House Journal: Page 1990: Tuesday, May 8, 2001
wish a quick recovery and a return to work. You keep us on track, and make us look
good, and are convenient scapegoats when things go wrong. … Truly, thank you for all
of your work.
To Gentry and Mary, the probationary period is over. You passed with flying colors.
Thank you for keeping me on task, on track, and on time. To my Page Sara, thank you
for keeping the caffeine, the true fuel of the legislature, flowing.
Mr. Speaker, what can I say. You charted the course of raising teacher
compensation in this state. And in your typical fashion, you empowered members of
this caucus to pursue that issue, and many others, in their own fashion, and by their
own design. Whether it's education, senior living, or tobacco securitization, the list
goes on you point out the path, you give them authority to act, and then you back them
up. You work to build consensus where there appears to be none. Brent, you are a
good leader for this state, and it has been an honor to serve with you.
Mr. Speaker, as I said before, I’m tired. Too many late nights and early mornings I
guess. I can’t imagine how old folks like you and Representative Myers are holding up.
But it's time to go home. Only at home can I make my last thank you’s in person - to
my wife Trudy, and daughters Grace and Kait, who give me leave to serve. To each of
you, I thank you, and I thank your families for your service. It's was a job well done.
You’ve earned a rest, and your families deserve your attention. Enjoy the months of
May and June, when we get together again.
REMARKS BY SPEAKER SIEGRIST
Speaker Siegrist offered the following remarks:
Ladies and Gentlemen of the House:
Like you, I had doubts that I would ever be giving an end-of-session speech. As I
finish the 17th year of my legislative career, I can truthfully say that this session has
been the most difficult by far. Early on in this session, I was reminded of the song of
the Eagles called "Hotel California." The lyrics that stuck in my mind were "You can
check in any time you want, but you can never leave." While many of us knew that our
fiscal situation was deteriorating, none of us could have guessed that over halfway
through the session, our revenue shortfall would be $300 million. As a result, a
difficult session got even tougher.
We had tough decisions to make, and we made them. There are significant and real
cuts in the budget we have approved. Those were not easy things to undertake, but if
we were to accomplish some new goals this session, as well as give us a fighting chance
in next year’s budget, reductions had to occur. The majority did not go about that task
lightly. We listened and tried to respond in the best way available. To Appropriations
Chairman Millage, and each of the budget subcommittee chairs, my deepest thanks.
You did good work under the toughest and most thankless conditions I have seen.
Your hard work will make next year’s budget a little bit more manageable.
The budget is on its way downstairs to the Governor. I would urge Governor
Vilsack to sign the budget. The majority party leadership met with the Governor
numerous times over the past 3 ½ weeks trying to forge a budget compromise. We
© 2001 Cornell College and
League of Women Voters of Iowa
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