School Funding And Planned Parenthood Land Center Stage

The Iowa Capitol

Oskaloosa, Iowa – School funding. Those simple two words nearly always make up the majority of the discussion when the Iowa Legislature is in session.

2016 is shaping up to be no different than years past, especially after a year where bitter exchanges were shared between political lines, and those in education with the legislature.

Iowa Representative Guy Vander Linden (R) believes that this week, the Iowa House should pass the state supplemental education bill and the coupling on income tax bill.

Vander Linden says that budget, and the amount the legislature is willing to spend, makes up the bulk of debate. With eyes on the stock markets and the global economy, a potential slowdown is part of the buzz on the floor of the Iowa House. “The short term is, we have 135 million dollars of new revenue and 200 million worth of potential expenses,” said Vander Linden. “So, it’s a problem again. And that’s based upon the December REC (Iowa Revenue Estimating Conference) estimates, and I emphasis estimates, because it’s nothing but a guess. We’re going to have to wait and see what the March REC number is. If it’s lower, we’ll have an even bigger problem.”

“The REC was established in Iowa Code 8.22A during the 1987 state reorganization, as a way to arrive at consensus General Fund revenue estimates to be used by both the Governor and Legislature for the budget process. Membership is comprised of the Governor or the Governor’s designee, the Director of the Legislative Services Agency, and a third person agreed upon by the other two members.”

With education funding, Vander Linden sees the House passing a 2 percent increase to state supplemental aid, less than the 2.45 percent Iowa Governor Terry Branstad has proposed. “The Senate will have some higher number, and we’re off to the races again.”

“I’m hopeful that this year, we will be able to come to an agreement early, because I think it’s more important to get the money to the schools early,” says Vander Linden over holding up the process for a “particularly generously high number”.

Iowa House Representative Larry Sheets (R) agrees. “Well, there isn’t enough money to do what we need to do. I think we will be lucky if we have an ending balance.”

The Iowa Legislature had a nearly 1 billion dollar ending fund balance four years ago, but it has been whittled down to approximately 150 million remaining, and Iowa Republicans believe that amount will be gone at the end of the session this year.

“It’s next year, What will we do?” Asked Sheets. “I look at the stock market and what it’s doing. It usually predicts about six months out, so that don’t look very good.

Sheets agreed that he would rather see a two percent increase make its way into the schools, saying there is no way the governor’s proposed 2.45 percent increase is affordable. “It’s gonna be bloody I think.”

Ken Rozenboom (R) said that on the Iowa Senate side, bills and subcommittee hearings are making up the majority of the time. “It’s early in the session, there’s a lot of stuff ahead of us.”

Rozenboom is looking to bring forth legislation that will address how fetal tissue is handled after an abortion, in particular that it’s not given away or sold.

Funding options may include putting an additional 4 to 5 million dollars into programs like Planned Parenthood, and not take federal dollars so the state would have more say over how dollars are spent. “A lot of us don’t feel taxpayer money should be spent on abortion,” says Rozenboom.

“That debate’s been around here a long time, but because of the Planned Parenthood videos of last summer, it’s certainly front and center,” added Rozenboom.

Rozenboom said that Iowa Code “is really silent on the matter of fetal tissue transfer.”

A bill being proposed by Rozenboom would “make it part of the Iowa Code that prohibits, forbids any transfer of fetal tissue for any reason, to either sell or acquire or donate or receive any fetal tissue. We just don’t deal in baby parts in Iowa.”

Rozenboom said he began his exploration into fetal tissue transfer after Iowa Attorney General stated there was nothing they could do to investigate cases of fetal tissue transfers because there was nothing in the Iowa Code that gave jurisdiction to investigate. “I hope to correct that,” says Rozenboom.