A couple of weeks ago, I was in southern Iowa on business and I was close to Honey Creek Resort, the new DNR destination resort on Rathbun Lake. I remembered that they were running a deficit of $900,000 so Ithought I would stop and look it over. After all, losing almost a million dollars a ...
TOLEDO CHRONICLE- The Legislature recently took the first step toward approving legislation to protect jobs in small businesses across Iowa and ensure Iowa car buyers have more choices. After the auto industry bankruptcies and slowdowns, GM and Chrysler began imposing restrictive rules on Iowa ...
TAMA NEWS-HERALD - In my opening column, I wrote about the Governor’s State of the State speech & pointed out its short falls. His budget is the road map to this session. The “road” we are on, however, has more than “potholes”; it is a very big “black hole.” A review of the ...
On January 27, 2010, the House Ways and Means Committee met for the first time of the 2010 legislative session. The meeting was short and to the point. Several bills were assigned to subcommittee, including House File 807, the highly controversial bill to eliminate federal deductibility. The ...
TAMA NEWS-HERALD - Two bills to help protect middle-class Iowans and their pocketbooks passed the Senate on February 2. Senate File 2075 protects Iowans from unreasonable increases in insurance costs. The bill prevents insurance companies from increasing your rates just because your family ...
Another week goes by and we travel through this year’s legislative session at a hurried pace. The shortened session has added a sense of urgency to the activities surrounding the Capitol. We run from committee meeting to committee meeting, then to sub-committee meetings. Many of the committee ...
This week began with the announcement of the results of a friendly competition in the Iowa House that pitted the south side of the chambers against the north side. As a result I am proud to say the House raised $5,000 to give to the Red Cross for Haiti relief. Initial Review of Governor’s ...
On January 26, the Senate Transportation Committee heard testimony about the dangers of distracted driving from Colonel Pat Hoye, chief of the Iowa State Patrol, and researchers from the University of Iowa and the National Safety Council. Their presentations confirmed what is increasingly ...
TOLEDO CHRONICLE - State Rep. Lance Horbach (R-Tama) has announced his intention to run for re-election for a 7th term in the Iowa House. Horbach represents all of Grundy County and most of Tama County. “We face some difficult times as a state, but in that difficulty lies great opportunity. ...
I was sitting in a meeting at the capitol, explaining a business bill to other legislators. My cell phone began to vibrate so I looked at the caller ID; it was my son Nick. I took the call because he was with my 3-year old granddaughter, Sahara, who was recovering from surgery at Iowa City ...