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Representative Ro Foege
Report from the Iowa Legislature
January 8, 2004
Pre-Session Report
After a very busy and interesting time between sessions, it’s time for me to
go back to Des Moines and work on solutions of both the big and the small
issues for the people of Iowa and the constituents of House District 29.
During the interim, I was very busy, working on various legislative
committees. I participated numerous meetings and work sessions such as the
Child Welfare Re-design Monitoring Committee; Fatherhood, Marriage and
Family Formation Committee; Comprehensive Cancer Control Committee; Iowa
Tobacco Use Prevention Commission; Iowa Mental Health Planning Council; and
the Iowa Community Empowerment Board. In addition, as a member of the Annie
E. Casey Family & Children’s Services National Advisory Committee, I met
with legislators from other states on several occasions. We worked together
on issues such as how to develop community partnerships to keep children
safe and secure and how state policies could help impoverished families
build wealth.
Once again, this is a very difficult budget year. Iowa’s economy continues
to struggle. The year-to-date growth for fiscal year 2003 is at 0.1 percent.
As a result, state revenues will fall far short of what’s needed to meet the
state’s obligations.
Next year, state spending will be 10% LESS than it was five years ago. State
services have been slashed to the point where schools are forced to lay off
teachers and seniors are not getting the health care services they depend
on. And, we are witnessing cities and counties also being forced to lay off
crucial workers.
This problem is too big to get caught up in partisan politics. Democrats and
Republicans in the Legislature must join hands and work together with
Governor Vilsack to find a solution to this difficult and complicated budget
mess.
When we begin those discussions, we must keep two things in mind. First, we
have to understand what’s possible to accomplish. Republicans who control
the agenda in the Legislature continue to say they will not debate a tax
increase, so that’s off the table. In fact, the Republicans are pushing for
more tax cuts and they will not tell us which services they intend to cut as
a result. Second, our budget talks should be guided by certain principles,
and these are mine:
- No more cuts to public schools or to health care programs for children
and seniors.
- No more cuts to programs that provide support and services to
vulnerable children in the child welfare and juvenile justice system or
special education programs.
- No more shifting the state’s budget problems onto the backs of
property taxpayers.
We need to balance this year’s budget responsibly, but
Iowa’s problems extend beyond the short-term. Our state is being left behind
with an economy that cannot compete and win in the 21st century. No child
should have to leave his or her hometown and family to find a good job, but
it happens in our state every day.
My colleagues in the Iowa House Democratic Caucus and I are committed to
growing Iowa’s economy by making regional development a key element of the
Iowa Values Fund. And, we need to find ways of helping small businesses
provide health insurance for their employees’ families.
I look forward to hearing from you during this crucial time in the history
of our state and our country. You can write me at the State Capitol, Des
Moines, IA 50319; call 515/281-7328 or e-mail me at
ro.foege@legis.state.ia.us. |