House Journal: Page 32: Tuesday, January 13, 1998

Don't be fooled by those who say we need not change.  If we fail
to act now, our kids will forever suffer.  
Many Iowa families make the financial sacrifice each year to
send their child to the nonpublic school of their choice.  I am
recommending the tuition and textbook credit be increased from
$100 to $250 per student and that it be expanded to include the
fees paid by the parents of public school students as well.
The quality of Iowa's schools reaches well beyond the day a
student achieves a high school diploma.  
The University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University
of Northern Iowa provide a quality, affordable education while
at the same time conducting world class scientific research. 
There is no finer example of the groundbreaking research and
valuable services Iowans get than the University of Iowa
Hospitals and Clinics, which is celebrating its centennial this
year.  My budget includes funding to improve undergraduate
education and libraries, to strengthen our Colleges of
Education, and enhance initiatives under way in biosciences,
value-added agriculture, the arts and humanities and
international education.
So much of Iowa's unique character is embodied in our
independent colleges and universities.  Through the Tuition
Grant, we help thousands of Iowans have access to education they
otherwise might not be able to afford.  This year, we should
increase the Iowa Tuition Grant to provide a higher level of
assistance.
Our fifteen area community colleges are essential in preparing
Iowa's work force for the jobs of the future.  We must increase
support of our community colleges and expand the Vocational
Technical Grants to help part-time as well as full-time students.
The roots of this state are firmly grounded in the land that God
has blessed us with - hundreds of thousands of acres of the
richest soil anywhere.
The subsistence farming of the 19th century has evolved into a
modern-day agriculture that uses satellites in space and seeds
scientifically engineered to withstand the elements.
With the growth of international markets, those of us here in
the breadbasket of America will be facing tremendous
opportunities.  No one - no one - will be better able to feed
the world than we Iowans.
We are the nation's leading producer of corn, soybeans and pork.
 We also rank near the top in beef, turkey, egg, dairy, and even
honey production.  In the past, Iowans were the ones to grow the
crops, but we'd export them to be processed.  Others reaped the
economic rewards of what we Iowans sowed. 
No more. 
In community after community, we've seen what adding value to
the commodities we produce can do - it creates quality jobs,
increases the prices farmers get for their crops and brings new
economic vitality to our communities.
Last summer and fall, I was in over 60 counties to learn more
about value-added agriculture.  What I discovered from Iowans
was really quite profound: our future is on the table.  
Iowans told me that a significant barrier to investment in new
agricultural enterprises was the availability of investment
capital.  We must encourage more 

Iowa General Assembly

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

© 1998 Cornell College and League of Women Voters of Iowa

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