My priority goal as your State Representative is to help Iowa families succeed. For a number of years, I have been a member of the National Advisory Committee for Family & Children’s Services of the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Twelve states have representation on the advisory committee, six Democrats and six Republicans who work together on state legislative policy strategies to help low-income, working families get ahead, rather than just get by.

In my capacity as a member of that committee I helped bring together a bipartisan group of Iowa legislators who are now actively working to alleviate poverty through good state policies that help Iowa families and communities become more economically successful. In 2007 this group became more formalized as the Successful Families Caucus, which is made up of Democrats and Republicans from both the House and the Senate. We come from a wide variety of backgrounds and diverse perspectives, and our membership is growing. We know that children do well when their families succeed, and families do better when they live in a supportive community.

The Successful Families Caucus has come to understand that we cannot afford to have Iowa families fail. Once we agree on this, we are able to find common ground throughout the whole spectrum of political beliefs and begin the work of finding real solutions. Some of our current priorities include providing quality health care for all children, teaching financial literacy in our schools, improving consumer protections, expanding collaborations that help Iowans find and keep good jobs, and raising the Earned Income Tax Credit.

There are a number of ways we can help families to be successful. In the past few years, the Iowa Legislature has focused on creating new, high paying jobs for Iowans and on training workers for those jobs. This session will be no exception. We will keep our focus on jobs in key targeted industries like advanced manufacturing, information solutions, life sciences and alternative energy, all of which are well-suited for our state and our workers.

Last year the Successful Families Caucus supported a bill that resulted in 64,000 working families receiving a larger tax refund this year, thanks to a $10 million expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit. The Institute for Social and Economic Development (ISED) has been involved in start-up efforts to establish about a dozen sites across Iowa that recruit volunteers to help low-income families complete their tax returns and make sure they file for the federal earned income tax credit (EITC), if eligible. The Casey Foundation estimates that Iowans leave tens of millions of federal dollars unclaimed each year, by failing to file for the federal credit.

In addition, the Iowa Legislature was working on economic stimulus programs long before the White House and Congress announced their plan last week. This April, over 430,000 Iowa seniors will see a 32% deduction in their state income taxes. Iowans over 65 will see a decrease on their social security taxes, and they will not pay any state tax on their first $18,000 ($24,000 for couples) of other income, thanks to legislation passed in 2006.

What does it take to ensure family economic success? We need to find ways to help families increase their earnings and income, stabilize their financial lives, and acquire assets and build wealth in thriving communities. In other words, we want families to earn it, keep it, and grow it. That makes for stronger families, and stronger families make for a better Iowa.

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.

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