House Republican committee assignments are now assembled for 2011. Click the links below to view lists in PDF.

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(DES MOINES) – Speaker-Elect Kraig Paulsen (R-Hiawatha) today announced the final committee chairs for the 84th General Assembly.

Continue reading for the list of appointments…

As the House adjourned the 2nd session of the 83rd General Assembly, the House Republican Research Staff put together an end of session wrap-up of notable bills in all committees.

2010 End of Session Wrap-up

Iowans value local control and local decision making. SF 2265, the eco-friendly SMART planning bill, works against these founding principles. As it passed the Senate, the bill creates a permanent 31 member task force to investigate statewide urban and rural plan. The RIO office and the Department of Management provide the staff support.

Many feel the bill works against those cities that already paid $8,000 or up to $20,000 for a comprehensive plan. Others trust the planning already underway in many communities and through the existing regional COGS.

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Now that the intensity of the 2008 flood is over the RIO office is turning its attention to statewide planning.

Senate File 2265 is a RIO bill creating a permanent 31 member comprehensive planning task force. The bill also codifies “SMART” comprehensive planning principles for state, regional, county and city planning.

The “SMART” planning is a project management tool developed by psychologists as a tool to help set and reach goals. This model features goal setting that is specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound.

Concerns about this RIO bill are mounting. Continue reading…