(DES MOINES) – Gov. Terry E. Branstad today commended House Republicans for their efforts and passage of HF 45, the “Taxpayers First Act.”
In response to the bill’s passage, Gov. Branstad released the following statement:
“This bill is a recognition that Iowans do not want the state to continue to spend more than it takes in. This is a thoughtful approach toward putting our state on track for fiscal responsibility. I will release my budget recommendations next week, and believe this bill’s passage is an important first step toward budget sustainability in the future. I commend House Republicans for their hard work in getting this bill passed.”
Today House Republican Leader Kraig Paulsen released a comprehensive list of more than $215 million in budget-saving measures he will be presenting to Democrat legislative leaders.
“On the first day of the legislative session, I indicated that House Republicans would be diving into state budgets to find serious savings for the taxpayers of Iowa,” said Paulsen. “Today we are here to offer a list that goes to reducing the size and scope of state government, that brings more accountability to budgeting and reduces unnecessary spending.”
The following is the list House Republicans presented to Democrats:
Program Reduction |
Savings |
|
| Eliminate “phantom employees” – funded, unfilled FTE positions |
$25,000,000 |
|
| Do “Principal Plan” – require Governor to negotiate a pay reduction for all employees – sliding scale of 2% cut for $40K to 10% cut for over $100K – then apply to all non-union, all branches (click here for breakdown of Principal Plan as applied) |
$72,500,000 |
|
| Charge state employees a monthly fee for health insurance premiums – HAWK-I pays $10 per month, charge state employees $50 per month for health insurance |
$17,800,000 |
|
| Sell the fleet, outsource vehicle leasing – one-time infusion due to sale, ongoing savings of $18 million minus the money for leasing vehicles |
$34,000,000 |
|
| Reduce office supplies, service contracts, equipment purchases |
$10,000,000 |
|
| Combine all state information technology systems including combining the 6 different email systems |
$20,000,000 |
|
| Sell or lease the Iowa Communications Network |
$15,000,000 |
|
| Reduce funding for Library acquisitions at Regents by 50% |
$13,500,000 |
|
| No DNR land acquisition for FY 2010 |
$5,000,000 |
|
| Freeze out of state travel (allow a waiver process via Executive Council for critical functions) |
$1,500,000 |
|
| Eliminate “extras” on existing state vehicle purchases including bug shields, stereos, GPS systems and other add-ons |
$87,000 |
|
| Archiving Iowa Governor’s Records — Reduce by 50% |
$39,000 |
|
| Eliminate Washington, DC Internship (seek private funding) |
$90,000 |
|
| Eliminate miscellaneous expenses for DOT garage in Rockwell City |
$78,000 |
|
| Eliminate charter flights by members of the DOT commission |
$17,000 |
|
| End printing of annual reports – require them to be emailed |
* |
|
| Suspend per diem for ex officio members on boards & commissions |
* |
|
| Require all employees to turn in receipts for meal expenses |
* |
|
| GRAND TOTAL OF BUDGET REDUCTIONS |
$214,611,000 |
* Exact dollar savings unknown at the present time
Click here to download a pdf of this information
Senate Minority Leader Paul McKinley (R-Chariton) and House Republican Leader Kraig Paulsen (R-Hiawatha) will be holding a joint press conference on Tuesday, January 13, 2009 immediately following Governor Culver’s condition of the state address.
The two legislative leaders will be giving the Republican reaction to the governor’s address.
Click for the details…
Press Conferences | JillJ | January 20, 2011 | 
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