Sheets Snapshot 4-27-2015
Rep. Larry Sheets (R) (photo by Don Hubbard)
Time is short and many budget items must be settled soon. Education, Medicaid, economic development and public safety all have to receive funding. House Republicans are sticking to their principles and taking heat for it:
* “we will spend less than the state collects; and,
* we will not use one-time money to fund ongoing expenditures.”
This year’s revenue increase estimate, is $180 million, but the combined increases for education, property tax relief, and Medicaid is $438m-leaving a $256 million hole. It is ironic that we are told that we don’t care about our kids’ education, yet we gave as much and as soon as we could in February with the realized expectation that our economy could decline even more. All public officials need watching and criticism, and we expect the people that we work for to take us to task if they don’t agree with us. Recently however, we’ve witnessed some things that seemed a little over the line. Iowa children from big city schools have been paraded throughout the Capitol, outfitted in “I’m Worth Less” t-shirts, carrying controversial signs and being used as props and puppets. We’ve seen “WANTED” posters directed toward Republican House members posted in conspicuous places. It’s been disturbing to see this politicizing of the education system. We’ve received emails from teachers, administrators and other school stakeholders, all written from school-sponsored email systems, during school hours and likely from taxpayer-funded computers. I was proud this didn’t come from the schools in our district. We’re saddened that much of this stems from the education unions and/or those to whom the children were entrusted for their education and learning. In spite of this criticism directed at the House, its members continue to look for ways to help the school systems of our state.
For example, the Educational revenues from Physical Plant and Equipment Levies (PPELs) is a capital equipment fund that has very restrictive rules for its use. We passed a Bill out of the House that Representative Dolecheck of Ringgold ran which helps all schools but especially helps the smaller rural schools that have high transportation costs. That Bill allows them to use PPEL revenues for the repair and maintenance of busses and tractors and such equipment when those expenses exceed $2,500 and were originally purchased using PPEL funds. Since this repair no longer uses general fund money, it frees those monies to be used for teaching expenses.
There are many Bills we deal with that go unmentioned, but I am happy to report the House concerned itself with the rights of individuals. Representative Kaufmann of Cedar offered and ran an amendment to Senate File 449 to make it very difficult to use Eminent Domain to condemn private property for amusement or entertainment purposes. Democracy isn’t perfect, but it’s still the best system for the People. I look forward to a summer with my family and time again with you all in Southern Iowa.
