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Posts Tagged ‘Iowa’


Iowa: House Passes Collective Bargaining Reform

From the Iowa State House:

(DES MOINES) – After three days of debate, the House passed House File 525 on Friday. House File 525 makes changes designed to save taxpayer’s dollars. The bill does not eliminate Iowa’s collective bargaining law, rather it addresses two things: what is within the scope of negotiations between management and labor along with arbitration procedures.

“We’re leveling the playing field for taxpayers,” said Rep. Ron Jorgensen (R-Sioux City), the bill’s floor manager.

This bill addresses the cost of government in Iowa. Today, 84% of state employees pay nothing for their health care. Republicans added a provision that required each public employee covered by a collective bargaining agreement to pay at least $100 for the own health insurance. Employees not covered by a collective bargaining agreement, which includes state legislators, were previously required to contribute at least $100 towards their own health care coverage in both House File 45 and Senate File 209.

“The state can no longer afford and the taxpayers can no longer support health care insurance which does not require the employee to at least contribute something to their own health care coverage,” said Rep. Jorgensen.

The list of items that will still be bargained for is largely unchanged and still includes: wages, hours, vacations, insurance, holidays, leaves of absence, shift differentials, overtime compensation, supplemental pay, seniority, transfer procedures, job classifications, health and safety matters, evaluation procedures, in-service training, and other matters mutually agreed upon.

The reform measure allows arbitrators flexibility when dealing with contract negotiations. Currently arbitrators are forced to pick either management’s offer or the union’s offer. The bill will allow arbitrators the ability to find a middle ground between the positions and will save taxpayers money.

The bill was approved Friday afternoon after a very long, very open and transparent debate. House File 525 saw 15 hours of debate in the House Labor Committee and approximately 30 hours debate in the House Chamber. There was also a 2 hour public hearing held earlier this week on the bill. The bill passed the House, 58 to 38, and now moves to the Senate for consideration.



Rainy Day Funds tough to use in some states

From NewsTribune.com:

While budget deficits threaten to cripple government services across the country, a handful of states with billions of dollars socked away in “rainy day” funds for troubled financial times are discovering they can’t use that money to offset their cuts.

Amid the worst financial crisis facing states in decades, stringent rules governing the use of reserve funds have tied the hands of lawmakers in nearly a dozen states even as they consider raising taxes, slashing health and social services and shuttering education programs.

About three-fourths of states have used rainy day funds in the past three years to alleviate budget cuts, but some have had difficulty accessing the money or have shied away from doing so. They would have to repay it quickly or were worried it would hurt their bond ratings.

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Iowa Democrat AG finds himself in a Fight for the Job

From Omaha.com:

Democrat Tom Miller has served 28 years as Iowa attorney general. Re-elected by wide margins, he didn’t even have an opponent in 2006.

This year is different.

An aggressive, energetic and well-financed campaign by Republican challenger Brenna Findley, a former aide to western Iowa’s U.S. Rep. Steve King, has turned the race into what is now considered a toss-up.

Stefan Schmidt, a political science professor at Iowa State University, said he would have scoffed if someone told him in January that Miller was in political trouble.

“I would have started laughing and said, ‘Are you on crack?’” Schmidt said.

But now, “I’m predicting that there is a good chance (Findley) will win by a very narrow margin.”

Miller disagrees with such assessments.

“We’re always prepared for a race, and we knew this would be a difficult year,” he said. “We don’t agree with the pundits that it’s a toss-up race. We feel that I have a lead and we will continue to maintain that lead

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GOP AG Candidate Again out-raises Democrat Attorney General

From IowaPolitics.com:

GOP nominee for Attorney General Brenna Findley’s campaign demonstrated strength the latest fundraising report, once again out-raising the incumbent first elected in 1978.

Findley has also continued to out-work and out-raise her opponent, with her 2010 fundraising reports showing that she has raised a total of $1,026,020.82 this year to the incumbent’s $391,989.00.

“Our message to get Iowa back on track is gaining ground. Voters are disillusioned with politics as usual and are demanding change,” Findley noted. “I’ve been campaigning in all 99 counties, listening to Iowans. As Attorney General I will work hard to stop Washington-style spending in Iowa, clean up state government, lock up sexual predators and keep them locked up, and protect Iowans from being forced to buy Washington’s handpicked health insurance.”

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Iowa AG Candidates Offer Different Priorities

From Sioux City Journal:

‘DES MOINES – The Republican and Democratic candidates for Iowa attorney general offer contrasts in nearly every way, from their age and gender to stands on issues such as health care and gay marriage.

Democratic Attorney General Tom Miller was first elected in 1978, when he ran as a longshot candidate against incumbent Richard Turner. Now 66, Miller faces 34-year-old Republican Brenna Findley in the Nov. 2 election.

“I’m 34 years old, the same the current attorney general was back in 1978 when he ran for attorney general and beat the incumbent,” said Findley. “So you can see I’m following in his footsteps a little bit, as far as that’s concerned.”

The similarities seem to end there.

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GOP AG Candidate Calls on Democrat to explain missed deadline that set sex predators free

From Findley for Iowa:

GOP Attorney General candidate Brenna Findley today challenged Attorney General Tom Miller to explain to explain how his office missed a simple deadline that allowed two sexual predators to walk free.

“The first responsibility of the state Attorney General is to protect the people of Iowa from violent criminals. Tom Miller has failed. His office missed a simple deadline and as a result two dangerous sexual predators are back out walking the streets and the only reason why is the failure of Tom Miller to keep his calendar straight.” Findley said.

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Iowa: Congressman Mike Pence Endorses Republican AG Candidate

From IowaPolitics.com:

U.S. Congressman Mike Pence, the third ranking Republican in the House of Representatives, today endorsed Brenna Findley for Iowa Attorney General.

“I am proud to endorse Brenna Findley for Attorney General of Iowa,” Pence said. “Brenna’s commitment to supporting Iowa’s small businesses, cultivating economic growth, defending the Constitution and protecting life and marriage makes her the right choice in this race. I hope Iowans will support this dynamic, talented candidate and vote for a new Attorney General on November 2nd.” Said Findley, “Rep. Mike Pence is a strong and principled leader. He fights for the people of Indiana, and I will work hard and fight for Iowa jobs, stand up for our Constitution and protect our values.”

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Iowa Republican AG Candidate Campaigns with Virginia Attorney General

From IowaPolitics.com:

Brenna Findley, candidate for Iowa Attorney General, will have some powerful backup as she shares her vision for how to get Iowa back on track.Ken Cuccinelli, Virginia’s Attorney General, will be campaigning in Iowa on Monday, October 4, to elect fellow Republican Brenna Findley. AG Cuccinelli became nationally known when he was the first Attorney General to file suit against the unconstitutional mandate by Congress that would force Americans to buy government approved health insurance or face IRS penalty.

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IA: Republican AG Candidate Outraised Incumbent

From IowaPolitics.com:

Attorney General candidate Brenna Findley of Dexter outraised her opponent, entrenched incumbent Tom Miller.

Findley raised eight times more in contributions than her opponent, posting $124,077.80 on the May report, while her opponent collected only $15,748.00. Brenna Findley has over 700 donors who have contributed to her campaign to date.

Findley’s strong fundraising shows that Iowans are ready for a new Attorney General. Her groundbreaking campaign shows that she has an active, engaged operation throughout the state.

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Iowa Republicans say Democrats should return tainted money

From The Iowa Republican:

Earlier this year, Governor Chet Culver found himself in the middle of a pay-to-play scandal when it became known that he had accepted political contributions from three individuals who were trying to get a gambling license for a Fort Dodge casino.

While Culver said there was no connection between his support of the Fort Dodge casino and the contributions, his campaign had already returned the contributions before the story made statewide news. Even though the contributions were returned, Culver is still under investigation by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigations.

More recently, Iowa’s Attorney General, Tom Miller, returned a $10,000 contribution that he received in 1995 from Peter DeCoster, the son of Jack DeCoster. The DeCosters’ factory egg farm has been identified as the source of the recent salmonella outbreak. DeCoster had been on the state’s habitual offenders list until the contribution to Miller’s campaign was made.

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