House Journal: Page 7: Monday, January 12, 1998

and the like.  When a confinement unit is built, it ought to
meet uniform statewide standards.  But where its built must be
local decision.

And finally, we should address the changes in the way health
care is delivered.  Today, many medical decisions traditionally
made by families and their physicians are being made by people
whose job it is to manage financial risk and ensure company
profits.  Our families can't always be certain that they are
receiving the medical options and services they need.  Medical
decisionmaking needs to be put back in the hands of families and
their medical providers.

If insurance companies want to continue to make medical
decisions, then they must accept responsibility when those
decisions hurt people.  Allowing Iowans to sue managed care
companies for malpractice will restore some balance to a health
care system that often doesn't serve our needs well.

We have a lot to look forward to in 1998.  Now that times are
good, we should use our resources to fix what's wrong with Iowa.
 Our financial position is so strong that we believe we can
address needs, fix problems and reduce taxes.

Democrats pledge to work hard and cooperate with the majority
when we are included in making decisions about the state's
future.  We hope that will happen.

Thank you.
COMMITTEE FROM THE SENATE
Senator Hedge from Mahaska appeared and notified the House that
the Senate was duly organized and ready to receive any
communication that the House might desire to transmit.

REMARKS BY THE SPEAKER
Speaker Corbett addressed the House as follows:
There is a wave of optimism throughout the state of Iowa. People
think the state is on the right track, and you can see why. We
have a record number of people working, low unemployment, and
50,000 new jobs were created last year. We have a record surplus
and revenues are ahead of projections. Enrollment is strong at
the Regent and private schools, with record enrollment at the
community colleges. We're seeing increases in ACT scores and a
lower student to computer ratio in the K-12 systems. Violent
crime was down 10 percent last year, and there are fewer Iowans
on welfare than at any time since 1974. 
It would be easy to put our feet up on our desks and enjoy the
good times, but that would be a mistake. So what is on the plate
for 1998?
Taxes_ I don't mean to sound like a broken record on this
subject. We had great success last year with inheritance an
income tax reductions, but as we were cutting taxes, so were 26
other states. This year, 30 states are looking to cut taxes. Tax
relief is essential to making our state more competitive. With
such a low unemployment rate we need to attract people to Iowa.
We have the capacity to cut taxes so we have to look at all of
our options: Income taxes, raising the standard deduction,
pension, capital gains, sales tax exemption, commercial property
tax credits and education IRAs. Let's make this the fourth year
in a row for tax cuts.

Iowa General Assembly

Index: House Journal (77th General Assembly: Session 2)

© 1998 Cornell College and League of Women Voters of Iowa

Comments about this site or page? hjourn@legis.iowa.gov. Please remember that the person listed above does not vote on bills. Direct all comments concerning legislation to State Legislators.

Last update: Tue Jan 13 13:40:03 CST 1998
URL: /DOCS/GA/77GA/Session.2/HJournal/00000/00007.html
jhf