As your Representative you asked me to... spare K-12 schools from disastrous budget cuts, expanded quality, affordable preschool to additional four your olds, reduce state spending for next year and help small businesses and entrepreneurs expand to create jobs. We did it and much more, we gave our schools an additional $150 million to help curb teacher layoffs, expanded quality, affordable preschool to additional four your olds, reduced state spending by $200 million next year and created a new $5 million small business loan fund to help small businesses and entrepreneurs expand to create jobs.

Yes, you ask me we did it. I look forward to continuing the work for next session. I will keep you informed and it is very important to remember Your Voice, My Voice.



"An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity."

- Martin Luther King, Jr.

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Fiscal Year Ends with Economy Improving

With preliminary numbers showing a $265 million unexpected revenue gain, the state will likely end the 2010 fiscal year with a strong budget surplus of over $300 million. While the state won’t officially close the books on fiscal year 2010 for a couple months, the unexpected gain is a sign the state’s economy is improving.

The Revenue Estimating Conference had projected a $500 million decline in revenues from fiscal year 2009, an estimate that assumed Iowa would lag behind the national recovery. The preliminary figures released after the state fiscal year ended on June 30 show the state experiencing a $235 million decline in revenues, leaving $265 million in an unexpected gain.

The Legislature balanced the fiscal year 2010 budget by limiting general fund expenditures to $5.3 billion, leaving a projected ending balance of $100 million. These new revenue figures will push up the end of the year surplus to over $300 million. Read More

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“Curb It-Click It” Campaign for Safe Roads

Jointly with the Governor’s Office, the Departments of Transportation and Public Safety launched the “Curb It-Click It” campaign in an effort to make Iowa’s roads safer. This campaign comes as a result of two bills passed by the Legislature: banning texting while driving and the youth seatbelt law.

Detailed information about Iowa’s seatbelt and texting laws can be found at www.iowadot.gov/CurbItClickIt. Read More

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Efficiency Efforts Save Taxpayers $300 Million

A newly released report says actions taken by the Legislature to make state government more efficient will save Iowa taxpayers $300 million over the next two years. The savings, which are $30 million more than originally anticipated, come from a package of government reorganization bills approved during the 2010 legislative session. Read More

With Anniversary of GI Bill, $3 Billion in Benefits Issued