Gridlock: Lawmakers report little progress on resolving budget impasse

DES MOINES - House and Senate leaders continued on their separate budget paths Thursday as the pace of legislative progress slowed with two weeks remaining until they reach the target date for adjournment.

'It's just a frustrating situation,” said House Speaker Kraig Paulsen, R-Hiawatha, who indicated legislative Republicans have no plan to budge off their proposal to increase supplemental state aid to K-12 schools by 1.25 percent in fiscal 2016 - a position shared by Republican Gov. Terry Branstad. 'We haven't made any progress,” he said.

Legislative Democrats countered they are the ones in sync with the governor, having issued fiscal 2016 spending targets that match Branstad's proposed $7.34 billion funding level and having lowered their proposed school aid increase to 2.625 percent in hopes of forging middle ground with GOP counterparts.

'There has not been a single concession from the House Republicans to work through this gridlock and make sure that we resolve this crisis,” said House Minority Leader Mark Smith, D-Marshalltown. 'This is Iowa, ladies and gentlemen, not Washington, D.C., and it's time to work together to resolve these issues.”

In fiscal 2013, the split-control Legislature bridged philosophical differences by enacting a school fund increase that provided a 2 percent increase in general fund appropriations and used one-time surplus dollars to finance another 2 percent boost for that fiscal year, but that was not rolled into the base for the following year.

Asked whether that might be an option this year, Paulsen said 'nobody's proposed that.” He said Republicans are adamant they will not spend more than the $7.175 billion in revenue the state expects to collect. But a one-time allotment that would not be an ongoing expense in future years would be in line with GOP budgeting principles.

Senate President Pam Jochum, D-Dubuque, said Democrats likely would be open to a split-funding approach again to 'help get us off the dime” in talks where only their side has been showing movement.

'We have tried very hard to be flexible and patient,” she said. 'Somehow you've got to reach common ground. We've been pushing. At some point they need to move a little bit, too. My way or the highway isn't a negotiation.”

Paulsen likened talks with legislative Democrats to used-car dickering and, while House Republicans aren't ready to release their budget targets, he expects the House will move ahead with budget work on federal block grants, transportation, and infrastructure bills that are less controversial with the expectation that both political parties will forge an overall budget agreement at some point.

Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal, D-Council Bluffs, said he expected Senate budget subcommittee leaders to have their individual spending bills completed by next week with hopes of starting floor debate the following week.

May 1 marks the session's 110th day when lawmakers' daily expense money ends - a milestone that usually builds pressure to complete session work and adjourn.

'We keep plugging through things and we'll get it done,” Paulsen said. 'We'll be here until our job is done. I don't have a prediction when we'll get done.”