Iowa Legislature opens 2010 session facing budget challenges

DES MOINES – Iowa lawmakers dropped the gavel to begin the 2010 session this morning facing what House Speaker Pat Murphy, D-Dubuque, described as some of the toughest economic decisions in the last 70 or 80 years.

With roughly 113,000 Iowans unemployed, Murphy said lawmakers will focus on efforts to create jobs in the state and “keep our momentum going” on economic growth.

Lawmakers also will be forced to balance the state budget as revenues have dropped sharply. Murphy estimated the state budget shortfall at $500 million, while others have estimated it higher.

“It doesn't matter what it is. We've had budget deficits almost every year since I've been here,” Murphy said.

He pledged that before lawmakers leave they will balance the state budget without raising taxes. Maintaining state reserves will be a priority to pay bills and make school aid payments on time, Murphy said.

The compressed 80-day session that lawmakers have scheduled this year likely will force the Legislature to work on Fridays, especially in the last half of the session, to get all the work done by the end of March, said Senate President Jack Kibbie, D-Emmetsburg.

Due to the budget crunch, legislative leaders have limited the daily expense money that lawmakers receive during regular session to 80 days, rather than the usual 100 days for an election-year session. However, lawmakers have indicated they may be in Des Moines beyond the time that their expense reimbursements run out if need be to accomplish the work that needs to be done during the 2010 session.

Kibbie said this year will pose the toughest challenge in formulating a budget of his 26 sessions during two legislative stints that date back to the 1960s.

“It's going to be contentious,” said Kibbie. “With the schedules all moved forward that's going to cause some people to feel they never had an opportunity to work on some of these issues. It's going to be different than usual.”

In the Senate, returning lawmakers hugged and shook hands, caught up on their interim activities, and conferred on the tough budget decisions awaiting them.

“I think we've got a heck of a hill to climb,” said Sen. Jim Hahn, R-Muscatine, as he began his 20th session as a legislator.

Hahn said he was “completely depressed” when he left last spring after the Legislature approved a large spending increase and bonded for infrastructure funding.

But he said the revenue declines and spending cuts that have occurred during the interim gave him some cause for optimism that Gov. Chet Culver and the Legislature will take meaningful steps to rein in the growth of government and reorganize some state functions.

However, Hahn cautioned “I'm not going to take that to the bank yet. I'll have to see how things pan out.”

The Iowa House is welcoming two new members elected since last year's session – Rep. Curt Hanson, D-Fairfield, and Rep. Kirsten Running-Marquardt, D-Cedar Rapids.

Rep. Royd Chambers, a Republican from Sheldon and member of the Iowa Air National Guard, was welcomed back today after missing the last session while deployed in Kyrgyzstan.

Employees at the State Capitol have been working for weeks for the arrival of state lawmakers, checking sound systems and voting machines and cleaning the ornate chandeliers that hang in the House and Senate chambers.

Ed Failor Jr., president of Iowans for Tax Relief, is hopeful lawmakers don't put any further burden on taxpayers this session.

He said the problems have been building for more than a decade.

“They need to be responsible. They need to pare back on the size of government and decrease the burden on the taxpayers,” Failor said.

Failor is looking forward to seeing a plan by lawmakers to reorganize state government in an effort to find efficiencies and slash spending.

Rep. Erik Helland, R-Grimes, is one of the members of a special legislative commission looking at government reorganization.

“I think the reality is, the political reality is, if we get a few hundred million (dollars) in savings out of it, it's going to be a giant step forward,” Helland said.