It is my privilege to represent the citizens of House District 29 in the Iowa Legislature. I am grateful for the opportunity to continue my service to my friends and neighbors.

The 2008 edition of the Iowa Legislature opened on Monday, January 14. As usual, the first days were occupied by speeches and organizing. On our first day of the session, we recognized our neighbor from Jones County, Representative Ray Zirkelbach, who returned safely to his family and to the Iowa House after a 22-month tour with the Iowa National Guard in Iraq.

A highlight for me personally occurred on Tuesday, when Governor Chet Culver gave the annual Condition of the State address. He outlined his recommendations for the 2008 session and called on legislators to continue our commitments to improving health care, the environment, and the looming workforce shortage. The Governor publicly thanked Senator Jack Hatch (D-Des Moines) and me, for our leadership in co-chairing the Affordable Health Care Commission, and the two of us received a standing ovation from our legislator colleagues and the assembled guests. I was very honored to be recognized by the Governor, but I am also humbled by the huge task of actually implementing the recommendations of the commission.

On Wednesday, Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Marsha Ternus gave the Condition of the Judiciary speech. As she did last year, 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 of the children who are on waiting lists for mental health treatment. During the last session I was pleased to be able to address that issue by appropriating resources that treated over 300 children on that waiting list.

This year Chief Justice Ternus asked lawmakers to help children in the juvenile justice system, so they do not become adult offenders. This can be accomplished by focusing on prevention, which means additional resources for early detection and intervention for mental health and substance abuse issues, as well as family therapy and counseling. I will be meeting with the Chief Justice this week to learn more about how to support the Iowa Court system in their concerns and efforts to cope with the needs of families and children that come to the attention of the Court.

I am in a position to help the courts through my position as 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 more than 300,000 Iowans, or approximately 1 of every 10.

My overall goal during this session is to help Iowa families succeed. We will continue to focus on the needs of families in Iowa, including expanding health care coverage to more Iowans, especially children in homes where parents work but are not covered by health insurance. We will expand quality pre-school opportunities to more children in Iowa and make sure that workers in Iowa have the training needed for the jobs we are creating in biofuels and other new economic development. We will continue our commitment to students and teachers, and we will enable more families to send their children to college.

These are ambitious goals, and they can be accomplished in a fiscally prudent manner. We improved life for many Iowans last year and still managed to fill the State’s savings accounts. They are now at $592 million, the highest amount ever.

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

Another Internet Presence Provided by Kelly Webworks.