House Journal: Friday, January 15, 1999

Fifth Calendar Day - Fifth Session Day

South Gaskell Room Veterans Memorial Auditorium
Des Moines, Iowa, Friday, January 15, 1999
The House met pursuant to adjournment at 8:48 a.m., Speaker 
Corbett in the chair.
Prayer was offered by the Honorable Scott Raecker, state 
representative from Polk County.
The Journal of Thursday, January 14, 1999 was approved.
COMMITTEE TO NOTIFY THE SENATE
Kettering of Sac moved that a committee of three be appointed to 
notify the Senate that the House was ready to receive it in joint 
convention.
The motion prevailed and the Speaker appointed as such 
committee: Kettering of Sac, Teig of Hamilton,  and Jochum of 
Dubuque.
REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE TO NOTIFY THE SENATE
Kettering of Sac, chair of the committee to notify the Senate that 
the House was ready to receive it in joint convention, reported that 
the committee had performed its duty.  The report was accepted and 
the committee discharged.
The Sergeant-at-Arms announced the arrival of the President of 
the Senate,  the Secretary of the Senate and the honorable body of the 
Senate.
The President of the Senate was escorted to the Speaker's station, 
the Secretary of the Senate to the Chief Clerk's desk and the 
members of the Senate were seated with members of the House.
JOINT CONVENTION

The Joint Convention reconvened at the auditorium, South Gaskell 
Room at 9:57 a.m., President Kramer presiding.
Senator Iverson moved that the roll call be dispensed with and 
that the President of the Joint Convention be authorized to declare a 
quorum present.
The motion prevailed.
President Kramer declared a majority of the General Assembly 
present at the Joint Convention.
The report of canvass of the vote was read by Elizabeth Isaacson, 
the Secretary of the Joint Convention, as follows: 
MR. PRESIDENT AND GENTLEMEN AND LADIES OF THE JOINT CONVENTION:
Your tellers, appointed by the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House 
of Representatives to canvass the vote cast for candidates for Governor and Lieutenant 
Governor at the election held November 3, 1998, beg leave to make the following report 
of the total vote cast for Governor:
Thomas J. Vilsack	500,231
Jim Ross Lightfoot	444,787
Jim Hennager	5,606
Jim Schaefer	3,144
Mark Kennis	2,006
Scattering	644
And the total vote cast for Lieutenant Governor at the election, held November 3, 
1998:
Sally Pederson	500,231
Almo Hawkins	444,787
Sue Atkinson	5,606
Lynn Waters	3,144
Lois Kennis	2,006
Scattering	644
All of which is most respectfully submitted.
	MARGARET N. TINSMAN	SANDRA H. GREINER
	Teller of the Senate	Teller of the House
	ANDREW J. McKEAN	DAVID E. HEATON
	Assistant Teller	Assistant Teller
	ELAINE E. SZYMONIAK	RICHARD L. LARKIN

	Assistant Teller	Assistant Teller
	ELIZABETH A. ISAACSON
	Secretary of the Joint Convention
Senator Tinsman of Scott moved that the report be adopted.
The motion prevailed and the report was adopted.
President Kramer of the Joint Convention announced that the 
Honorable Thomas J. Vilsack and the Honorable Sally Pederson, 
having received the highest number of votes cast for Governor and 
Lieutenant Governor of the State of Iowa, respectively, for the 
ensuing term, or until a successor is duly elected and qualified. 
The following certificates were signed in the presence of the Joint 
Convention:
CERTIFICATE OF ELECTION
STATE OF IOWA
GENERAL ASSEMBLY
HALL OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
GREETING:
This is to certify that upon a canvass in Joint Convention of the two Houses of the 
Seventy-eighth General Assembly of the State of Iowa, of all the votes cast at the 
general election held November 3, 1998, for the office of Governor of the State of Iowa, 
it appeared that Thomas J. Vilsack received the highest number of all votes cast for 
any candidate at said election for said office and was thereupon declared duly elected to 
said office for the term of four years and until a successor is duly elected and qualified.
Signed in the presence of the Joint Convention this Fifteenth day of January, A.D., 
1999.
	RON J. CORBETT	MARY N. KRAMER
	Speaker of the House	Presiding Officer of the
	MARGARET N. TINSMAN	Joint Convention
	Teller of the Senate
	SANDRA H. GREINER
	Teller of the House
	ELIZABETH A. ISAACSON
	Chief Clerk of the House and Secretary of the Joint Convention
CERTIFICATE OF ELECTION
STATE OF IOWA
GENERAL ASSEMBLY
HALL OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
GREETING:

This is to certify that upon a canvass in Joint Convention of the two Houses of the 
Seventy-eighth General Assembly of the State of Iowa, of all the votes cast at the 
general election held November 3, 1998, for the office of Lieutenant Governor of the 
State of Iowa, it appeared that Sally Pederson received the highest number of all votes 
cast for any candidate at said election for said office and was thereupon declared duly 
elected to said office for the term of four years and until a successor is duly elected and 
qualified.
Signed in the presence of the Joint Convention this Fifteenth day of January, A.D., 
1999.
	RON J. CORBETT	MARY N. KRAMER
	Speaker of the House	Presiding Officer of the
	MARGARET N. TINSMAN	Joint Convention
	Teller of the Senate
	SANDRA H. GREINER
	Teller of the House
	ELIZABETH A. ISAACSON
	Chief Clerk of the House and Secretary of the Joint Convention
President Kramer then directed that the abstract of votes and 
certificates of election be filed with the Secretary of State.
Senator Iverson moved that a committee of six, consisting of three 
members from the Senate and three members from the House, be 
appointed to notify Governor-elect Tom Vilsack and Lieutenant 
Governor-elect Sally Pederson of the official result of the canvass of 
votes.
The motion prevailed and President Kramer named as such 
committee: Senators Maddox of Polk, Johnson of Dallas and 
Szymoniak of Polk, on the part of the Senate; and Representatives 
Hoffman of Crawford, Arnold of Lucas and Warnstadt of Woodbury, 
on the part of the House.
The Joint Convention stood at ease at 9:04 a.m., until the fall of 
the gavel.
The Joint Convention reconvened at 9:20 a.m., President Kramer 
presiding.
REPORT OF COMMITTEE
Senator Maddox of Polk from the joint committee appointed to 
notify Thomas J. Vilsack and Sally Pederson of their election to the 
office of Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Iowa, respectively, 

submitted the following report:
REPORT OF COMMITTEE
MR. PRESIDENT: As a committee appointed at the Joint Convention to notify the 
Honorable Thomas J. Vilsack and the Honorable Sally Pederson of their election to the 
office of Governor and Lieutenant Governor, respectively, we beg leave to report that 
we have performed the duty assigned to us and that they stand ready to assume duties 
of the offices to which they were elected.
Respectfully submitted,
GENE MADDOX	CLARENCE HOFFMAN
JOANN JOHNSON	RICHARD ARNOLD
ELAINE SZYMONIAK	STEVEN WARNSTADT
On motion by Iverson of Wright the report was adopted.
The Joint Convention stood at ease and proceeded to the floor of 
the auditorium for the inauguration of Governor-elect Thomas J. 
Vilsack and Lieutenant Governor-elect Sally Pederson.
The Joint Convention reconvened at 10:00 a.m., President Kramer 
presiding.
The Legislative Inaugural Committee, consisting of Senators 
Hedge of Mahaska, Boettger of Shelby, Rife of Cedar, Dearden of 
Polk, Dvorsky of Johnson and Fraise of Lee, on the part of the Senate 
and Representatives Lord of Dallas, Larson of Linn, Heaton of Henry, 
Foege of Linn, Ford of Polk and Mascher of Johnson, on the part of 
the House, were escorted to the front of the rostrum.
Musical accompaniment was provided by the Harlan Community 
High School Band and the Mount Pleasant Community High School 
Chorus.
Chief Justice Arthur A. McGiverin was escorted to his seat.
Governor Terry Branstad, his wife Chris, and Lieutenant Governor 
Joy Corning were escorted to their seats.
The Sergeant-at-Arms announced the arrival of Governor-elect 
Tom Vilsack and Lieutenant Governor-elect Sally Pederson and their 
families.
	Lieutenant Governor-elect Sally Pederson and her family were 

escorted to the rostrum.
Governor-elect Tom Vilsack, his wife Christie and their sons Jess 
and Doug were escorted to the rostrum.
The colors were advanced by the Iowa National Guard.
The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Eagle Scout Reed Woodford of 
Sergeant Bluff, Iowa.
The National Anthem was sung by Simon Estes.
The invocation was delivered by Sister Marlene McDonnell of 
Cascade, Iowa.
In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, an excerpt from his famous, "I 
Have a Dream" speech was read by Brittany Rideout and Jordan 
Landau of Waterloo.
The oath of office was administered to Lieutenant Governor-elect 
Sally Pederson by Chief Justice Arthur A. McGiverin, assisted by Jim 
Autry.
President Kramer presented Lieutenant Governor Sally Pederson 
who gave the following remarks:
Thank you. It's wonderful to be here.
Beyond the pride I have taken in my family, this is the proudest and at the same 
time most humbling moment of my life.
I'm proud to have been selected by Tom Vilsack and the citizens of this state to help 
lead Iowa into the 21st century. And I am humbled by the trust and faith all of you have 
placed in me.
And I want to tell you something. As unbelievable as it may seem, I never doubted 
for a minute - from the moment I was nominated - that Tom and I would be standing 
here today.
I never doubted it because I'm an optimist. You see, my parents are optimists and 
they raised all five of their children to be optimists.
The reason my parents are optimists is that they - like you and many of your 
parents - learned from watching their ancestors that nothing was impossible.
	This state was settled by people who brought with them little more than ingenuity 

and determination. No problems were unsolvable. Nothing dulled their spirit for this 
beautiful, fertile land.
What would they say to Iowans today? What would they say to us? We tell pollsters 
we are generally satisfied with our lives, but are watching in dismay as we:
? see our students' test scores slip
? see many schools in need of repair
? see streams and rivers fouled by pollution
? and see methamphetamine tearing at families and communities.
These problems strike at our soul. For Iowans have always known that while we 
couldn't provide ocean views, mountain ranges, and the bright lights of the biggest 
cities, we could provide the things that really mattered: the highest standards in 
education, a clean environment, and wonderful communities to raise our families. 
When these are threatened, Iowa's very sense of self is threatened.
Our ancestors, those sturdy pioneers, would tell us to roll up our sleeves and get to 
work as a community.
"Every member of the community is important," they would tell us. "Civic 
responsibility is important," they would tell us. And they would tell us something else: 
"Don't leave anybody out. Cast a big net and draw in everyone, those new to politics, 
those who've just arrived in our state, those who have not traditionally had a voice in 
government."
Here's an amazing fact: Iowa has more small communities than any other state in 
the nation. This means that more of our people have the opportunity to serve, and be 
involved in the running of this state.
Iowa must make use of all its people. Civic responsibility cannot be left to a few. For 
civic responsibility isn't reserved for those of one background, or one gender, or one age.
Tom Vilsack gave me, an outsider to politics, an extraordinary opportunity to run 
for office, and you the citizens have given me an extraordinary opportunity to serve. I'd 
like this spirit of inclusion to spread to make this a better state for all of our citizens.
This shouldn't be hard, because Iowa has a proud history of reaching out to others. 
Whether it was welcoming Vietnamese refugees in the 1970s or piling sandbags during 
the flood of 1993, neighbor helping neighbor has been the very soul of our state. One 
writer called it "the casserole reflex" - Iowans automatically give to others in need.
The Vilsack-Pederson administration wants to build on this generous spirit to 
create opportunities for all Iowans.
It is my deepest hope that our administration will, more than anything else, stand 
for opportunity.
Opportunity for Iowa - all Iowa - to prosper.
	Opportunity for Iowans - all Iowans, no matter what their background, their 

economic status, or their special circumstances - to thrive.
I am confident this is what the Vilsack-Pederson administration will bring to Iowa: 
A government of optimism in a land of opportunity. And add one other thing: 
Commitment, because optimism without commitment won't get the job done.
It is my most fervent hope that in this state of opportunity, the government of 
optimism will rebuild our hopes, rekindle our dreams, reinvigorate our lives. But you 
can't solve problems if you can't see them. You can't help people if you don't know 
them.
So I am pledging today to do volunteer service somewhere in our state each week, 
and I challenge others to do the same. I plan to help school children with their reading, 
to serve meals at a homeless shelter, to help a neighborhood clean-up project, or any 
other task that will help me learn about the problems and the people working to solve 
them throughout this great state. I know there are many needs, but I know also that 
Iowa has many willing hands.
I come here this morning, a small-town Iowan who has always loved Iowa, a 
businesswoman who chose to stay in Iowa, a mother, grandmother, and aunt who 
wants her children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews to have opportunities in Iowa - 
I come here this morning to ask just one thing of you.
Please join us.
Please join us in this government of optimism in this lovely, rich land blessed by 
God and nurtured by our ancestors. Please join us in this government of optimism in 
this great state of opportunity. Together, we can create the Iowa of our dreams.
Thank you.
The Mount Pleasant High School chorus performed "The Battle 
Hymn of the Republic."
The oath of office was administered to Governor-elect Thomas J. 
Vilsack by Chief Justice Arthur A. McGiverin, assisted by Mrs. 
Christie Vilsack.
President Kramer presented Governor Thomas J. Vilsack, who 
delivered the following inaugural address:
Governors Fulton, Ray and Branstad, Lieutenant Governors Pederson, Corning and 
Zimmerman, Chief Justice McGiverin and distinguished members of the court and 
judiciary, honorable members of the General Assembly - past and present, executive 
counsel members and ladies and gentlemen:
Today is a day of passages in the State of Iowa, as we inaugurate a new 
administration and look forward to the dawning of a new millennium.
It is a day to look forward to the challenges and opportunities before us, to take 

stock of who we are and where we are, and to take aim at where we want to go.
Before I speak of the future let me say a word about Governor Branstad and 
Lieutenant Governor Corning and their families. Governor and Lieutenant Governor - 
you have led us during the best of times and through some of the worst of times. You 
have worked tirelessly to improve the management of state government and to 
diversify and strengthen the state's economy. You have worked for over two decades for 
the state and the people that you love - to make Iowa a better place to live - and you 
leave office having done so. On behalf of a grateful people I extend our deepest 
appreciation to you and to your families for the sacrifices you have made on our behalf. 
Twenty-three years ago I followed my heart to Iowa. My wife, Christie, and I settled 
in her hometown of Mt. Pleasant. We wanted to be close to family. Our hopes and 
dreams were simple. We wished to raise our own family in a caring, warm, and 
nurturing community. Our two sons, Jess and Doug benefited by that decision. Each 
day they give us reason to be proud. 
During those twenty-three years I've learned of Iowa's greatness. It starts with its 
bountiful natural resources, acres of rich black soil and miles of meandering streams 
and rivers. But its real greatness lies in its most enduring quality - its goodness. 
Iowa is great because Iowa is good. Let me repeat that Iowa is great 
because Iowa is good. Our goodness arises from the fundamental goodness of our 
people - caring, hard working, well educated, and decent. From child care providers to 
direct care staff at nursing homes, from teachers to social workers, from farmers to 
factory workers, from veterans to volunteers - caring, hard-working, well educated and 
decent.  No where is our goodness, and therefore our greatness, better displayed than 
in our dedication to family and community.
Family and community is how and where we raise our children and care for each 
other. Family and community is how and where we teach our values, how and where 
we mold our ambitions and our aspirations, and how and where today's dreams become 
tomorrow's Iowa. 
Family and community - more than genetics and geography - they are our 
collective frame of mind, our way of living, and our shared vision of how we want to be.
At the outset I spoke of the dawning of the new millennium and of challenge and 
opportunity. Stated simply our challenge at the close of this century and at the 
beginning of a new century is to preserve what is best about Iowa and to make it 
better. We must dedicate ourselves to preserving our natural resources - our land, 
water and air and to preserving the best of family and community while adapting each 
to the changing world that surrounds us. 
Making our best - better will not be easy. We will be challenged to change.
To preserve and to enhance our natural resources, we must rethink what we do 
with our land, our water, and our air. We must be good stewards and rededicate 
ourselves to restoring and conserving the land, to cleaning up the water, and to 
protecting the air. It is our natural resources that hold the key to a stronger, more 
prosperous Iowa. If we are able to mix good old - Iowa common sense with changing 
science we can enrich our natural resources and secure a better today and decades of 
better tomorrows.
Constant and unrelenting change challenges our notion of family. For many of us 

family is not simply defined. Step families, foster families, adopted families, single 
parent families and other arrangements today redefine family. We live life at an ever 
accelerating pace as we incorporate technology into every day life. Adapting to 
changing lifestyles and managing the hectic pace of life while preserving what is best 
about family will require information, knowledge and wisdom. One of the keys to 
successful family life is a good education. 
Iowa has had a long-standing tradition of excellence in education. To maintain that 
tradition and to build upon it for stronger Iowa families will require us to think 
differently about education and to be prepared to invest in it.
In the face of growing research, we can no longer accept that an education starts 
with kindergarten. An education begins at birth. With new jobs being created every 
day, and new skills being required every day we can no longer afford to allow 
graduation to signal the end of an Iowan's education. In Iowa an education never ends 
- it is lifelong.
We must create a lifelong learning system. We must be willing to help equip 
parents to be their child's first and best teachers. We must invest in early childhood 
education so all of our children start school ready to learn. We must reduce class sizes 
in the early grades and improve teacher training to ensure that the basics are taught 
well - to lay a strong foundation for future learning. We must instill in each student 
the knowledge they will individually need to become productive citizens. Our children 
must have access to technology and master its use. We must always be sure that what 
we teach is what we need to learn. In short we must create an educational system that 
embodies excellence and that enables everyone to learn well. Let us strive for a world 
class education system from pre-school to graduate school that is the envy of the nation 
and the world. Nothing short of that commitment will enable us to hold true to the 
traditions of our past and ensure the security of our future.
With a real commitment from all of us today's dream of a quality education, we will 
build stronger families for Iowa's tomorrow.
At the heart of our sense of community is a shared concern for each other. Today we 
face stern challenges to that sense of community. 
Every day dangerous drugs are shipped into our state, grown in our fields, or made 
in our neighborhoods. Each decade the drugs become more dangerous, more addicting, 
and more devastating.
The time has come for each of us to recognize a personal duty. The time has come 
for each of us to send a strong and clear signal that we have had enough.
While we will and we must do all we can do to stop the supply of these drugs - we 
will never succeed until we stop the demand for these drugs. Every adult in this state 
that works with or cares for the children of this state should accept personal 
responsibility to educate our children about the dangers of drugs of all kinds - 
cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana, and the most dangerous of all meth. To help those young 
people that make the mistake of taking drugs and become addicted to them we must 
dedicate adequate resources to their successful treatment. And for those who fail to 
heed our community's warning about dealing in drugs, we should be prepared to 
respond with swift, sure, and appropriate punishment. 
Whether we provide quality health care for our most vulnerable populations - our 

young children, our frail elderly, and those with disabilities will determine the level of 
our dedication to community. Every day tens of thousands of our children go without 
basic health care because their working parents can not afford the cost of health 
insurance. Countless times I have seen communities respond when a child was in need. 
Why - because we are a people - a community with a tradition of helping those in 
need. Let us strengthen our community by extending access to quality health care to all 
of our children. At the same time let us recognize the same responsibility to reach out 
to protect our frail elderly and to assist those with disabilities. 
With a real commitment from all of us today's dream of a drug free Iowa where our 
most vulnerable have access to basic and quality health care will build stronger 
communities for tomorrow's Iowa.
Today in Iowa, hundreds of Iowa's best farmers and Iowa's best workers face a 
tomorrow of real uncertainty. Let us promise today that we will not forget their 
struggle. Let us pledge today that we will act swiftly and decisively to help when and 
where help is needed most.
Changes in agriculture and expanding opportunities in our commercial centers 
creates an economic development challenge and opportunity. 
We often speak as if there were two Iowans - one rural and one urban. If we are to 
thrive we must do so as one and we will do so as one. Combining our rich soil, our 
strong work ethic, and quality education system we can unleash the economic power of 
every kernel of corn and every soybean grown in our fields.
As the food capital of the world we can add real value to our crops and open up new 
markets in the state giving hope to our farmers. At the same time with each new 
product comes the need for research and development, for processing and 
manufacturing, and for marketing that creates the opportunity for high tech - high 
paying jobs in commercial centers and surrounding communities. 
With a real commitment from all of us today's dream of Iowa as the food capital will 
build a brighter economic future in tomorrow's Iowa.
With a sense of hope and excitement we enter a new century with the development 
of a new economy not built solely on the strength of our bodies but more on the power 
of our intellect. Iowa is poised to take real advantage of that new economy and to offer 
businesses and industries that locate here the promise of long-term profitability built 
on the quality of our workers and our long term investment in their continued 
education. 
Our population is stable but to realize the promise of the future we must be able to 
retain and to attract young people to our state. Let me start by inviting my own sons to 
make Iowa their lifetime home and to encourage you to invite the children of our state 
to be a part of its future. To Jess and Doug and to all the young people of this state, I 
say we need you. Our state's future depends upon your intellect, your creativity, your 
energy. 
I realize that if young people are to stay or come back home, we must do our part 
before we ask them to do their part. We must invest in schools.  We must support the 
arts. We must expand cultural diversity and opportunity. We must recognize the 

importance of recreation. Let us seal that bargain today for a better Iowa tomorrow. 
To the members of the General Assembly, let me repeat what Governor Harold 
Hughes said in his first inaugural address and I quote:
"As we meet, the question uppermost in the minds of the citizens we represent is 
whether or not you of the legislature with a substantial majority and I the democratic 
governor can work together to develop a constructive legislative program for the good of 
the state. As I see it we have no choice - if we are to keep faith with our oaths of office."
He went on to say on that day: "Our constitution states that all political power is 
inherent in the people. The people of Iowa elected a democratic governor. They elected 
a large republican majority in both houses of the assembly. They expect us to do our 
jobs regardless of party labels yet now the campaign is over and we proceed to the 
constructive tasks of legislation and administration, it is worth noting that the 
differences that divide us as partisans are small by comparison with the common 
ground that unites us as fellow Iowans. We want a better, more progressive, more 
prosperous Iowa. To attain it we must seek both unity and continuity in government." 
I believe Governor Hughes said it as well as it could be said. 
A better - more progressive - more prosperous Iowa will not evolve by and through 
government alone. We must have a clear vision of the Iowa of the future. How would 
each of us answer the question - what should Iowa be in the year 2020?  What kind of 
state do we want and need?  We must ask those questions now - and, we answer them 
thoughtfully now - for a better Iowa.  We must strategically plan our future.
Future success will require a partnership with the private sector and the non-profit 
sector to achieve our common goal. Building and creating these relationships and 
partnerships can make all the difference. Lieutenant Governor Pederson knows how to 
build such partnerships. We will work together - drawing on our collective experiences 
to move Iowa forward.
Twenty-three years ago I followed my heart to Iowa - now my heart and my soul 
belong to our state. As someone for whom life started in an orphanage in Pennsylvania 
I have been privileged to be a husband, a father, a lawyer, a mayor, and a state 
senator.  It is an extraordinary honor to stand here as your governor - embraced by the 
family and the community we call Iowa.
Let us work together for a better Iowa.  Let us not forget that Iowa is great because 
Iowa is good.  Let us make today's dreams tomorrow's Iowa.  If we do, we say again 
what was said by Samuel Kirkwood more than 100 years ago - "Iowa - our eyes have 
been permitted to behold only the beginnings of her glory."
Thank you and may God bless you.
The Children's Chorus of Greater Des Moines presented the song 
"America the Beautiful."
The benediction was offered by Rabbi Neil Sandler of Des Moines.
	Siegrist of Pottawattamie moved that the joint convention be now 

dissolved.
The motion prevailed.
The House reconvened at 11:15 a.m., Speaker Corbett in the chair.
Siegrist of Pottawattamie moved that the House adjourn until 1:00 
p.m., Tuesday, January 19, 1999.
102	JOURNAL OF THE HOUSE	5th Day
5th Day	FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 1999	101

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