My Week on the Hill 1/23-1/27
This week at the Iowa capitol, legislators began to lay the groundwork for what should become a productive and busy session. Already, two speed camera bills and the defunding of Planned Parenthood are out of subcommittees and ready to take the next steps to becoming law. The largest item on the list is FY17’s budget which includes 117 million dollars in cuts.
The new budget:
Since the revenue coming into the state is going to be lower than expected, cuts across the board had to be taken to balance the budget. The House, Senate, and Governor have agreed on a budget and it is expected to be debated in the Iowa House on Monday, January 30th. Iowa law requires a balanced budget, so these cuts are necessary. It’s important to understand that $117 million is less than 1% of the total 7.3 billion dollar budget. Legislators also agreed to cutting this year’s session from 110 days to 100 days which would cut back their per diem payments. By doing this, the state will save hundreds of dollars in operational costs. The legislature said it will not be taking any funding away from k-12 funding.
Planned Parenthood:
Men, Women, and Children gathered at the capitol to protest the defunding of Planned Parenthood. More than two hundred people chanted things like, “Where’s our Legislators?” and “Women’s lives matter.” The protesters stayed to witness the Senate’s subcommittee hearing regarding the funding of Planned Parenthood
Last week on Tuesday, January 24, 200+ Planned Parenthood supporters arrived at the capitol to protest the potential defunding of Planned Parenthood. The Senate subcommittee room was filled with pink shirts advocating for the clinic’s funding to stay intact. Iowa legislators say that there are plenty of other options when it comes to women’s health and Planned Parenthood, which makes up 30% of all abortions in the U.S., is just one of the many. Planned Parenthood is likely to be one of the most controversial bills to be debated this 2017 session.
Speed Cameras:
Speed cameras have made it one step closer to be eliminated from Iowa. Two bills in the Iowa Senate have come forward to limit or ban these speed devices. If passed, all cameras would be eliminated by July of 2017.
The House and Senate will reconvene on Monday, January 30th at 1:00 p.m. Debate is likely to take place next week in both chambers regarding the budget for FY17.
