The Dickey Dispatch by Senator Adrian Dickey – January 12th, 2024
Hello Senate District 44!
Well we are back at it! As of January 8th, the 90th General Assembly has resumed and I am looking forward to working with my fellow senators on both sides of the aisle to introduce and pass legislation that reflects the needs and wants of Iowans.
This week we were informed of the priorities of Governor Reynolds, Chief Justice Christensen, and Adjutant General Stephen Osborn, whom I had the pleasure of escorting through the Capitol to deliver his address. After listening to all three, it is understood that we have plenty of work to do and we have accomplished a lot this past year.
Again this year, I am fortunate this year to be a part of five separate committees. Workforce (Chairman), Transportation (Vice-Chairman), Ways & Means, Commerce, and Economic Development Subcommittee (Vice-Chairman). As the Chairman of the Workforce Committee I am excited to tackle issues relating to our workforce within the State. As a business owner, I understand the complications and hardship of having too many regulations placed on businesses in Iowa. If you are plagued with some state regulations (I can’t do anything about federal regulations) that you feel have no merit and only hamper your business, please reach out to me. I am deeply motivated to continue to reduce these overly burdensome regulations, just as we started last year.
Serving on the Senate Ways & Means committee, I understand how large of a priority it will be to produce ANOTHER major income tax relief bill and to do more for property tax reform. I will be using my position as Vice Chairman in the Transportation committee to BAN what I call “revenue generators,” or what many local governments refer to as speed cameras. These devices are nothing more than a tax placed on individuals, the majority of whom don’t live in that community, to act as Santa Clause to pay for wish lists for their community! Most of you are familiar with the camera on the 4 lane by Prairie City. From July 2022 through October 2023, that device unfairly taxed motorists $3.2 MILLION!!! Those monies were used to upgrade their public water supply, to build a new library, to build a new fire station, to build tennis courts, and to pave an alley by City Hall! I didn’t see any monies used to hire additional police officers or a single thing to do with the police department and I sure don’t see the justification to install these revenue generators on roads that the state or federal government paid for (Prairie City did not pay a dime for this road)! The only difference between Santa and these “revenue generators” is that Santa delivers 1 day a year where these things deliver 24/7/365!
On a different note, Monday night is our time to show the rest of the country how much we cherish, respect, and value being the first in the nation in selecting our next President! Putting politics aside, the financial impact that this delivers to Iowa is staggering. Hotels, restaurants, gas stations, and media ads to name a few. For 10 months our state is consumed by the entire national media and the political world! Politics in Iowa IS our professional sports team! I urge all of you to take part in this unique process on Monday evening and show the entire country how much we love our professional sport!
With five different committees and three condition of the State speeches given this week, it has been all out craziness. Between meeting with constituents, attending committee meetings and researching legislation of my own, my days are at full throttle, yet I still find myself with a sense of excitement every morning I walk into the Capitol. I am grateful for the opportunity the citizens of Senate District 44 have given to represent them and am deeply motivated to make them proud!
I am always eager to meet and hear from you. If you would like to get in touch, you can email me at Adrian.dickey@legis.iowa.gov.
Thank you for your support!
