As I look back on 2006, I am energized by the experience of the campaign and the tremendous support I received. I am privileged and grateful to the citizens of House District 29 for the opportunity to continue my service to my friends and neighbors.

The 2007 edition of the Iowa Legislature opened on Monday, January 8, and with it came a host of changes. After 14 years, Democrats have regained control of the House, 54-46, and for the first time in 42 years, Democrats control both chambers of the Iowa Legislature and the Governor’s Office.

With the Democrats taking the majority in the House of Representatives, I am honored to have been named Chairperson of the Health and Human Services Appropriations Sub-committee. I will also be serving on the House Standing Committees of Administration and Rules, Appropriations, Education and Human Resources.

The Appropriations Sub-committee that I chair will make decisions regarding funding for the Iowa Departments of Human Services, Public Health, Elder Affairs and the Commission on Veterans Affairs. These agencies account for approximately 20% of the total budget for the State of Iowa. The programs that are funded through these departments represent those Iowans that are our most vulnerable citizens and most in need of our support in order to be successful. The biggest part of the budget in those departments is the appropriation for Medicaid, which provides health care services for 300,000 Iowans, or 1 of every 10 Iowans.

During the first week of the session, we heard Governor Vilsack give his farewell address. After eight years at the helm of Iowa Government, Governor Tom Vilsack gave his final Condition of the State address. He recounted his accomplishments and challenged us to do more. The Governor challenged us to make sure every Iowa child has access to pre-school, to improve teacher salaries, and to work to enable more students to graduate from high school. He noted that the overwhelming majority of Iowans agree that access to health care should be a right, not a privilege. He encouraged us to expand health insurance coverage to every Iowan, raise the minimum wage, and make our state energy secure.

Chief Justice Marsha Ternus, the first woman to serve as Chief Justice of Iowa’s Supreme Court, gave the State of the Judiciary last week. She focused on the needs of children and said the state has a special obligation to improve the lives of foster children who are waiting for permanent homes and the children who are on waiting lists for mental health treatment.

Chief Justice Ternus asked the Legislature to provide additional resources to juvenile courts so that child welfare cases get the attention they deserve. She requested an increase in the hourly rate for court-appointed attorneys who handle juvenile cases because currently, the state pays more to attorneys who represent drunk drivers than to those who represent children in need of assistance.

In addition to children, Ternus updated us on the judiciary’s ambitious undertaking to transform our courts into a paperless system. Much of the early work on transforming our courts through the use of technology was pioneered by our own Judge Michael Newmeister. The Chief Justice talked about privacy concerns with electronic court filings, and she advised improving jury service by raising the jury duty pay from $10 to $30.

My overall goal during this session is to help Iowa families succeed. I am committed to enacting a plan for success and prosperity which focuses on quality education, development of biofuels and energy independence, and economic development programs that raise the minimum wage and help businesses compete. All Iowans deserve the opportunity to be successful. As a relatively low population state, we cannot afford to let families fail. The cost to us all is far too great when families are not successful.

You can write me at the State Capitol, Des Moines, IA 50319; call me at 515/281-7328 or e-mail me at ro.foege@legis.state.ia.us.

Ro

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