Dear District 80 friends, Session is over. Appropriations Bills for Economic Development, Health and Human Services, Administration and Regulation, and more have been voted on. There were activity bursts between long lulls of waiting on the Senate. Voting extended to11PM or midnight repeatedly. We were always told we didn’t spend enough, even though we spent […]
April 21st, 2016 The 2016 Legislative Session is coming to an end and we are focused on the budget for these final days. This session has been both busy and productive and we have worked hard to do what’s best for Iowans. Because these are the final days, this will be the last newsletter that […]
Activity in the Senate is winding down and it appears that we are on track to wrap up the session in the next week. Work now is primarily being done in committee meetings as budgets are finalized. As always, my sights are set on budgeting for the state just as we budget as families in […]
Budget Process Kicks Into Gear With agreements on the framework of the Fiscal Year 2017 state budget, individual budget subcommittees have spent the past week putting together the details for spending plans for the various departments and agencies of Iowa’s government. Last week’s announcement of budget targets showed how the funds would be spread through […]
Iowa High Quality Health Care Initiative Oversight Consumer Protection, Outcome Achievement, Program Integrity Medicaid Modernization has full-time, comprehensive oversight in place, and this bill adds additional consumer protections and accountability measures to ensure patients are receiving the high quality health care that the state provides. The House GOP Plan: Requires an unprecedented amount of data […]
Dear friends in District 80, Even though I’ve finished this report on April Fools Day, I really am telling the truth! The House and the Senate really did reached an agreement on Supplemental State Aid at 2.25%. This percentage translates to $153 Million out of $176 Million new money available to spend under the expenditure […]
Although she works for the Chamber, she still has a passion for politics. With an open seat, she has decided to take the next step in her career by running for Mahaska County Supervisor. Holding Public Office is something she has always wanted to do. It would be an honor to do so in a […]
This week in the Iowa Senate we primarily focused on committee work and approving gubernatorial appointments; also the Governor signed a number of bills that have come out of the legislature. Our 100th day of session is April 19, and with the decision on education funding behind us we hope to get through budget bills […]
How Iowa’s Ending Balance Has Been Used With the discussion on the state budget and school aid funding, many Iowans have been asking how the state’s ending balance has been used over the past few years. Often portrayed as a “surplus” by the Democrats and the media, in reality the ending balance is the revenue […]
Oskaloosa, Iowa – Candidate filings closed on Wednesday afternoon at 5pm for the June 7th primary election. In Mahaska County, four candidates turned in paperwork for the office of county sheriff. Those candidates are: Doug McMillan Randy Poe Russell J. Van Renterghem Trevor J. Wells In addition, four candidates turned in signatures and paperwork for […]
