Lawmakers pushing toward adjournment

DES MOINES – Lawmakers were working Saturday to pass an unprecedented infrastructure bonding package and put the finishing touches on a vexing budget as they pushed to end their 2009 session this weekend.

Majority Democrats in the Senate voted 30-18 to approve the final piece of a $715 million bonding plan that Gov. Chet Culver says is needed to create jobs for recession-battered Iowans and upgrade roads, bridges, sewers and infrastructure damaged by last year's flooding disaster.

A separate piece of the bonding package would provide up to $100 million for the University of Iowa to use in leveraging federal and private resources to repair or replace flood-damaged buildings at the Iowa City campus.

“We're doing things that have got to be done to improve the economy of this state,” said Sen. Dennis Black, D-Grinnell, before the party-line vote ending an emotion-charged floor debate.

Much of Saturday's 104th session day is being devoted to finalizing the state's fiscal 2010 spending plan with the help of federal stimulus money for education, Medicaid and other key priority areas.

Minority Republicans decried the bonding approach that would cost nearly $1.7 billion to repay over 20 to 30 years and warned the supplemental federal money was only feeding Democrats' spending appetite – setting up a likely budget crisis down the road that could force major tax increases.

“This year's college class will be 50 years old when these bonds are finally repaid,” said Sen. Steve Kettering, R-Lake View.

“We've got tax and spend; bailout and spend; borrow and spend,” added Sen. Jerry Behn, R-Boone.

Sen. Herman Quirmbach, D-Ames, an Iowa State University economics professor, said GOP criticism of the bonding approach was misplaced because it did not take into account the present value and benefits of the improvements that will be made now, the federal disaster help that will be leveraged, and the economic activity that will be generated.

“I'll tell you what's a natural disaster, that's our budget,” said Sen. Brad Zaun, R-Urbandale.

Sen. Randy Feenstra, R-Hull, said the 2009 session “will go down in history” but for all the wrong reasons by saddling future generations with debt. That drew a loud retort from Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal, D-Council Bluffs, who predicted the session will be remembered for helping Iowa bounce back from its worst natural disaster at a time of deep recession.

“We believe Iowa has a bright, proud future,” he said. “Apparently, no one on your side of the aisle does.”

Sen. Shawn Hamerlinck, R-Davenport, countered that the Legislature likes to “do one thing and say another,” noting that in 1993 Davenport was hit with a flood disaster.

“What did this body do? You did nothing,” he said. “Now we're using these words like disaster and recovery so that way we can make these gross expenditures that we actually have no clue how we're going to pay them off.”

You're signing up future legislators to actually deal with your problems. Holy cow to be that self righteous, to be that arrogant, to have your heads that big and actually believe that you can spend that amount of money is appalling.”

Sen. Matt McCoy, D-Des Moines, said the debate highlighted the philosophical differences between Democrats who trying find ways to put 86,000 Iowans back to work and a Republican Party that is “out of gas and out of ideas and would rather attack people who would bring investment ideas forward.”

In managing Senate File 376, McCoy said Iowa is trying to draw down as much federal money as possible to stimulate the economy and rebuild communities like Cedar Rapids, where jobs are at risk and flood victims “are flat on their back and they need a hand today.”

“Pay as you go doesn't work when you it comes to this type of investment,” McCoy said. “This is the right move to make.”

The weekend's marathon march actually began Friday when lawmakers worked into the early Saturday hours to move the session's major priorities to fruition. Top leaders expected adjournment to arrive later today or sometime on Sunday.

GOP and business forces were on their guard in the session's waning hours for the possibility of a last-ditch move by Democrats to change Iowa's labor laws or take up a tax measure that proposed to eliminate federal deductibility and use the proceeds to buy down income tax rates – providing relief or no change to many Iowans but raising the tax burden for others.