April 26, 2010
The
Honorable Michael Mauro
Secretary
of State
L O C A L
Dear Mr.
Secretary:
I hereby
transmit Senate File 2389, an Act relating to and making, reducing, and
transferring appropriations to state departments and agencies from the rebuild
Iowa infrastructure fund, the technology reinvestment fund, the revenue bonds
capitals fund, the revenue bonds capitals II fund, the FY 2009 prison bonding
fund, and other funds, creating the Iowa jobs II program, and the revenue bonds
federal subsidy holdback fund, providing for related matters, and providing an
effective date. Senate File 2389 is approved on this date, with the exception
noted below, which I hereby disapprove.
I am unable to approve paragraph 2 of section 49 of this
bill in its entirety. This paragraph imposes certain time restrictions on the
ability of the Department of Administrative Services (DAS) to relocate certain
state agencies to space in the Mercy Capitol building. I am supportive of those sections of this
bill that obligate DAS to undertake cost-benefit analyses before making certain
agency relocation decisions, as presented under this section of the bill.
However, if paragraph 2 of section 49 of this bill were to be implemented,
taxpayer money would not be used in the most efficient manner possible, and
certain administrative actions and expenses that had been undertaken prior to
the passage of this bill would be unduly interfered with, resulting in the
waste of taxpayer funds. For example, DAS has already expended funds and
entered into agreements to purchase new telephones and to install new telephone
lines into Mercy Capitol. A state agency
that has already budgeted for its move to this building will save $143,000 in
annual rental payments, but would be prevented from doing so under this
paragraph. The disapproval
action I have described will allow DAS to save taxpayer money while prudently
investing in Mercy Capitol and in the tenancies of state agencies that will
reside there, on a cost-beneficial basis, in coming years.
For the
above reasons, I respectfully disapprove the designated item in accordance with
Article III, Section 16 of the Constitution of the State of
Sincerely,
Governor
CJC:jcl
Cc: Secretary of the Senate
Chief Clerk of
the House