The path to adjournment without a government shutdown is clear. Now that the Republican-led Iowa House has returned from its weeklong recess, the Legislature should hold conference committees on the remaining budgets, find compromises, pass the budgets and adjourn. |The path to adjournment without a government shutdown is clear. Now that the Republican-led Iowa House has returned from its weeklong recess, the Legislature should hold conference committees on the remaining budgets, find compromises, pass the budgets and adjourn.
Here’s how the Senate got the ball rolling last week:
Monday: The 26 Democratic members of the Iowa Senate accept the top two demands of House Republicans and Governor Branstad. The Senate Appropriations Committee meets and passes seven two-year state budgets out of committee. Taken together, the compromise budgets spend less than 5.999 billion dollars.
Tuesday: The Iowa Senate passes the Ag and Natural Resources (26-21), Justice (27-19), Economic Growth (26-20), Transportation (26-20), and Judicial Branch (26-19) budgets.
Wednesday: The Iowa Senate passes the Education (26-22), Admin and Regulation (26-23), Infrastructure (26-21) and Health and Human Services (26-23) budgets.
Thursday: House and Senate conference committees meet on the Ag and Natural Resources, Economic Growth, and Justice budgets.
Friday: Bipartisan Senate majorities approve the three budget conference committee reports and pass the budget bills in quick succession:
11:13 AM Economic Growth (36ñ11)
11:20 AM Justice (38-9)
11:26 AM Ag and Natural Resources (34-13)