Senator Tim Kapucian

Greetings from under the Golden Dome,

This is the time of year at the Capitol when the tea leaves become particularly hard to read. Everyone has their own thoughts on when we will finish our work down here and these thoughts change hourly.

As of today we have only had organizational meetings of the individual Conference Committees. The reason being, we have no agreement on the overall size of the state budget. Until we decide the size of the pie, it’s hard to cut the pieces. Per diem ended on Tuesday of this week and our clerks are done working for us as of this week. To quote the Senate President, “It’s time to plant corn.” Add to that the fact that it’s a campaign year and pressure is mounting to wrap up the session. I believe we will be done the week of the 22nd – April that is!

Education, mental health, and property tax reforms are all still in play. While I believe we will see reform in these areas it will take time and not all happen in one year. That is probably the most frustrating part about this job, the rate of change. That, I know, is the nature of the beast and is why I am seeking another term, to see some of these issues through to fruition.

The last two weeks have been pretty hectic for me. As you know from a previous newsletter, Brenda had total knee replacement surgery two weeks ago and last week my mom spent time in St. Luke’s Hospital in Cedar Rapids with heart issues. This week Brenda has had some complications from the surgery. So that is why I did not get out a newsletter last week and I actually had to miss some time here at the Capitol. I would like to thank my colleagues down here for keeping me up to speed on the issues that concern me most and thanks to the staff as well.

See you out and about in the district.