House Journal: Page 1932: Wednesday, April 26, 2000
Well, we finally made it. We are going home today. A little late, but just in time. I
can certainly say that this session is the most stressful one in which I have been
involved. I even lost 10 pounds during this session. At the same time, this has been
my most enjoyable year. Serving as the Speaker of this incredible group of people is
indeed the highest professional privilege I have been given in my life. Thank you for
giving me that opportunity.
Today we start on our way back home. The question people have, be it the media or
constituents, is "how did we do?" I would say we did very well. The legislation passed
this session will clearly have an impact on the lives of average Iowans immediately and
into the future.
Look at the list of accomplishments that we can all feel good about. At the top of
the list is a balanced budget that doesn’t violate the 99% Spending Limitation Law nor
does it dip into our cash reserves. That is what the people of Iowa demanded, and
while it was difficult to forge compromises with the Governor, we got it done.
Within that budget, we also met the priorities of Iowa. As is the case every year,
education got the lion’s share of the money available. All areas of education received
increases. However, let’s not forget some money we invested in education as part of an
ongoing commitment. Another $5.2 million for empowerment zones and our at-risk
children from birth to 5 years old. Next year, our total amount will be $15.6 million.
Another $10 million, a total of $20 million next year, for reading programs and class
size reduction. And we should be proud that we have added another $30 million for
school technology next year.
We took huge strides to assist our large senior citizen population with action on our
long-term Senior Care Program. This legislation ensures that our senior citizens can
stay in their homes as long as possible.
Our economic competitiveness was enhanced with targeted tax reductions such as
the Research and Development Tax Credit and our workforce development plans which
include the ACE Program. And some people may call it a gimmick, but I can tell you
that when I buy clothes for my son Evan’s first day of kindergarten, I’ll be shopping
during the tax freedom weekend.
We should all take a bow for the fact that we were the first state to dedicate all of
our tobacco settlement money to health care. Improving health care access for our
poorest citizens and helping providers provide better care are moves that will make the
lives of Iowans better. We all hope that we will see tremendous results from our
smoking prevention efforts among our youth.
Nothing is more important to me than improving the quality of life in Iowa. We did
that. The $35 million we invested in the Environment First Fund is landmark
legislation. We will now take at least $35 million a year to put toward the environment
and recreation opportunities in our great state. The steps we took this year to improve
water quality will be returning benefits for years to come.
The Vision Iowa Project, school infrastructure, and the extension of the Community
Attraction and Tourism Fund will affect many communities and many thousands of
Iowans in the future. We truly have made Iowa a better place to live, grow, and raise a
family.
© 2000 Cornell College and
League of Women Voters of Iowa
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Last update: Wed Jun 7 13:35:00 CDT 2000
URL: /DOCS/GA/78GA/Session.2/HJournal/01900/01932.html
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