Rod Boshart, CR Gazette –
DES MOINES — House Speaker Kraig Paulsen says each legislative session has its own unique character, and this year’s General Assembly has been like driving on ice — lots of activity but very little movement.
Leaders from both political parties say they have high hopes to resolve their differences on priority issues, but it’s unclear whether the session’s 12th week will produce the traction they need to find common ground on property tax, education and mental health reforms, or close the fiscal 2013 budget gap that hovers at $200 million to $300 million.
And when you’re driving on ice, said Gov. Terry Branstad’s budget manager, David Roederer, “It’s hard to predict when you’re going to hit a dry spot.”
“We’re in discussions with both the House and the Senate,” he added. “I think the fact that both sides appear to be moving their budgets into conference committees is a sign that they want to move those as quickly as we can. But we have differences. Any time you have 150 people plus one governor trying to have them come to an agreement, it takes awhile.
“We believe that the governor put together a very solid budget and we’re hoping that both sides come close to his budget number,” added Roederer, director of the state Department of Management.
Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal, D-Council Bluffs, said the Senate — where Democrats have a 26-24 edge — is closer to the governor in several budget areas, and he hopes to prevail on Branstad to help persuade majority Republicans in the House to provide more state money in priority spending areas.
“It’s that point of the session where people of good faith should sit down and find common ground,” Gronstal said. “We’re ready, willing and able to come to the table to have those discussions. We’ll see where that goes.”
Gronstal said there have been “good, productive discussions” on resolving differences on the property tax relief/reform issue, with all parties agreeing to a $250 million state investment as a starting point — a contention that Paulsen said “is news to me.” The House speaker, a Hiawatha Republican, said his chamber has offered several versions of property tax relief to the Senate without any response back.
“I would be extremely disappointed if we end up not getting something done on property taxes,” he said.
The full House this week is tentatively slated to debate the fiscal 2013 education budget bill — a measure that Republicans amended in committee last week to cut regent institutions by $31.1 million from their current spending level, bringing them about $65.1 million below the Senate level. The House version also adds a first-ever requirement that the regents not increase tuition.
Although many of the key unresolved issues are closely related, Gronstal said his preference is to resolve them individually rather than negotiating a global compromise.
“I am going to take them one at a time, look for the common ground and try to govern well,” he said.
