides information to the legislature and the governor for budgeting purposes. They are not from the Democrats, they are not from the Republicans, they are not from the Governor….they are an independent agency that serves all of us.
Fact 1: We have $7.175 billion in revenue and $319.1 million left over from last year, giving us a balance of $7.494 billion. By law, we can only spend 99%, which is $7.422 billion. That is the money available to appropriate for FY 16.
Fact 2: it is also required by law that we set aside a rainy day fund of cash reserves and economic emergency funds. That amount is now $717.6 million, 10% of our revenues.
Fact 3: The revenue estimated growth is 6% or an increase of $408.1 million
Fact 4: 4% supplemental state aid (SSA) for education increase is $212 million.
Fact 5: House Republican spending plan utilizes 96% of the 99% spending authority allowed by law and has been followed for 18 of the last 23 years (enacted in 1992). Their plan is considerably lower than the Governor’s budget.
Based on these facts, I support a 4% increase in school aid (SSA) because it is not only responsible, it is doable.
Other happenings this week:
- Iowans held a rally and encouraged lawmakers to pass a bill that would fix and expand the state’s medical cannabis law to help more Iowans suffering from debilitating diseases like cancer, Parkinson’s and epilepsy.
- If approved by the Governor, Iowans will be able to purchase local, high-end beers at convenience stores with bottles called “growlers”.
- A bill to re-vitalize areas around private lakes in rural Iowa is on its way to the Iowa Senate for consideration.
- Schools would be allowed to stock EpiPens for emergency cases when an allergic reaction prevents someone from breathing.
- The Governor said he will sign a bill this week setting the school date as August 23rd or later. The contentious issue arose this year when the Governor unexpectedly told schools they could no longer start before Sept. 1.
I said this last week and I am saying it again: I highly recommend that you contact both Governor Branstad and Lt. Governor Reynolds if you have concerns about closing the Mental Health Institutes in Clarinda and Mt. Pleasant, privatization of Medicaid, and school funding. These are decisions that the governor has made without legislative input and/or is threatening a veto if the Legislature disagrees.
All public officials always use the word “revenue, or income from taxes.” It is not revenue or income, it is confiscation from the tax payer.
They never look for cost savings, these mental health centers are not accredited, are old, and have no credited health care official on staff. What else do you need to know about this topic. There is a reason Branstad pulled the trigger on these places.
Ms. Steckman,
FYI: Unspent tax dollars is not “surplus” money.
It means you have OVERTAXED me.
Education is not in need of more money!
Your supposed to represent all the people. How about spending your time looking into ways to “lower” our tax burden to better Iowa’s living environment?
On the mental health issue? You sound like you are borrowing trouble from tomorrow. Wait and see what happens before finding fault with the Republicans.
@watchdog-she is one of the spend sisters. All her and Ragen know is to spend, spend, spend. It doesn’t matter to them if they have overtaxed us, they will give the money away. The last numbers I saw on the mental health facility showed a total of (8) eight patients. No one can justify keeping facility’s of that size open for eight people. They do not care and will just throw our money away. As far as the schools are concerned, when they show a improvement they can ask for more.
I believe these institutions were mostly kept open for the jobs (read AFSCME), most of the complaining is being done by them. When they advocate for the patients it is not for altruistic reasons. I don’t mind paying for care for the disabled, but I think there are more efficient ways then relying on the current system.
This is just a case of the Democrats lying to get their way again.
Once again Philly captures the story. Then predictably he plays the lead role in his never ending drama. Enough already!
Apparently your facts are deluded or you just make them up or use old facts. Fact: people move to CERRO GORDO COUNTY IOWA from out of state as the GA fund MHDD FUND, Salvation Army funds, NICA fund and I could name more spend millions on what is categorized as basic needs. Housing, food, even gas cards, bus tickets etc. They get more help here for than anywhere else. How about we place some of those dollars to children so maybe as adults they are not needing tax dollars they become tax payers
Yeah, I know about the migration of transients based on states that are more welfare friendly. The problem with tightening up your state only passes them off to the next state. I agree people should be doing a work activity of some kind. In the state of California I remember needing to report to work at the Courthouse cleaning it to earn the food stamp money they gave me. Those are reasonable requests. But housing must be lowered in cost and made available for cheap.
After my son was murdered I went into a period of despondency and soul searching. It landed me in the state of California, with little to no possessions. They gave me bus tokens, motel vouchers and food card, and I worked at the court house cleaning it as required. I didn’t mind the work and even looked forward to it. This was also the time when I tried to join the military and was denied. It was then that I became disenchanted with the USA and its policies.
You were denied going into the military because you were a drug user. Thank goodness you were denied. Now there are proposals to drug test people on the welfare system. I hope it becomes a requirement.
Hence me pointing out the hypocrisy of the military policy. So losing a lifelong patriot is alright with you just as long you punish the guy who tried to see what Mary Jane or LSD were all about. Sounds like a sensible policy. Make enemies out of ur own people, or at the very least lose potential fighters and defenders. Sounds like a winning plan.
I think he was going for a “keep untrainable unpredictable people off the battlefield”. You missed the point.
That’s what we need, people high on LSD in the military.
LSD Confused Cat from Army Experiment
Okay Mrs. (Ms.) Steckman…are you ready to peel back the onion and look at the real issue behind a lot of “mental illness” which is gobbling up state resources? HOMELESSNESS. Yep, a large majority of people who end up in those facilities basically have no place to go, and for whatever reason, cannot keep up with the demands of this capitalist commodified system. The solution is to construct “poor farms” (humanely run) or provide rent vouchers. People need homes FIRST AND FOREMOST
Then whats ur problem? You aint homeless but ur still nuttier than a fruitcake. Why don’t you built people some homes from all ur tires like you always talked about? Huh why don’t ya!
Pretty sure Philly is homeless as he got thrown out by his landlord, because he couldn’t get along with him. Go figure.
The institutions are basically babysitting stations for undesirables. There are some really disturbed people in them including violent ones. The costs neednt be so high if they were to develop non drug yoga work farms for people to be outdoors growing food and getting fresh air. Id close the current ones too. Im sure branstad is doing it for other reasons though.
I forgot to print my name. The above comment is mine.
Branstad is probably transitioning the mentally ill to prisons under a prison privatization agreement he’s probably working on behind the scenes. In some respects i agree violently mentally ill belong in prison, but it wont stop with them. The peaceful troublemakers/non conformists/political resisters/spiritual seekers will find themselves interred behind locked doors. Like we could ever trust a Red with human rights policies?
The prisons are already overcrowded. That’s why so many repeat offenders are let go. DUH.
Why should anyone get a free home? Enough money is spent on assistance for people who refuse to get a job. People who have made a career of living off the system. Getting food stamps, Medicaid, renters aide, etc.
The people that live in these facilities cannot make it out on their own. For whatever reason they are there, whether it’s for drug addiction that has robbed them of living a normal life or for violent crimes, whatever their individual case may be. They need these facilities to stay open. Without them, where will these patients go? Giving them a free house is not going to fix their mental illness.
Sending them out into the steeets to try to fend for themselves with no skills, no place to live, no supervision, is simply inhumane.
Like i said: Branstad is transitioning them to prison. Holistic and humane options exist but it requires a new mindset away from abuse, authoritarianism, and drug company exploitation. And it sure as heck needs emancipation from patriarchy and Biblical mindsets.
What are you not understanding? The prisons are full and already overcrowded. That’s why so many repeat offenders in court are let go.
Not when private prisons begin to take hold. Once they shut down the mental hospitals, people will flood back into the communities…disturbances will occur, and instead of taking them to the hospital, they’ll be taken off to jail, once the disturbed mentally ill inevitably commit a crime of some sort. The man I sold the land to was one of the disturbed and potentially violent mentally ill. He threatened a family and me with his weapon but deputies said hospitals were full.
Well, you are pretty good at provoking people. How do we know that you weren’t asking for it?
Have you ever thought that possibly the deputies were telling you the hospitals were full because they felt you were the one who needed to be there?
You could always ask the surrounding neighbors, sheriffs deputies and members of the nearby church where he was causing disruptions if I have it wrong about the guy. Last I heard from my neighbor across the field was that he yelled and screamed at the peaceful farmer who stopped one day to say hello, shouting him back to his truck. No, in this case, the pack DOESN’T have it wrong. NIT however is a bit of a different story. 🙂
And I wasn’t calling for the guy to be put away in a mental hospital. I was asking for his guns to be taken away, and him arrested and charged for his crimes. I would have been ok with him getting hauled off to Cherokee, because he’s violent and dangerous, but his beliefs, as disturbed as they are, are his own. He wanted armed standoff to occur with SWAT team, and amazingly Franklin County played it the pacifist route.
Although it was sad losing my beautiful piece of land, and my accompanying innovative building project, I knew it was the right thing to do to avert a potential disaster. This guy was loaded and was shooting his gun in a reckless and provocative manner. The situation was escalating in tension. Despite conversations and attempts at treaties, the barking dog continued, and so did the man’s rage. He viewed me as a traitor to his desire for armed rebellion against the world.
So you will fight tooth and nail for things you believe in? Unless it is too hard or dangerous? Another blowhard coward shows his colors.
Yeah it would seem that way, until you’ve actually been in the presence of an armed psychopath with shotguns and rifles. I held out as long as I could but the corrupted franklin county attorney refused to let deputies do anything. I wasn’t going to politically place my fate in that lazy coward’s hands. If I would have shot and killed that deranged lunatic, they would have made mincemeat out of me in the judicial system. I’m much smarter than you comprehend.