News From Iowa House Minority Leader Christopher Rants

Chris Rants discusses this week what is going on behind closed doors at the Statehouse:

News From Christopher Rants

The following is the latest news from the Iowa House from the House Minority Leader, Christopher Rants:

Give it back...
This week House Republicans challenged majority Democrats to give back any additional revenue the state collects at a key state budget meeting scheduled for Friday.

We all know the Revenue Estimating Conference (REC) is going to increase the estimate due to revenue running at over 10 percent year-to-date. Several Democrats have hinted that they are waiting for the increase to add spending to their already excessive budget. We think a better way to use this revenue is to reverse their tax increases and give it back to the people who gave it to the state in the first place - the taxpayers.

The Revenue Estimating Conference (REC) is a three person committee of experts who estimate state tax revenues. The Legislature is bound by law to use the REC’s December estimate of state revenue to build the state budget. The REC is set to meet Friday, and most expect the group to increase the revenue estimate. However state law also prevents the Legislature from spending any additional money from the April meeting.

If the Democrats are going to break the law, they may as well give the money back to the taxpayers. We’ve already seen the Democrats raise taxes at least twice this session. Once on business owners, and once on property owners.
Business owners were socked with an unexpected tax increase due to the federal stimulus package. The change is called “bonus depreciation” and when Iowa failed to mirror the federal changes, Iowa business owners saw a $55 million tax cut disappear.

Republicans attempted to protect property taxpayers from automatic property tax increases due to the growth in local school spending. The House GOP plan had the state pay the property tax increase instead of local property taxpayers. By defeating the Republican plan, Democrats nailed property taxpayers with a $95 million property tax increase over the next two fiscal years.

The REC is scheduled to meet at 10 on Friday to revise the estimates for FY 08 and FY 09.


Keep it up
Don't forget to keep contacting the governor, asking him to veto House File 2645 the bill that tilt's the collective bargaining filed in favor of the unions. Hopefully you've had the opportunity to talk to your city council members, school boards, and county supervisors and they've expressed to you just how bad this legislation is for Iowa and how it strips them of their power.

We must keep the pressure on the governor and keep the attention on this bill so it does not slip through.

Phone: (515) 281-5211

Email: Chet.culver@iowa.gov

Update From Chris Rants on Collective Bargaining Legislation

Reaction to Collective Bargaining Legislation

From RPI:

Your efforts are working...

A special thanks to all of you who called your elected representatives last week regarding the collective bargaining bill, House File 2645, which would strip the bargaining power of local school boards and local elected officials, and place it squarely into the hands of local negotiators.

Despite our best efforts, the bill still passed. However, because of your action, the public has heard about this bill and it currently awaits a signature from the governor before it can become law.

According to Gov. Culver's office, more than 1,000 calls have been made, telling him to veto this bill!

Please continue your calls to (515) 281-5211 and let the governor know that you support the veto of this bill.
Iowa's newspapers agree...
"...The heart of this bill began in bad faith. Democrats appear to have muscled it through simply because they could, driving a deeper wedge not only among partisans in the statehouse, but labor and management in the schoolhouse and city hall..." - The Quad City Times editorial, March 26, 2008
"...More time is needed to better understand and debate this potentially significant measure. Perhaps that's where the debate should begin. It appears, however, Senate Democrats have no interest in openly debating this bill. Rather, they want to rush it through right after the Easter holiday..." - The Sioux City Journal editorial, March 26, 2008
"...Gov. Chet Culver should veto this one. The bill's potentially huge impact on taxpayers and the lack of sufficient public debate are ample reasons for the governor to buck fellow Democratic leaders..." - Cedar Rapids Gazette editorial, March 26, 2008
"A power grab. An end run. Those are some of the ways to describe the attempt by Democrats at the Statehouse to expand union clout by fast-tracking legislation this week with little time for public comment. Changes in the labor-crafted legislation are not modest...What's going on up at the Statehouse is about the Democrats being in charge of both chambers and having the votes to move forward legislation they have long sought. That's their right. The discussion leading up to the vote, however, has been too hurried for most Iowans to have an impact, which is also their right." - The Des Moines Register editorial, March 22, 2008

Comments From Christopher Rants

Iowa House Minority Leader Christopher Rants weighs on a recent attempt by Democrats to ram thru controversial legislation that would give public employee labor unions a great deal of power and strip away many decisions currently made my local governments: