Iowa lawmakers closing in on key issues

DES MOINES – Lawmakers keep progressing towards adjournment today with agreements coming together on most of the session's top priority issues.

“We're making lots of progress on lots of bills,” said Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal, D-Council Bluffs. “We're finding common ground between the two sides, between the House and the Senate. We're making good progress.”

So much so that House Speaker Kraig Paulsen, R-Hiawatha, said he expects the 2012 session to adjourn later today. Democrats who control the Senate were less optimistic, however.

Negotiators are close to agreements on bills dealing with education reform and mental health redesign, leaders in both chambers say. Those issues likely will see floor debate in the coming hours.

Less clear is the status of the property tax reform measure. The GOP-led House passed its version 71-26 last night but the Senate Ways and Means Committee is working off the Senate's plan – much of which was incorporated in the House bill that included provisions that go beyond what Senate Democrats have endorsed.

“We sent the bill over to the Senate last night. My hope is that they will send it to the governor,” Paulsen told reporters today. “My hope is that -- if they were going to change it that, we could talk about that ahead of time and maybe come to some agreement.

“But, I can tell you that my understanding of the framework of the agreement – that bill conforms to it. Each one -- the Senate, the House, the governor -- has pieces in there, so unless we're going to add some more relief to it or something along those lines, we're not very interested in backing up,” he added. “I see no reason why we can't get that done today.”

Gronstal said lawmakers have reached that point in the session where they need to focus on policy, not politics.

“The approach now shouldn't be exchanging versions. But, if that's the game, we'll certainly play in the field. But I don't think that's particularly productive at the moment. I think it's more about people looking for common ground, having those discussions and see if there's some there,” Gronstal told reporters. “The leaders should look for common ground on this issue and grab what's available.”

Today marks the 121

^st

day of a session that began with an April 17 target date for adjournment.