From Rep. Sharon Steckman –
During this first week after funnel week, committees have seldom met and most of the action has taken place in floor debate. Many of the bills brought to the floor and passed have been non-controversial tweaks to Iowa Code.
We have begun intensive work on the Education Appropriations bill after spending several weeks listening to organizations and groups within the Education community present their budget proposals.
The Senate has come up with its own version of the Governor’s Education Reform proposal. Much work will be involved in reconciling the House and Senate versions; providing budget support for the programs involved and making sure that we are not just “re-arranging the deck chairs”.
Among the other important issues that we must take into consideration yet this year are:
The grave concerns regarding the Governor’s continuing refusal to accept the Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act and refusal to fund schools until the Reform bill is passed.
The possible loss of federal revenues for various programs due to the on-going budget and sequester battles on the Federal level.
Meanwhile, the job forecast in Iowa is one of the brightest in the nation and renewable energy continues to boost Iowa’s economy. We learned that nearly one-quarter of Iowa businesses plan to hire new employees in the near future. Please read more about this latest survey information by following the link at the bottom of this page.
Also, I am gratified that new research released this week continues to show the great importance of early childhood education not only for the child, but also for the community and the state. An important bill focused on improving pre-school attendance passed the House this week. More information is available on the link.
Does Steckman take monies from the State? If she does, she should donate it all to the Medicaid program,as she & hubby live rather well off and could easily give 75% of their combined retirement earnings to the State Medicaid program. “Spendy” Steckman is her real name 🙂
Medicare (entire program). In 1967, the House Ways and Means Committee predicted that the new Medicare program, launched the previous year, would cost about $12 billion in 1990. Actual Medicare spending in 1990 was $110 billion—off by nearly a factor of 10.
Medicare is going to crash so why get on that bus?
@JB-because something does need to be done about the uninsured and underinsured. If it isn’t Medicaid (which is the best answer right now) then what is it. Iowa Works will not do it. Low income people do not have the resources to travel 100 miles or more for medical care. They will just continue to use the emergency rooms and not pay for it. That cost us all in increased medical cost.
That’s bad logic. You’re electing to get hit by the bus early and for much longer.
@seriously-Really, have you ever been sick and had no insurance? Have you ever gone without a doctor’s treatment because you had no health insurance? If you can’t answer yes to those questions you can’t possibly have an opinion on this. I can answer yes to everyone and have been there and lived it. People who have no resources or money will NOT use Iowa Works so nothing changes except the problem gets worse. If they go to Medicaid and it doesn’t work they will have to fix it.
On the Medicaid subject she might be right for a change. Iowa Works is a terrible health insurance and will not do what needs to be done in getting people out of emergency rooms. Branstead is wrong on this issue. Almost all other states are signing up for Medicaid. It makes us look backwards to the rest of the country and does not help the people that need it. Obamacare is now the law. Learn to live with it and modify it if you don’t like parts of it but, quit wasting resources fighting it. The rest of the article is the Old Steckman, spend, spend, spend.
Spend, spend, spend, spend, spend. All Steckman knows how to do.
Talk about “grave concerns.”