Water-quality solution continues to elude lawmakers

DES MOINES - Prospects continued to dim Tuesday for legislative agreement this session on a long-term approach to addressing Iowa's water-quality problems.

Gov. Terry Branstad told reporters at his weekly news conference he supports a House-passed bill and hoped the Senate would at least debate the measure, amend it or offer some alternatives. That would enable the split-control Legislature to take 'an important and significant step” to improve Iowa's rivers and lakes, he said.

'We think it would be a mistake for the Senate to go home without debating that issue,” Branstad told reporters, 'and there's time to do that, and I'm very hopeful that they will approve it this year.”

However, Democrats who control the Senate contend the House plan to generate almost half a billion dollars for water-quality efforts over 13 years merely shifts money without providing long-term help.

The House plan would sap money from state infrastructure projects and use revenue Iowans already pay on their water bills, Senate Democrats said.

Branstad's plan to divert a portion of future sales tax revenue growth meant for school infrastructure toward programs to curb water pollution has failed to garner legislative support. None of the three options of a fractional sales tax increase, a new commodity checkoff option and an ending-balance 'trigger” to fund water quality has attracted a consensus to move forward.

'We're getting ready to exit here. There's no real consensus on what we should do to address this issue,” said Sen. Joe Bolkcom, D-Iowa City, chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee who expects the session will produce a 'status quo” approach of funding through several budget measures.

'There are a lot of proposals out there, and they all have their pros and cons, and I think we're not going to get to a consensus in this divided government we're in,” Bolkcom said.

During Tuesday's Senate debate on a fiscal 2017 ag/natural resources budget bill, Sen. David Johnson, R-Ocheyedan, offered a 'revenue neutral” plan to incrementally raise the sales tax from 6 percent to 6.375 percent over three years. The goal is to pay for a constitutionally protected natural resource trust approved by Iowa voters in 2010 while offsetting it with a corresponding phased adjustment to the Iowa income tax filing thresholds.

However, the amendment was ruled ineligible for consideration under a procedural challenge. Johnson called it a missed opportunity before senators voted 31-19 to approve House File 2454.

But Bolkcom said the issue was a 'non-starter” in a tight budget year, adding 'the budget just can't accommodate a $180 million loss to the general fund to fund K-12 education and other things. We just don't' have the capacity to do that now. We did a few years ago”