House OKs $352 million Iowa DOT budget

On a party line vote, the Iowa House approved a $352.4 million Department of Transportation budget - a $15.6 million increase including funding for 20 new fulltime equivalency positions - 56-43.

It's a "modest" budget, according to DOT lobbyist Elizabeth Baird. Part of the 4.6 percent increase in House File 805 is tied to 20 new positions, which, she explained, are contingent on the national Real ID program. If the federal legislation is amended, those positions won't be necessary.

Not modest enough for Republicans.

"We don't have anything against the DOT or its employees," said Rep. Dan Huseman, R-Cherokee, ranking Republican on the Transportation, Infrastructure and Capitals Appropriations Subcommittee. "They get you where you want to go. In a $350 million-something budget $15 million doesn't seem like much, but we just think they ought to be held accountable like other agencies."

DOT budget highlights:

• Appropriates a total of $352.4 million to the DOT. This includes $49.9 million from the Road Use Tax Fund, $302.4 million from the Primary Road Fund, and 3,393 FTE positions. This is an increase of $15.6 million and 20 FTE positions compared to the current year.
• Appropriates $3.7 million from the Road Use Tax Fund for driver's license production and central issuance, an increase of $667,000.
• Appropriates $47.5 million and 311 FTE positions from the Road Use Tax Fund and Primary Road Fund for the Operations budget unit, an increase of $370,000 and FTE positions.
• Appropriates $38.3 million and 498 FTE positions from the Road Use Tax Fund and Primary Road Fund for the Motor Vehicles budget unit, a net increase of $1.1 million and 17 FTE positions.
• Appropriates $236.3 million and 2,453 FTE positions from the Primary Road Fund for the Highways budget unit, an increase of $13.0 million.
• Appropriates $1.6 million from the Road Use Tax Fund and Primary Road Fund for payment to the Department of Administrative Services for personnel and utility services, an increase of $303,000.
• Appropriates $3.5 million from the Road Use Tax Fund and Primary Road Fund for workers' compensation costs, an increase of $617,000.
• Appropriates $1 million from the Primary Road Fund for Field Facility Deferred Maintenance, an increase of $500,000.
• Appropriates $3 million from the Primary Road Fund for construction of a new maintenance garage in Rockwell City. The department is typically provided an annual appropriation for a new maintenance garage.

• Appropriates a total of $352.4 million to the DOT. This includes $49.9 million from the Road Use Tax Fund, $302.4 million from the Primary Road Fund, and 3,393 FTE positions. This is an increase of $15.6 million and 20 FTE positions compared to the current year.
• Appropriates $3.7 million from the Road Use Tax Fund for driver's license production and central issuance, an increase of $667,000.
• Appropriates $47.5 million and 311 FTE positions from the Road Use Tax Fund and Primary Road Fund for the Operations budget unit, an increase of $370,000 and FTE positions.
• Appropriates $38.3 million and 498 FTE positions from the Road Use Tax Fund and Primary Road Fund for the Motor Vehicles budget unit, a net increase of $1.1 million and 17 FTE positions.
• Appropriates $236.3 million and 2,453 FTE positions from the Primary Road Fund for the Highways budget unit, an increase of $13.0 million.
• Appropriates $1.6 million from the Road Use Tax Fund and Primary Road Fund for payment to the Department of Administrative Services for personnel and utility services, an increase of $303,000.
• Appropriates $3.5 million from the Road Use Tax Fund and Primary Road Fund for workers' compensation costs, an increase of $617,000.
• Appropriates $1 million from the Primary Road Fund for Field Facility Deferred Maintenance, an increase of $500,000.
• Appropriates $3 million from the Primary Road Fund for construction of a new maintenance garage in Rockwell City. The department is typically provided an annual appropriation for a new maintenance garage.

Source: Legislative Services Agency

 Floor manager Rep. Dennis Cohoon, D-Burlington, pointed out there are no general fund dollars in the DOT budget and back in December the department made $4.5 million in cuts by reducing travel, delaying facilities maintenance and other items.

In recent years, the biggest challenge for the DOT has been the increases in the cost of fuel and salt, Baird said. Next year, the challenge may be absorbing step increases in the department's contract with AFSCME because it appears unlikely lawmakers will approve a salary bill to cover those cover those costs, she said.

A GOP amendment to eliminate $17,000 for Transportation Commissioners' flights to public input meetings was adopted 97-3.

Creating jobs for Iowans is a priority for Republicans, "but this isn't the way I intended to do it," Huseman said, referring to the 20 positions created in the DOT budget.

Funding for the department's operations, programs, equipment purchases, and facility improvements comes off the top of the Road Use Tax Fund. The remaining RUTF revenues are distributed by formula: 47.5 percent to the Primary Road Fund, 24.5 percent to the Secondary Road Fund, 20 percent to the Municipal Road Fund, and 8 percent to the Farm-to-Market Fund.

Also Tuesday, the House:

• Passed SF 81 56-41 to give school districts more latitude in transferring funds from its emergency fund following during the two years following a disaster and create a new property tax levy of up to 27 cents per $1,000 assessed valuation. Republicans objected to the new tax levy and what they saw as a lack of clarity on whether the funds had to be spent on disaster related expenses.
• Approved 93-0 HF 266, a bill that calls for electronic recording of small claims proceedings before a magistrate if they are not reported by a court reporter. Originally the bill applied to all trials before a magistrate if a court reporter was not present, but the Senate narrowed the scope of the bill and the House accepted the change 93-0.
• Adopted SF 334 99-0 to eliminate the Government Oversight Committee as a permanent committee of the Legislative Council, which has been replaced by the Legislature's standing Government Oversight Committee on government oversight.

Government Oversight, which meets year-round, has no set agenda, focuses on government operations with an eye toward finding efficiencies and looking at problems that arise, such as the recent discovery of developmentally disabled men living in substandard housing in Atalissa.

• Passed SF 226 69-30 to establish a presumption that cancer and infectious diseases are work-related for the purposes of disability and death benefits and increasing the contribution rate for the statewide fire and police retirement system. The Legislative Services Agency found the cost of the bill to local government would be $100,000 per firefighter and police officer. There are 3,881 members of the Statewide Fire and Police Retirement System -- 1,637 firefighters and 2,244 police officers.

Rep. Nick Wagner, R-Marion, said it would cost his community $1.03 million in property taxes.