Branstad hopeful Iowa Senate will confirm department heads

DES MOINES - Gov. Terry Branstad told reporters Monday he was hopeful that all his administration's department heads would win confirmation by the Iowa Senate, but the top Senate Democrat withheld judgment as his 26-member caucus continued discussions in advance of Wednesday's deadline.

'The leadership in the Senate has not indicated to me any particular appointees that they have problems with, so I'm very optimistic that they all will be confirmed,” the six-term GOP governor said. 'I'm very encouraged about the way the process has gone this year.”

Senators confirmed a dozen Branstad appointees Monday, including Mary Cownie as director of the state Department of Cultural Affairs, Courtney Kay-Decker as director of the Iowa Department of Revenue and Geri Huser as chairwoman of the Iowa Utilities Board. Patricia Lipski's appointment to the Iowa State Civil Rights Commission and Dennis Schemmel's nomination to the state Natural Resource Commission were among nine members approved 'en bloc” 47-0 to positions on state boards and commissions.

However, five Branstad appointees - Janet Phipps Burkhead as director of the state Department of Administrative Services, Charles Palmer as director of the state Department of Human Services, David Roederer as director of the state Department of Management, Arlen Ciechanowski as director of the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy, and Joseph S. Cortese II as Iowa's workers' compensation commissioner - still faced scrutiny in garnering the 34 affirmative votes needed to meet the two-thirds majority requirement for confirmation.

'We're not done discussing all of the appointments,” Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal, D-Council Bluffs, said Monday. 'We're still having discussions on those in our caucus. When those discussions in caucus are final, we will communicate with the governor's office.”

As a courtesy, Senate leaders in the past have notified the governor when an appointee's confirmation has run into trouble to give the governor the option to withdraw a nomination.

'We will give him that option if it comes to that,” Gronstal said. 'I don't know if it's going to come to that.”

On a different topic Monday, Branstad said he is open to compromise with members of the split-control Legislature to bridge gaps that are holding up work on approving a fiscal 2016 state general fund budget.

'I've indicated a willingness to work with them and compromise,” Branstad told his weekly news conference.

Republicans who control the House and Democrats who control the Senate have been unable to reach agreement on the overall fiscal 2016 spending target or how much state aid to provide K-12 schools.

Having the governor willing to compromise, does not solve the problem, Gronstal said.

'We need two willing partners - the House and the governor - to proceed to compromise,” he said.