House Journal: Page 1042: Wednesday, April 9, 2003
1968 some of you might recall was the year of the constitutional amendments. Annual
sessions were approved, annual salaries and expenses, restructuring and resizing of
the legislature to one hundred members of the House and fifty members of the Senate
and home rule was approved for our cities and towns that year. We acted quickly in
those days and implemented the major changes mandated by our fellow Iowans and
became known nationally as one of the most progressive legislatures in the country. As
some of you might recall, I quickly earned the well-deserved reputation as someone
who would enter nearly any debate for almost any reason. Single-handedly adding
days to the length of each session.
In 1970, on one occasion, on the occasion actually of our daughter's birthday, we
brought them to the floor for a look-see. One of them grabbed the microphone and
began gabbing away, prompting the Speaker of the House Bill Harbor, at that point, to
comment that they clearly were their fathers daughters.
Suzanne and I developed many lasting friendships from our six years here. And we
gained some valuable life lessons as well. I gained a lot of insight into the geniuses of
personal beliefs and personal feelings from guys like Senator George Milligan on the
abortion issues. George and I came at it from very different sides, but both of us, in
talking about it, learned that our beliefs were deeply rooted in our own personal faith.
I learned about the deep seated integrity of legislators who put their jobs here ahead of
their personal business, their own personal wealth. Most vividly taught to me by two
guys in the Senate, Gene Kennedy and Chuck Laferty.
I learned to argue with Cal Hultman over committee during the day and at night spend
a lot of time playing bridge without any sign of the clash that took place just hours
before.
I watched Bill Gannon and Grumpy Fisher sit across the aisle from each other and
fight like two mad cats. Yet wink when it was over like they were family.
I watched Dewey Good who sat over here and was a throw back from the turn of the
century who was as street smart and as savvy a legislator as there was. Changed
minds in the heat of a debate with fewer words than anyone in the chamber.
I learned also what it meant to really be in the minority. As I recall, our hundred plus
House members had only twenty-four of us who were democrats and we were so few
that one particular day the House passed three bills while we were in caucus before
they realized we were gone. Bill Harbor ruled that it was in order and Bill Kendrick,
the Clerk of the House, found a rule somewhere that backed him up.
Back in those days neither chamber was air conditioned and tools like funnels hadn't
been invented yet. So sessions would last well into June. And things would get rather
heated, both figuratively and literally. Well, the Senate had a coat rule. Members
were required to wear a coat whenever the Senate was in session. I was never one to
really follow rules and wasn't really good at doing what I was told. So, one particular
day, with the help of some misguided and almost unemployed pages, I made my own
coat out of a copy of the Des Moines Register. Art Neu was Lieutenant Governor and
was sitting in the chair and when I walked in I'd never seen him get so angry so quick.
The coat disappeared, never to be seen again and the only comment I heard afterwards
© 2003 Cornell College and
League of Women Voters of Iowa
Comments about this site or page?
hjourn@legis.iowa.gov.
Please remember that the person listed above does not vote on bills. Direct all comments concerning legislation to State Legislators.
Last update: Mon Jul 14 09:40:00 CDT 2003
URL: /DOCS/GA/80GA/Session.1/HJournal/01000/01042.html
jhf