Iowa Press; 1626; Legislative Leaders 1989

But I will press show number 16 26 executive producers Sprecher director Crowfoot topic legislative leaders the length of twenty eight fifty eight. It will 23rd 1989 and airs April 23rd 1989. A. Major funding for this program was provided by friends of Iowa Public Television. Iowa lawmakers are winding down their 1999 session. Will they go home

with their desired accomplishments. And I have talked with two legislative leaders about Iowa's needs and legislation to be completed before adjournment. You're. This is the Sunday April 23rd edition of I will produce here is bein born. Good evening they discussed everything from an increased minimum wage to a pay raise for themselves urban bills and how to best clean up Iowa's environment to a bill that would create a new state agency to clean up society's drug abuse problem. In all more than 2000 bills have been introduced in more than thirty six hundred amendments written. But as Nancy Crowfoot reports with lawmakers 40 dollar a day expense payments to end it next Friday April 28. There's motivation during the session. The legislature has passed several major bills including a bill signed into law by the governor to increase the minimum wage in Iowa to $4 65 cents an hour by one thousand nine hundred

two. That's 10 cents higher than the Congress's proposal to increase the federal minimum wage. The governor also signed a bill that permits open enrollment which means a student can choose to attend a school outside of the school district in which he or she lives. And just this past week after a lengthy and controversial debate the House passed and sent to the governor a bill to legalize riverboat gambling. The governor has said he will likely sign the bill since there seem to be adequate safeguards in place such a gambling measure is also projected by one group to provide a 1.3 billion dollar boost to the state's economy. Lawmakers still have a number of items to attend to before they go home including appropriations to state agencies and programs. A couple of other major issues are having difficulty because they are split along urban rule forces in the legislature. One is a revision of the formula for distributing more than one billion dollars a year in state school aid. The other is a proposal to

reallocate road taxes giving states in cities a larger share in counties a smaller share than under the current formula. Of course these issues are priorities if they are debated this year the sun will still rise tomorrow except for appropriations together issues can wait until next year to be decided to discuss the progress of several issues still under consideration and the likelihood of their passage we have two legislative leaders with us tonight Representative Bob Arnold is a Democrat from Davenport. He's the majority leader of the House of Representatives. Senator Cal Holtman Republican from Red Oak is the minority leader in the Iowa Senate. The big question tonight by Davie Upson political reporter for The Des Moines Register and then by Kay Henderson a legislative reporter for Radio Iowa radio while was a service that provides among other things State House news to about 40 radio stations throughout the state. Mr. Arnold. Everyone says riverboat gambling was one of the toughest debates at the legislature.

I've gone through in recent years what it cost both in terms of deals that you may have made to get the 51 votes needed to pass the bill. But also in terms of the bad feelings that may exist up there. Would you have to trade first of all. Well I think that that it was a bill that basically was was sold to the members of the General Assembly on the merits. We made a pretty good case to the to the fellow legislators from around the state that gambling had been a good opportunity for the view for Council Bluffs for the morn for Waterloo. In the other parts of the state ought to have an opportunity to participate. And basically that's the reason that the legislators came on board and supported the bill. I think that I think that it's obviously the General Assembly as a place where people work together over a long period of time they build friendships and alliances and some people called on their friends to help them out. They did so do so Dennis black daughter didn't get anything in return for changing

your vote. Oh I think it was a vote for in behalf of certain communities in the state to help them with their economic development some talk at all environmentalist legislators and they were tended to vote against this thing and that there might be some retribution taken against them later. Any truth to that. I think there were there was a point there or near the end of the debate where things were getting strange I had made a decision of the bill is not passed by the end of the week that I probably would have had to pull the bill at that point and get on with the rest of the session. But since the bill passed I think what the effect in the general assembly will be a healing process. No one's going to be a port going to just clarify your deep Tybee or representative Arnold the Tybee to environmental issues and riverboat gambling. Well fact most environmentalist legislators up there Paul Johnson being one of them. Voted against the legislation. It was just that you had a lot of talk in the back room that a lot of interest groups were going to go with would somehow get even with them. War environmental bills as a result normally in the legislative process by the next day over the next

week you find out that you need legislators that you were mad at the week before and those things tend to heal pretty quickly especially when you pass the bill sent home and I'd like to get your response to the question of the after effect of this they are finally banned in the Senate after this so I think of the after effect of what you're going to figure out for a while. First right now there is a lot of the tensions gone because we're it's over with. It's going to become law. So we'll get down and deal with things we have to deal with. And there was getting to be an awful lot of resentment in the fact that this consumed so much time took us away from the tax bills took his way from group relations and I think that the resentment in there now there's going to be some hard feelings. And there always are after these people are still talking about collective bargaining and what that was 1973. I will remind you of a vote on collective bargaining. So it's going to be here for a while. There will be some hard feelings. You spent a lot of time on riverboat gambling. You spent a lot of time talking about the environment

after a zeen tax filter straps a pop tax abolishing the EPA see how far along are those issues that you've talked about. Well I think it's going to be a very good session for for the environment and I when the house we passed the waste reduction bill last week which I think is one of the cornerstones of what we're going to do. We know we need to reduce what's going into landfills now and I think that that will be an important step in that direction. We're also for the first time committing starting the process of committing major new resources to buying and and holding onto land that I walked to to hold onto and protect for the future. That bill ran into a lot of trouble in the Senate. You now believe you with your Thursday where they can get away with a pop tax an attempted ban on tenth of a percent of the cigarette tax and I believe the bill went down with a proposal on it because we don't want to start earmarking funds and we want to increase new tax. The concept what you're doing we're talking about putting an appropriation on a four million dollars.

To do that and have a direct upfront appropriation really created new taxes but there were earmarks in the budget bill being down doesn't mean it's automatically did if you see it will tomorrow. We know that your committee the funding mechanism is being changed but we're still moving ahead with the with the proposals with money from another source that the House has talked about abolishing the Environmental Protection Commission cow that's not going to sound this I don't think it will sell the Senate. We've done our environmental thing when we knocked down the two governor to the Environmental Protection Commission. Senator home and the Senate seem to environmentalists seems to be the roadblock if you will toward a lot of the legislation that's coming out of the House the House of Representatives as you know they passed almost any kind of environmental bill that you want to you want to name but it won't ever go anywhere in the Senate. What sort of environmental legislation do you think will ultimately emerge out of that I was sent you know. Yeah there will be some of the our Senate and I think anything. Yeah I think it will. But I think

such as this reprogramming they're talking about there be some things that will be and then at the open spaces and I would very much like to see the biodegradable plastic study that I was state senator be funded in to make Iowa bio degradable state and we did hold a hearing Thursday noon. I'm fortunate we're both was going on the same time it was very difficult to gameplay down to but it went through and they explained what they're trying to do and I think that would really be a right step in the right direction which I think you can look at two or three things like that. But as far as wiping out the environment. Council I don't think that's a step in the right direction that won't happen. Pop tax won't happen but after tax 10 percent actually Then why do you want to put a natural to penalize one group to good all groups. Why do you want to do this. Well after Xena's is a dangerous chemical it's a chemical that's older that's been around a long time and it tends to not

break down in the soil the way some of the newer chemicals do and I think we've got to take some steps in order to to at least move them to a newer more progressive generation of chemicals and I was took that position center open. That isn't going to work I guess I can't buy that philosophy if you've got a problem with that. Let's deal with that regime with taxes. Well you know what you're doing are you Dave down in southwest I will you put a tax on actors you know we're going to jump across the river and Raskin by it or we're going to go down across the line in Missouri now who have you hurt you hurt the local chemical dealers in our area but you haven't stopped putting after Xenon you know at $3 a gallon that's going to it's going to pay to go together and what is the idea that Representative Arthel is it to make the price. Prohibitive so that it will not be used or is it to then use the money to finance some cleanup. It's a more primitive generation of the chemical and therefore it's less expensive than the newer and safer models and so they were trying to make the cost more more

competitive with Senator Holden would like to see the ban after we'd certainly be willing to look at it. I'm not saying what I'm saying is I think there's a better approach than taxing and frankly in the Senate and I can and I'm not just speaking Republicans this morning Democrats who number I'm tired of tax tax tax. Another issue that has become an environmental issue among other emotional aspects of it is Brushy Creek. Is that going to be a very emotional debate over that in the Iowa Senate it looked like it was dead but is it Senator Holden. Well it was an emotional issue there's no two ways about it. I voted against us prohibiting brush your critic on one promise alone. I didn't have any brothers against or for or against a lake or a horse trail but any time that the legislature starts authorizing in defending him saying relate to can be built over 30 acres it has to have the stamp of approval of the General Assembly I think it's wrong. I think that's a departmental decision.

If we don't like what the department is doing then we cut off their funds or talk to the commissioners who have confirmation process. I don't want to see are we going to get into the roads next door we're going to start determining that highway 20 will be built between here and there and they're going to jump over and do all Highway 6 here to there. I don't I think that's why we have departments and commissions. The legislature should not look at itself as the administrative body with the legislative body. What's the feeling in the House of Representatives. I think it's pretty close but I think the majority of the House members feel the way Senator Holtman does that it's not the legislature's responsibility to decide the location of lakes and on the Senate side they had a second wake again and that probably makes it even more likely that the House will will decide not to not go along so therefore it looks like I made a decision that could be because the Conservation Commission generally had approved that looks like Brushy Creek could become a reality then. Well it's possible I don't think there's 51 votes to pass the bill that the Senate sent us which would which would prohibit the

construction of I should also given the fact that that second like it's in Scott County is it. Well that's that's not a particular problem for me I think. Basically people from all over the state have the same philosophical problem with with building with making legislative decisions about building was that late put in Scott County to get your support for the bill. I didn't know about the late coming to Scott County until after it was announced it's I think it's probably a good thing it's not a major priority of mine. Let's move on to the road debate that's going on in the legislature. Always a debate who gets what counties state cities. Senator Hoffman What ultimately do you foresee emerging out of this legislature if anything on the road bill you don't have to do it this year do you think most of all that you will do it this year. There's a there's a good chance that we will we're making a run at it now we did pass a bill with that will not be the final thing. Dave if we could digress for just a minute here based on that one the percentages at this point is going to be forty eight to the state. Thirty two of the counties and 22 cities or 46 34 20. The main

thing you have to look at in there right now is a lot of the dollars going into what happens to the off the top money. What happens to the rise money of the primary fund How is that plugged in words it put. I think we can arrive. The house has one proposal we have another and I think right in between the two of them would probably be a word will end up if it ends up there is year. If it doesn't I think what we ought to do is get it into conference with the conference committee meet over the summer and come back and adopt or reject a conference committee report in January. Mr. Arnold do you think the legislature will do something on on roads this year. Yeah I think we're close enough that we can find a middle ground here in the next couple of weeks. I think there's a general consensus that the state's probably going to get a little more of the cities are probably going to get a little more. The counties are going to get a little less with some hold harmless provision and we're both basically in the same ballpark. This is a real rural urban split in the legislature. Now why shouldn't urban legislators wait until 1993

to settle this dispute rather than just settle for half a loaf now. Mr. Arnold you're present in Urban Urban Area What's the advantage to this legislature dealing with this thing now. Well I think it's a good time because we have the studies in front of us we know that are we know that our formulas are are outdated it's time to deal with it. I'm not one of the people that believes that the legislature's going to be dramatically different in 1903 I think you'll see you'll see some changes. But I think when you're taking something that's going to be in place for 10 or 20 years if you can achieve some movement that starts steering some of that money back in the right direction even if it's not a perfect solution but moves money back where the priorities ought to be. Got to take that step when you can and we've got that movement going this year. Another If there is any given year that's going to happen the next report from suburban areas of the state are going to gain a lot of representation and how are those suburban areas going to be divided up on the compaction three of the courts. We can spend a whole. It was probably will but my point is is that this legislature is Mela portion does

not reflect the population changes that have occurred and I would during the 1980s you look at the suburb in areas of the state are growing and it's a simple question of why not just wait until you can allocate this thing on a fair basis. I don't think you'd want to wait and I think it ought to be done now because there are needs out there we have the transportation 2000 that's looking for this money for the economic development it's been called on and of the lady that for three years just puts that program back to you. You suppose we're going to be debating this question than I was then in 1993 Anyway you'll do this formula now and I don't think I don't think it is I don't think you'll see a change in the following terms another increase in gas tax and I don't see one of those. Another issue that is can be divisive between rural and urban interested schools and the school aid formula by which state monies are distributed throughout the state to the districts that is due to be revised not later than next year. Are you going to deal with that this year though Representative Arnold. Yeah I think we're I think we're in the same position on that that we are on the roads they've been

working now in conference committee and discussion groups for several months and they're very close to arriving at a solution their base which is that I'm going to be more particularly I can probably answer him or ignore him. Senator Coleman. Well we've we've arrived at it. Actually the House and Senate when they finish passing the bills weren't that far apart there were some technical differences on verra but the basic concept we agreed on except for one major issue and that's on the referendum on the 10 percent instructional fund we've basically agreed to take an increase of. But how do the increase of the house said by a board action alone. The Senate said by referendum only that he added in additional 10 percent percent tax levy within the area if the vote if he was one way voters would approve it. If you went Wait one. Another way the school board could approve it. That's right and it's 75 percent on taxes local taxes income and property mix and 25 percent state. What's it going to mean to school kids anything. I mean it's a wonderful wealth debate and it's all this arcane stuff about formulas and all that.

But is it really needed I think is what I think so yes I do because I think the way we ended up with that Dave that if we were taking the money actually now and putting the money where the students are we also are putting money in there for at risk we are also looking at risk means where their children problems will be the drugs or the latch key or whatever the case may be. In your urban areas and growers. And also transportation so that you can actually have more money for teachers more money for education. To the to the students to get more teachers teachers aides equipment etc. all those type of things rather than funding some phantom student that's not what you are holding harmless right. One year one year I'm going to hold harmless and phantom students it's the same with a different name on it. They were I guess maybe I better back up and explain what we're doing we're going into a five year matrix and in this five year matrix you drop out of that report schools the first year they get a count you then it's 85 percent it drops down after the fourth year you're not there and we don't guarantee you other than that over four years

so as you. Move out. You lose that money so you're actually sending the money where the where the kids are. We're really you and I were not a fan of students. You do only what you take four years to eliminate a phantom student which you eliminate and there will be no good budget gear to use after the matrix is complete I missed that comment representative Arnold would you say about 10 students. Well I think the one thing that Iowans have never agreed with is this concept that we ought to be funding phantom students and you can make a good defense of why we had to do that to ease the transition. But the important thing in this bill is that we are basically ending phantom students they will now be phased out quickly when students leave the school system and the money will will not more equally for all of the students. Let's talk about something you'd like to create you'd like to create more prison beds and I want both Democrats and Republicans don't want to get beaten up in the 1990 election for being soft on crime. What's the House plan. Why have you gone so far and won one point in the continuum from the Senate plan in terms of present that expansion. Well the the House position from the beginning I think has been that

we want to build more prison beds than the Senate does we don't necessarily want to build quite as many as the governor does. We're going to put 200 medium security beds and we're talking about three hundred sixty six new beds. House members are convinced especially with their announcement this week that we're going to be strengthening enforcement of drug laws. That if we're going to start cracking down on drugs and other problems out there together with the parole violation problems we've got right now we need more beds. Correct me if I'm wrong that the governor's proposal is for three hundred eighty six more beds right the proposal you passed this week is for four hundred twenty one events. Well they added they added I think they had 65 beds at the farm down by Fort Madison I don't know if that's going to stay in as a component or not our original proposal was three sixty six. We are in the neighborhood of the governor anyway and I suspect will be building so when Democrats run in 90 they can say to Republicans a chicken in every pot and a bed for every felon. But I think if it passed the House version maybe

the Senate the majority party the Senate is not looking to build that number of beds at all. They want to put everything into community based corrections and it's going to be a very hard hard tussle to get any prison beds through in the Senate at this point. But you know if we just back off and look at it where we are and what we're under the gun from the federal courts we have to do something we're you know we're we're under the gun with parole violations or parole violations are caused because we're we have a cap that we can only have someone in prison. So you have to parole people no more you parole the wrong ones you're getting getting parole. So there is a parole violation they go back. We're we're in a downward cycle on this. We have to get it corrected. And what we need are more me minimum medium. Secure beds so we can take care of that problem that's where work comes in and you're getting away from community based corrections in Europe and I don't think we want to get away from of all we have to face the facts of life. We do have problems with people that need to be in minimum and medium security but we're also in population and we're also increasing community based correction beds as well as well as

substance abuse programs and increased staffing at the prisons it's all part of a comprehensive problem of community based corrections I don't think they mean disagree with them but until you get into Linn County Cedar Rapids have been fighting the community based corrections vein has been fighting community based corrections and you know it's one of those things are fine but I will put in my neighborhood and my home and interstate banking is an issue in the Senate. Listen pastor say he was I don't know it's a very tight vote right now. If it let me put it this way if interstate banking comes up in our Senate it will pass but does not have the votes it will not come up. And I believe it's within one vote right now. Same question to you that has representative are a lot of what's being traded here to get the votes to better state I don't think that with interstate banking as many years it's been around kicked around maligned abused lobbied for him to and from that to be in the. First thing I have nothing to give. It's not a priority was Senator HUTCHENS And so consequently I doubt anything would be given.

We've got just a few minutes left here and I'd like to get a larger view of this session from from each of you what do you think the biggest accomplishment of this legislature will be Senator Hoffman you want to talk about accomplishments or what we're going to get out nor like what will he be known for and what will be left undone. OK what are you known for I know without a doubt for gambling because that was the glamour issue that had all the sex appeal in a world that you guys wrote about and talked about forever. I think the one thing that we're going to do that it's going to have a lasting effect is that school aid form and that has not been followed or written about that much at all but that's going to we're spending a billion one hundred million dollars in or we're putting to enhance our education says What's a what's left and what's left undone I think there are a number of things we keep talking about the tort reform situation we haven't seen on tort reforms medical malpractise etc. that we feel needs to be taken care of and looked at and a lot of those things like that are moral.

Mr. O'Neal biggest accomplishment. I don't think you can. Well obviously Cal's right the the news has absorbed itself in riverboat gambling and that's been the focus of media attention. I don't think you should leave the feeling out there that we that we've allowed that to keep us from moving forward and all these other major issues a lot of them start with an E environment education. Employees rights economic development. We've moved forward in significant ways on all of those fronts. I hesitate to use the word monumental session or a landmark session because it always gets a chuckle from you guys when we do it every year. Well this one truly is I think if you ask legislators at the end of this they'll be more tired and feel like they've accomplished more when the session is over than than they have for a long long time. What stands between you and adjournment at this point. What are the issues now. Well really just moving our appropriations bills and getting those into the pipeline they're just coming out of committee on the House side the Senate's a little bit ahead of us. And then and then working out some of these things on roads and schools and and there's not much standing in the way.

Looking ahead to next year. You've got. The higher education issue in front of you next year you decided to tackle that next year we got just a couple minutes left of center home and I guess question you what do you expect next year's legislature to do by way of restructuring higher education. Well I think it's on the yeah when they look at it and the first thought is we have that commission that's out looking for now that Roxanne Conlin Bedell are coming back and hold hearings on and come through with a report to us in December of next year. I think you're going to see a more cohesive deliverance of higher education between the community colleges private colleges in the regions in regard to duplications who offers what and how they're funded and I think the whole educational delivery system we would look at. Mr. ARNOLD The House did the same thing. Well I I don't think will be banning freshman athletics. But I bet yeah we're going to be moving in the same direction we put a lot of confidence in that in that committee.

We've given him a lot of time to do their work and and we're going to take a close look at their study they can take the heat from the alumni for differing with those you know be a lot of it there. Well I you know in the end in the end the changes may not be as dramatic as what they start out as you see in roads and schools this year but but we'll make progress. Is it wise to do something like that in an election year. If you were a sitting politician well right that many enemies. This is a legislature that's not been afraid to tackle tough issues in either election year and it's been that way the last five or six years. So we'll take them as they come so hopefully very quickly. What have the Democrats flubbed in this session that will enable Republicans to win legislative seats in 1980. Well I think with the talk about the employee rights. But I think it's very detrimental to rural mainstreet I with the things that will come up in the room if my mail is just running just unbelievable Please don't put us out of business. Please don't pass he's Please don't put us out of business. Him for coming out for rural economic development. They've come out with a machete and really

the world economic development aspects one for I don't I think you have to have the time to rebut. Well I don't think there's any evidence of that or I think I think the 80 80 percent of the people support minimum wage increase a lot of them support health care. Those are things people want us to do and we're proud of our Yeti and I think that's right and unfortunately when time comes for a German you still have some things on the table and we do too but we think we are time for a tour and are out of time thank you Senator hope and and Representative Arnold for being our guest tonight and I will press until next week for Dave Yep snaky Henderson this evening. I'm Dean Borgen bar you know stay tuned for Morgan Helen when she has take one next good night. Major funding for Iowa press was provided by friends of Iowa

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