I want to thank Iowans who participated in the 2010 elections. We had a large turnout at the polls, which makes for a strong democracy. Voters clearly voiced their discontent with the lingering national recession. That’s the message I’ll be taking to the Iowa Statehouse when I return for ...
The Iowa Department of Workforce Development’s latest report on the status of unemployment in Iowa hasn’t improved. Iowa’s unemployment rate for September 2010 held steady for the third month in a row at 6.8 percent. According to the department, there are approximately 113,300 Iowans ...
Veterans Day is Thursday, November 11. I join all Iowans in thanking those who’ve served and defended our country. Our veterans and servicemembers have made tremendous sacrifices—a powerful reminder that freedom comes at a cost. For that, they deserve our respect and appreciation. Here in ...
CNBC recently released its annual “Top States for Doing Business” report, and once again, Iowa makes the top 10. Our state placed sixth overall, the highest Midwest ranking. Iowa placed No. 1 in the “cost of doing business” category, which takes into account individual income and ...
Iowa gets high marks for economic growth, fiscal strength Our country has been hit hard by the national recession. Yet things are looking brighter here in Iowa. Our state government is nationally recognized for strong fiscal management. Iowa is one of only seven states to receive the ...
During these tough times, Iowans want to know that their tax dollars are helping create jobs and grow our economy so our state quickly recovers from the national economic recession. That’s why I supported several bipartisan efforts to make state government more transparent and accountable. ...
Dear Constituents of District 76: The end of the 2010 legislative session marks the end of my fifth term. This means I have sent out a “end-of-session” wrap-up letter five times. One thing is abundantly clear at this point in time. We ...
(Des Moines) The final gavel fell on the 2010 session of the Iowa Legislature on Tuesday afternoon, March 30. State Senator Tom Rielly of Oskaloosa summarized the session this way: “We balanced the budget without raising taxes. We saved money through a major reorganization of state ...
While the rhetoric being channeled through media outlets is how the legislative majority is defending the interests of middle class citizens of Iowa, a look at some of the policy changes that are being implemented proves this is not the case. From shifts to property tax to the increases in ...
This week at the Capitol seemed to move quickly as we worked on several bills that appropriated money to various state agencies. Thanks to one particular bill that passed in the Senate, if you accidentally run a stop sign your fine will increase three-fold. The Majority party is not afraid to ...