Lawmakers trade verbal barbs on boarding school oversight

DES MOINES - Legislative efforts to protect students at private boarding schools erupted into a war of words Wednesday with two lawmakers trading accusations of promoting a 'media circus” and practicing 'pretty politics.”

During floor debate, Senate Government Oversight Chairman Rob Hogg, D-Cedar Rapids, lambasted the House Government Oversight Committee for letting his bill on private boarding schools die.

'Then what happened was the chair of House Oversight decides to have a high-profile media circus,” Hogg said.

'It is sad to see a senator resort to politics when we're trying to protect kids,” House Government Oversight Committee Chairman Bobby Kaufman, R-Wilton, said. The boarding school bill didn't reach him until the day before the funnel deadline, he said.

'You don't just take on major reforms of boarding schools in one day,” Kaufmann said.

The legislation was restarted Wednesday in both chambers. Senate File 2304 stemming from criminal complaints about sexual and physical abuse of students at the now-closed Midwest Academy near Keokuk was approved in the Senate 50-0. At the same time, Kaufmann was assigning House Study Bill 648 that addresses standards, certification and inspection of children's residential facilities. It includes 99 percent of the Senate bill, he said.

Hogg told colleagues the original bill should have been handled by either the Education or Human Services committees 'not for some dog and pony show” in House Oversight. Hogg said he tries 'not to promote myself in the news media.”

Hogg is running for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate.

Despite the verbal sparring, Kaufmann believes he and Hogg can work together.

'We have the same goal - to get a bill that can pass the House and Senate and be signed by the governor,” he said