Wednesday was a difficult day for The American Independent News Network, which is the larger entity that operates The Iowa Independent. Our chief executive and founder announced two of our sister sites would close and their content would be moved to The American Independent.
A recently introduced bill could have far-reaching impact on the U.S. sugar industry, including American Crystal Sugar, a farmer-owned cooperative that locked out 1,300 Midwest workers on Aug. 1.
The chairman for Herman Cain’s Iowa effort says the campaign “relied more on the word of farmers than Washington regulators” in deciding to run an ad containing claims the Environmental Protection Agency says are false.
The Iowa Senate will remain under the control of a slim 26-25 Democratic majority when it reconvenes in January 2012.
Iowa Gov. Chet Culver outlined his agenda for 2008 during his Condition of the State address Tuesday morning, proposing a laundry list of nuts-and-bolts initiatives focusing on health care, the environment and education.
Proclaiming that “the condition of our state is strong,” Culver told a joint session of the legislature that it is time to build on initiatives passed last year. “I believe our goals this session are simple: protect our priorities, balance the budget, and address some unmet needs.”
Culver also promised that he’d sign a bill allowing local smoking bans if given the opportunity and called on the legislature to raise teacher pay, restructure and expand the state bottle bill and expand early childhood education opportunities.
The address, and the simultaneous unveiling of a proposed budget for fiscal year 2009, calls for increased spending of about three percent. The spending plan preserves cash reserves left over from a year ago and grows them to about $625 million.
Culver is calling for increased spending of $176.8 million, a 3 percent gain over last year. The biggest chunk of that increase comes in the form of more than $88.7 million in salary increases for state employees. The proposed budget also includes an additional $75 million for increasing teachers’ salaries, $32.1 million for pre-school education, and roughly $900 million for post-secondary education.Culver said he is committed to limiting new spending this year as a way to ensure the state’s fiscal condition remains strong. “The only way we can be certain to fulfill these priorities is to keep our fiscal house in order,” Culver told lawmakers. “Here’s how we do it: limit new spending, continue to live within our means, and protect our cash reserves.”
Culver, serving his second year in the legislature, put a special emphasis on health care during his 57-minute address, announcing new wellness and chronic disease management initiatives for state employees, recommending the implementation of minimum standards for physical activity in schools, and encouraging healthier meal and snack options for students.
Here’s a breakdown of major components of Culver’s proposals for the next year:
Health Care: Allow parents to cover their adult children up to the age of 25; eliminate exclusions and waiting periods for people transitioning from group health plans to individual plans; and institute a new state wellness initiative to reduce health costs and keep state employees healthy.
Environment: Fully fund the state’s Resource Enhancement and Protection program, money that would come from the expansion of the bottle bill. Culver’s proposal calls for the addition of water, tea and sport drink bottles to the list of beverage containers requiring a deposit. He also proposes doubling the bottle deposit, sending one penny to the REAP fund and allowing redemption centers around the state to keep one penny. For the first time, Iowans would receive only 80 percent of their deposit.
“The solution is practical and workable,” Culver said. “One more cent will go to your local recyclers, one cent to permanently protect our environment, and the rest goes right back into the consumer’s pocket where it belongs.”
Taxes: Close loopholes which allow large, out-of-state corporations to avoid paying income taxes in the state.
Workforce shortage: Create a $5 million facility at the University of Northern Iowa that concentrates on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math and encourage students to focus on study in those areas.
Culver said the state’s bio-economy has helped turn Iowa into “the Silicon Valley of the Midwest and
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