Senate Journal: Page 43: 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.

Iowa General Assembly

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

© 1998 Cornell College and League of Women Voters of Iowa

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