In an effort to make Iowan’s lives easier, House Republicans passed House File 355, which gives individuals the opportunity to renew their Iowa Drivers License online, 24/7.

The bill, which was signed by Governor Branstad on May 15, allows drivers between the ages of 18 and 70 the option to renew their drivers license online and extends the expiration date on the license from 5 years to 8 years.  The $4 renewal fee will still be required but the transaction will be possible online as well.  Individuals with vision or physical deficiencies will be required to renew their licenses every two years , which is already the current practice, at a DOT office.

The bill is estimated to save the Iowa Department of Transportation $1.2 million and many hours of waiting in lines for Iowans.  It is also estimated that HF 355 will save Iowans nearly $3 million in fuel cost savings and lost wages as they will no longer have to drive to a DOT office and stand in line to renew their license.

To check if you are eligible to renew your drivers license online, visit the Iowa DOT’s website.

House File 355 Bill Analysis

The Legislature remains in the final stages of negotiations after making significant progress on a number of issues this week.  Among the bills passed by both the House and Senate was HF 604, the Education Appropriations bill.

In addition to appropriating funding for our community colleges, public universities, and other educational entities, HF 604 also creates the new Iowa Skilled Worker and Job Creation Fund.  This fund is a collection of programs geared toward training and retraining Iowans to develop technical skills, create jobs, and return Iowans to the workforce.

Read on…

In light of recent news reports regarding politically-motivated targeting by the Internal Revenue Service, Iowa House Judiciary Chairman Chip Baltimore (R-Boone) today called on any Iowa 501(c)(4) organization that believes it has been unjustly targeted by the Internal Revenue Service to contact his Capitol office at: (515) 281-4947, or by e-mail at chip.baltimore@legis.iowa.gov.

“Freedom of association and speech are among the most foundational rights of our republic, and the politically-motivated targeting of Americans by the IRS is a blatant betrayal of the public trust. Attempts by an overreaching federal government to silence voices of dissent are not only un-American, they must not be tolerated and those responsible must be held to account,” said Baltimore. “As investigators continue probing the IRS misconduct, I urge any targeted Iowan or Iowa organization to come forward and make their voice heard.”

Baltimore said that he will work with any targeted Iowan to ensure they are connected with appropriate congressional oversight investigators to ensure any facts pertaining to the IRS scandal are heard.

Governor Branstad today signed the following bills into law:

Senate File 247 an Act providing for the possession of cats classified as bengals and savannahs.

Senate File 386 an Act relating to matters under the purview of the Department of Transportation, including the use of information contained in electronic driver and nonoperator identification records, the form of motor vehicle financial liability coverage cards, motor truck registration periods, regulation of glider kit vehicles, grounds for disqualification of commercial vehicle operators, provisions for the issuance of temporary restricted licenses for persons convicted of operating while intoxicated, county issuance of driver’s licenses, and the administration of highway contracts, and including effective date provisions.

House Joint Resolution 13 a joint resolution relating to the location and exhibition of the statue of James Harlan, currently on display in the United States Capitol.

House File 355 an Act relating to driver’s licenses, including the renewal of driver’s licenses electronically and including effective date and transition provisions.

House File 471 an Act relating to parental rights, including the payment of reasonable attorney fees in juvenile court or appellate proceedings relating to a termination of parental rights petition and the awarding of visitation when a history of crimes against a minor is involved, and including effective, retroactive, and applicability date provisions.

House File 512 an Act providing for the determination of animal units which are part of confinement feeding operations, and making penalties applicable.

House File 527 an Act requiring certain aggravated misdemeanants to submit a DNA sample and including effective date provisions.

House File 566 an Act to establish requirements relating to the transfer of an interest in real estate by or on behalf of certain entities formed or organized on a profit, cooperative, or not-for-profit basis, and including warranties and a limitation on actions.

House File 627 an Act establishing a property tax exemption for fairgrounds owned by a county or a fair and including applicability provisions.

From the Cato Institute

By Michael F. Cannon

ObamaCare aims to cover 16 million poor uninsured adults through Medicaid, plus 16 million higher-income uninsured Americans through government-subsidized “private” insurance. Supporters portrayed these “reforms” as a matter of life and death, particularly for the poor. Yet a monumental new study finds that “Medicaid coverage generated no significant improvements in measured physical health outcomes” for poor adults. These findings strengthen the case that states should stop implementing ObamaCare, and Congress should swiftly repeal it.

In 2008, Oregon launched an ObamaCare field test. The state handed out Medicaid slots via lottery to thousands of the very folks to whom ObamaCare opens Medicaid. Economists then studied the differences between the lottery winners and losers. The random assignment of subjects makes Oregon’s the most reliable study—indeed the only reliable study—ever conducted on the effects of Medicaid.

Why did the results stun supporters of Obamacare? Read on…

With the end of session near, only a few issues remain to be solved, one of them being Education Reform (House File 215).  While several parts of the reform have reached mutual agreement, a major piece that is still to be decided is yearly evaluations of teachers.

Below is an article featured on Bloomberg Businessweek’s website on May 9th which discusses reforms made to New Haven, Connecticut public schools.  A big part of the reforms in Connecticut involved evaluations that were based on a teacher’s classroom performance as well as whether students master their subjects.

The result:  Higher test scores and higher graduation rates.

New Haven Shows How You Fix Public Schools

From Bloomberg Businessweek

By Devin Leonard

The end of the school year is usually a happy time, but not for David Cicarella, president of the New Haven Federation of Teachers. He’s getting ready to have difficult conversations with some of his members, teachers who have flunked the Connecticut school district’s yearlong evaluation process. Cicarella will tell them the union won’t defend them, even if they have tenure. It’s time for them to look for another job.

Continue Reading…

From Gallup

by Dennis Jacobe, Chief Economist

Forty-one percent are holding off on hiring because of the Affordable Care Act

PRINCETON, NJ — Forty-eight percent of U.S. small-business owners say the 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA) is going to be bad for their business, compared with 9% who say it is going to be good, and 39% who expect no impact.

Read the rest of the survey here…

Governor Branstad today named Ames CPA Mary Mosiman, AGE, as Iowa’s new state auditor, following last month’s announcement by David Vaudt that he was resigning to become the new chairman of the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB). His last day was May 3.

Mosiman currently serves as deputy secretary of state under Matt Schultz. Her first day is May 13.

“I had two major requirements for Iowa’s state auditor: that the individual was a CPA, and that the individual would adhere to the sound budgeting principles followed by David Vaudt,” said Branstad. “In Mary, we found that and more. She is a talented, passionate public servant who will keep a very close watch over Iowa’s tax dollars.”

Continue Reading

As I write this week’s newsletter, it appears warmer spring temperatures have finally settled in and the days of winter storm warnings are behind us for at least the next few months.  Farmers are in the fields busily planting for a bountiful harvest in the fall, spring athletes are enjoying their athletic events under warmer and dryer conditions, and sailboats will be back on Clear Lake before we know it.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve enjoyed reading about many great things happening in our local communities.  I often send letters to people congratulating them on various milestones, such as birthdays, anniversaries, retirements, and other accomplishments.

Continue reading…