Slow progress delays 2010 session's adjournment

DES MOINES – The pace of legislative action slowed to a crawl Saturday, forcing Democratic leaders to regroup and aim for a new adjournment target this week.

“We're in a race with a snail to the finish and the snail is ahead,” said Rep. Jack Drake, R-Griswold.

Lawmakers spent a painfully slow day Saturday meeting behind closed doors, engaging in committee and floor debates, waiting for bill drafts and chasing what Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal, D-Council Bluffs, described as “elusive consensus.”

Much of the logjam holding back adjournment was focused in the House, where House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, D-Des Moines, said lawmakers tried to meet an “overly aggressive” timetable to close out an already-shortened session on the 76

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day. Democrats hold a 55-44 edge in the House.

“We can see the light at the end of the tunnel,” McCarthy said, although he conceded the end likely could approach the original 80-day target that arrives Wednesday when lawmakers hit a self-imposed deadline to halt their daily expense money in recognition of the state's tight budget. The House halted work for the weekend at about 8 p.m. with plans to resume work Monday at 10 a.m.

By contrast, Gronstal said the Senate – where Democrats hold a dominant 32-18 edge – “is ready, willing and able” to adjourn.

After Wednesday, if the session has not ended, Gronstal said legislators will start their own “furlough days” like many state employees have taken in a fiscal year that was hit with a record recession-driven drop in state tax receipts -- forcing Gov. Chet Culver to impose a 10 percent across-the-board cut last October.

State legislators, who have had to revise their current year budget this session, were down to the final pieces Saturday of a fiscal 2011 spending plan that would draw $5.3 billion from the general fund and over $600 million in one-time funds to finance state operations, K-12 schools, social service programs and a host of other government programs beginning next July 1.

Shortly after noon, senators voted 28-18 to send Culver a budget measure funding health and human services programs for fiscal 2011. Minority Republicans continued to vote against every budget measure on the basis that they have had little input into the decision-making process and Democrats are spending too much given current economic conditions and revenue collections.

“I think what the average Iowan will remember from this session will come back to them when they get their property tax bills,” said House GOP Leader Kraig Paulsen of Hiawatha. “That's how they've balanced their budget, that's how they balanced their spending increases. I think that's the No. 1 thing that Iowans will remember this General Assembly for.”

Also, the Senate voted 42-3 to establish a debt coordinator whose job would be to recoup money from scofflaws owing unpaid court fines, back taxes or other delinquent payments.

Senate File 2383 would set up a coordinated debt collection effort that would include the creation of separate debt settlement and debt amnesty programs to encourage people to pay at least a share of the money they owe the state.

The remaining budget pieces deal with more than $2.7 billion in standing appropriations and a $262.5 million infrastructure package that divvies up state gambling profits and $150 million in bonding proceeds – much of it going to disaster recovery and flood mitigation efforts.

"Tonight we will renew our commitment to the future of Iowa," said Sen. Matt McCoy, D-Des Moines, as senators held an evening debate on the infrastructure/bonding budget bill. "This is a good bill for Iowa."

On Saturday, majority Democrats added $5.2 million for a program to aid small businesses. They also voted to make it easier for small businesses to obtain loans under a linked investment fund, and established an interim study panel to look at ways to ease business regulations, improve licensing and upgrade tax collection processes.

Another provision earmarked more than $6.5 million -- $2 million from the underground storage tank fund – by fiscal 2012 for passenger rail service in Iowa. McCoy said the "intent" money represented a starting point to build a $20 million pool by 2015 to serve as matching money to land federal help in completing a passenger rail link from Chicago through the Quad Cities to Iowa City.

“I see no reason why we're doing this,” said Sen. James Seymour, R-Woodbine, noting that no passenger rail service operating in the nation generates enough revenue to cash flow without government subsidy. “We'll be subsidizing this for a long time,” he said.

In the end, the Senate voted 29-16 to approve the infrastructure/bonding package and sent Senate File 2383 to the House. Senators then halted work shortly after 9 p.m. with plans to return to the Capitol on Monday at 2 p.m.

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rod.boshart@gazcomm.com