Des Moines, Iowa - The 2006 Legislative Session ended on Wednesday, May 3. State Representative Ro Foege of Mount Vernon said. He was pleased with progress made in education, renewable energy and tax relief for Iowa seniors.

“My top priority this year was to improve Iowa’s education system and make sure our children are ready to compete for jobs in the global economy,” said Foege. “We renewed our commitment to education by raising standards and demanding more accountability. We are expanding pre-school so more kids are ready for kindergarten, improving student achievement by keeping our best and brightest teachers in the classroom, and encouraging parents to be more involved in their child’s education.”

“The 2006 session will be remembered for taking a big step toward ending our dependence on foreign oil,” added Foege. “Iowa is uniquely positioned with energy alternatives such as ethanol, soy-based diesel, and wind energy to make our state the world leader in renewable energy. I’m pleased we took action this year to make renewable energy a focus of the Iowa Values Fund, encourage more sales of ethanol and biodiesel, and provide more opportunities for small producers to generate more wind energy.”

“Iowa seniors were big winners this year with a new phase out of the tax on social security,” said Foege. “Taxes on other forms of income for seniors will also be cut over three years by exempting the first $24,000 in income for single filers and $32,000 for joint filers. Nursing home residents on Medicaid will also be pleased with a raise in their personal needs allowance from $30 to $50 for haircuts, laundry and toiletries.”

Foege also noted improvements to public safety with continuous, 24-hour a day tracking of sex offenders and more guards to supervise the most dangerous criminals in our prisons. Cleaning up Iowa’s waterways was also a priority in the 2006 session with a new $18 million commitment to improve water quality.

“While I am pleased with the progress we made this year, I am disappointed we did not raise the minimum wage to help Iowa families struggling to make ends meet,” concluded Foege. “I am also disappointed our plan to help small businesses with the high cost of health insurance was hijacked by special interests and partisan politics.”

# # #