Capitol Digest 04.23.13

A roundup of legislative and Capitol news items of interest for Tuesday, April 23, 2013:

Budget conferences: State lawmakers sent two more fiscal 2014 budget bills to House-Senate conference committees on Tuesday. HF 603, which funds administrative and regulatory functions of state government, and HF 604, which funds regent and community colleges and other education functions, were sent to 10-member panels to iron out compromises. The conferees on HF 603 included Democratic Sens. Liz Mathis of Cedar Rapids, Jeff Danielson of Waterloo and Chris Brase of Muscatine, GOP Sens. Bill Anderson of Pierson and Dennis Guth of Klemme, and GOP Reps. Ralph Watts of Adel, Tedd Gassmann of Scarville and Guy Vander Linden of Oskaloosa and Democratic Reps. Bruce Hunter of Des Moines and Dan Kelley of Newton.

The conferees on House File 604 included Democratic Sens. Brian Schoenjahn of Arlington, Wally Horn of Cedar Rapids and Herman Quirmbach of Ames, GOP Sens. Roby Smith of Davenport and Mark Chelgren of Ottumwa, and GOP Reps. Cecil Dolecheck of Mount Ayr, Ron Jorgensen of Sioux City and Rob Taylor of West Des Moines, and Democratic Reps. Cindy Winckler of Davenport and Curt Hanson of Fairfield.

Disaster declaration: Gov. Terry Branstad issued a proclamation Tuesday activating the Iowa Individual Assistance Program for three counties in eastern Iowa in the wake of recent storms and flooding. The proclamation covered Iowa, Lee and Muscatine, which incurred heavy rains, thunderstorms and flooding caused significant damage to private property beginning April 17. The Iowa Individual Assistance Program provides grants up to $5,000 for households with incomes up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level, or a maximum annual income of $39,060, for a family of three. Grants are available for home or car repairs, replacement of clothing or food, and for the expense of temporary housing. Original receipts are required for those seeking reimbursement for actual expenses related to storm recovery. The grant application and instructions are available at the “Disaster Assistance” link on the Iowa Department of Human Services website: www.dhs.iowa.gov. Applications must be received within 45 days. Last week, disaster declarations were made for Cedar, Johnson, Mahaska, Scott and Washington Counties.

NRA president: David Keene, president of the National Rifle Association will speak at noon April 25 in room 116 of the Capitol. He is the guest of the Polk County Republican Party.

Keene is recognized as one of the chief spokesmen for conservative principles. He is a former chairman of the American Conservative Union, co-founder of the American Freedom Agenda, and co-chairs the Constitution Project's Liberty and Security Committee.

RSVP to Ryan Keller at (515) 280-6438 or RyanKeller@polkgop.com

New curator: Leo Landis has been named museum curator for the State Historical Museum of Iowa, the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs announced Tuesday.

A native of Clive, Landis has been curator and director of education at the Salisbury House in Des Moines for three years, seven years as historical interpreter and director of interpretation at Living History Farms in Urbandale, three years as a curator at Conner Prairie in Fishers, Ind.; and eight years as a curator at Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Mich.

He holds degrees in history and historical administration, respectively, from Iowa State University and Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Ill., and is working toward a Ph.D. from ISU.

Landis also is author of “Building Better Roads: Iowa's Contribution to Highway Engineering,” and serves as “The Bacon Professor” for the Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival in Des Moines.

Online hunter education: Adults who have prior hunting or firearms handling experience and are looking to satisfy their hunter education requirement to purchase a hunting license will have a new option beginning July 1 – an online course.

The online course will have the same materials as its classroom counterparts and students will be tested in the same way.  The online course will last seven to eight hours, and students will need to pass a quiz at the end of each chapter, plus a final exam.

The new adult online course is an effort to reduce the barriers to attract new hunters into the field, by allowing them to satisfy the hunter education requirement on their schedule and at their own pace.

For more information, visit www.iowadnr.gov/training.

Girls outdoors: Registration are being taken for Outdoor Journey for Girls, a three-day, two-night program introducing girls ages 12 to 15 to canoeing and water safety, basic orienteering, fish and wildlife identification, firearm safety and basic shooting, camping and outdoor survival, fishing and more.

It's offered June 19-21 and Aug. 7-9 at Springbrook State Park north of Guthrie Center and July 9-11 at Hickory Hills Park near Dysart. The $125 registration covers food, lodging and equipment use. As sponsors of Outdoor Journey, local Pheasants Forever chapters often provide scholarships to help offset the cost for girls to attend.

For more, visit www.iowadnr.gov/Education/CampsWorkshops/OutdoorJourneyforGirls.aspx.

Quote of the day: “We're not only pro-life, we're prolific.” – The Family Leader Vice President Chuck Hurley after telling a rally in the Capitol rotunda that he and his wife, Chris, have 10 children.

--Compiled by the Des Moines Bureau