May 26, 2009

The Honorable Michael Mauro

Secretary of State

State Capitol Building

L O C A L

Dear Mr. Secretary:

I hereby transmit Senate File 470, an Act relating to the funding of, the operation of, and appropriation of moneys to the college student aid commission, the department for the blind, the department of education, and the state board of regents, providing for related matters, and providing effective dates. Senate File 470 is approved on this date, with the exceptions noted below, which I hereby disapprove.

I am unable to approve the item designated as Section 13, subsection 3 of the bill. This item directs employees to submit actual receipts for meals and other costs and requires that reimbursement up to the maximum amount shall only be allowed in an amount equal to the sum of the actual receipts submitted. While I agree with the general intent of this section and believe that employees should be reimbursed only for actual expenses, this language would be particularly difficult to administer because similar language has not been included for every state agency or department or for the Legislature’s own employees. Accordingly, I have issued Executive Order Thirteen to require the Department of Administrative Services (DAS) to implement a policy that will require every executive department of the Culver-Judge Administration to institute cost-effective and transparent practices that will track reimbursements paid to state employees for meals, travel and other work-related costs.

I am unable to approve Section 29 in its entirety. Section 29 creates a new Code Chapter, 261D.4 Provisional Withdrawal from Compact. The language authorizes the State of Iowa’s withdrawal from the Midwestern Higher Education Compact effective July 1, 2009. While I appreciate that this language in Section 29 was developed as a cost-savings measure to save the state the cost of the annual membership in the Compact, such a temporary withdrawal from the Compact would violate the terms of the Compact in Iowa Code Chapter 261D. Additionally, Iowa state and local governments and school districts have saved over $547,000 through group purchasing opportunities provided by Midwestern Higher Education Compact. The Board of Regents has committed to find the necessary funding in FY 2010 to continue Iowa’s membership in the Compact.

For the above reasons, I respectfully disapprove of the designated items in accordance with Article III, Section 16 of the Constitution of the State of Iowa. All other items in Senate File 470 are hereby approved this date.

Sincerely,

Chester J. Culver

Governor

cc: Secretary of the Senate

Chief Clerk of the House

CJC:rco