Pettengill Voting Record Conflicts With Switch

It seems an almost classic case of cutting off your nose to spite your face. Yesterday Rep. Dawn Pettengill jumped directly from the Iowa Democratic Party to the Iowa Republican Party. She cited a desire to represent her district and be more independent.

As Pettengill herself noted in a Des Moines Register article a month ago, “I don’t fit in either place, really.” At that time she indicated if she switched it would probably be to independent. If her voting record in the state legislature is any indication, she’s wrong about not fitting with the Democratic Party. Her record shows her squarely in the middle on many key issues as outlined in the party’s platform (and in direct opposition of many on the other side of the aisle).

In looking at Pettengill?s 2006 voting record on issues key to labor, she scores high. Seventy-five percent of the time she and the Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO took the same position. (Voting record comparison at end of post)

There were 49 Democratic members of the Iowa House of Representatives during the 81st General Assembly. Rep. Ray Zirkelbach was excused for active military duty which left 48 on the Democratic side of the aisle.

If the 48 representatives were lined up, those with the highest percentage of votes aligning with labor to the lowest, Pettengill would be tied for number 19. Fourteen other members of the Democratic caucus had lower percentages than Pettengill. In contrast, four Republicans tied for their caucus’s highest percentage of labor agreement with 25 percent.

Likewise, when looking at GLBT issues this session, Pettengill received a grade of B (Pro-Gay). She voted with this constituency on three out of five issues.

Again, in contrast, 33 members (72 percent) of the Republican Caucus received an F- as their grade.

Pettengill voted with the Iowa ACLU 50 percent of the time this session while the best a member of the Republican Caucus could muster was 30 percent. The votes were on such issues as the separation of church and state; employee rights; voting rights; and due process.

The Association of Business and Industry shows during this session Pettengill only agreed with business interests 25 percent of the time. Eleven other Democratic representatives scored higher than she did. The lowest any Republican scored was 83 percent.

If we backtrack to the previous session, she scores a bit better with 33 percent. Still 24 other Democratic representatives scored that or better. The lowest score grabbed by a member of the GOP? Sixty-six percent.

During the 81st General Assembly, Pettengill sponsored 66 pieces of legislation. They ranged from mandated coverage for mental health conditions to increasing the state minimum wage to restriction of the viewing and sale of sexual devices.

Her 44 pieces of sponsored legislation in the 82nd have included a minimum wage hike and Sudan divestment.

In addition, her web site lists several items she dubs “accomplishments.” In addition to her appointment to the Elder Affairs Commission in 2005, she lists being named as “2006 Legislator of the Year” by the Heritage Agency on Aging and her 2006 endorsements from AFSCME, AFL/CIO, ISEA, Hawkeye Labor Foundation, Iowa Farm Bureau, Agribusiness Association and Iowa PACE. We could locate no members of the GOP Caucus who touted endorsements from these major labor organizations.

It is unclear if Pettengill’s switch indicates these votes, or a portion of these votes, are out of sync with the wishes of her constituents back home. It is also unclear at this time how the Republican Caucus, which has not had a member of the same ilk as Pettengill, is going to react to her more liberal leanings. Attempts were made to reach Pettengill for comment on these discrepancies without success.

Pettengill Votes vs Labor Initiatives 2006

• HF 2045 (Social Security/Pension Tax Cut) ? would have eliminated state tax on social security and pension income and exempted incomes under $48,000 per year for persons over age 65 from income tax.
  • Pettengill voted yes
  • Labor was against
    • House vote was 81 to 18 in favor of the bill. It later died in Senate Committee
• SF 2408 (Senior Tax Cut) ? phased out state tax on social security over eight years and eliminated income tax for seniors over age 65 who made less than $24,000 (singles) or $32,000 (other), cut state revenues by $120 million when fully implemented.
  • Pettengill voted yes
  • Labor was against
    • House vote was 89 to 6, passing the bill
• SF 2409 (Tax Credit for Tuition Donations) ? allowed a tax credit for donations to mostly private school tuition organizations to fund scholarships or vouchers.
  • Pettengill voted yes
  • Labor was against
    • House vote was 75 to 19, passing the bill
• Amendment H 8128 to HF 2459 (Minimum Wage) ? Would have increased Iowa?s minimum wage by $1 per hour to $6.15.
  • Pettengill voted yes
  • Labor was in favor
    • House vote was 55 to 43 in favor of the bill. It later died in the House due to a procedural ruling
• HF 2770 (Wage Thresholds) ? Would have lowered Values Fund wage thresholds in rural counties by allowing new hire wages to be the determining factor in calculating wage requirements
  • Pettengill voted no
  • Labor was against
    • House vote was 54 to 43 in favor of the bill. It later died in Senate committee.
• Amendment H 8649 to HF 2459 (Funding for Workforce Centers) ? Provided $4 million in additional funding to keep rural workforce centers open.
  • Pettengill voted yes
  • Labor was in favor
    • House vote was 48 to 46, passing the bill
• HF 2597 (Voter ID) ? Would have required all voters to show a photo identification before casting a ballot, and required a photocopy of identification when casting an absentee ballot.
  • Pettengill voted no
  • Labor was against
    • House vote was 51 to 48 in favor of the bill. It later died in the Senate
• Amendment H 8347A to HF 2597 (Electronic Voting Machines) ? Would have required electronic voting machines to produce voter verified paper trails.
  • Pettengill voted yes
  • Labor was in favor
    • House vote was 48 to 51, killing the amendment
• HF 2648 (Drug Testing) ? Would have allowed employers to treat an inconclusive test as though it was a positive test.
  • Pettengill voted no
  • Labor was against
    • House vote was 58 to 41 in favor of the bill. It later died in Senate Committee
• Amendment H 8535 to HF 2790 (Health Insurance Pooling) ? Would have allowed certain business associations to pick those with lower risk, disrupting the small group insurance market and making health insurance even more costly for non-member small business.
  • Pettengill voted no
  • Labor was against
    • House vote was 44 to 55 and the measure failed
• Amendment H 8655 to SF 2410 (Whistleblower Protection) ? Would have prohibited retaliation against state workers for disclosing information regarding violation of professional standards or unsafe practices
  • Pettengill voted yes
  • Labor was in favor
    • House vote was 42 to 49, killing the amendment
• HF 729 (IPERS) ? Increased IPERS contribution rates for both employers and employees at the same 60/40 ratio.
  • Pettengill voted yes
  • Labor was in favor
    • House vote was 97 to 0, passing the measure