This week the Senate sent House Bill 45 (known as the Deappropriations Bill) back to the House after they had made major changes in it.|This week the Senate sent House Bill 45 (known as the Deappropriations Bill) back to the House after they had made major changes in it. Among the items eliminated by the Senate amendment:
Repeal of the voluntary preschool program
Reduction in funding for core curriculum and development of new standards
Reduction in funding to REAP and prohibition of land purchases by the DNR
Repeal of the Save Our Small Business Fund
Reduction in funding for smoking prevention
Repeal of the Grow Iowa Value Fund
Of course, this will not be the end result. The bill will now go to a Conference Committee composed of members of both the House and the Senate where they will attempt to reach a compromise that both chambers will accept. Even after that, it could still be vetoed by the governor. We are a long way from seeing the final results of this set of proposals.
I was pleased to see more than 1000 people gathered on the steps of the Statehouse this week in support of the rights of hard-working Iowa families ñ our neighbors and friends. I call your attention to the graph shown below that shows a comparison of wages of public employees and the private sector. I will continue to work for the prosperity of all Iowa families.
All bills have to be reported out of committee by March 4 or they are DOA. So next week there will be a flurry of activity in committees and caucuses as we approach the deadline on Friday.
