Bacon Beacon
STATE REPRESENTATIVE ROB BACON Forty-Eighth District Statehouse: (515) 281-3221 e-mail:
[email protected]
House of Representatives +
COMMITTEES
State of Iowa Eighty-Seventh General Assembly STATEHOUSE
Des Moines, Iowa 50319
Natural Resources, Chair Human Resources State Government Transportation APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE Agriculture & Natural Resources
January 12, 2017 The opening of the 87th General Assembly convened Monday, January 9, 2017 . Tuesday, Governor Terry E. Branstad delivered his twenty-third Condition of the State Address. Wednesday, Chief Justice Cady delivered the Condition of the Judicial Branch Message. Along with the week’s activities, committees held meetings and budget sub-committees met. When the Legislature adjourned last year, the budget was balanced. However, an updated revenue projection has created a manageable budget shortfall of around $117 million. This year will require reductions to the current state budget. 2017 Priorities 1. 2. 3. 4.
We will spend less than the state collects We will not use one-time funds to pay for ongoing needs We will not intentionally underfund state programs to balance the budget We will return unused tax dollars to Iowa’s taxpayers
Flexibility for Schools We are committed to providing flexibility to locally elected school boards by loosening funding restrictions and allow more local decision making. Several school districts have thousands of dollars sitting in funds unused because they are limited to specific purposes. Every school district in the state faces its own unique struggles. Schools in Keota, Des Moines, Clear Lake, or Sioux City aren’t the same. We should loosen funding strings and allow schools to spend money in the way that fits their individual districts best.
Among the most far reaching efforts the Legislature can pursue is changing Iowa’s collective bargaining laws to allow superintendents and school boards more flexibility to deal with locally unique budget challenges as they arise. Water Quality Last session, the House passed a plan that would have made a significant investment in water quality projects across the state. We will continue working to protect and preserve Iowa’s precious natural resources. An Environment for Growth We are always looking for ways to leave more money in the pockets of Iowa’s hardworking taxpayers. Even with tight revenues, we believe there’s never a bad time to review Iowa’s complex tax code. We look for ways to make Iowa’s tax code more simple, fair, and competive as the session gets underway. I am honored to represent you at the Statehouse for House District 48, and welcome your questions or concerns. You may contact me at:
[email protected]
