Next week the House will consider a bill that would make texting while driving illegal. House File 2021 was passed by the House Transportation Committee by a vote of 20–1 and will be before the house as House File 2456.

The bill does not apply penalties to or make illegal the use of cell phones while driving or the use of global positioning systems or navigational systems while driving. It is only a ban on texting while driving.

Read the details on the bill…

The House Republican Staff put together analyses on the Governor’s Across the Board cuts. They can be found under their respective committees in the Bill Analysis section of the site or clicked on from the list below:

10% Across the Board Cut Analyses
Administration and Regulation ATB Cut Analysis
Health and Human Services ATB Cut Analysis
Economic Development ATB Cut Analysis
Natural Resources ATB Cut Analysis
Transportation ATB Cut Analysis
Education ATB Cut Analysis

An article in today’s Des Moines Register questions the economic impact of the Governor’s I-Jobs plan. In fact Raymond Keating, chief economist for the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council, says,

“The bottom line for Iowa is this: In the best-case scenario, it won’t make any difference. In the worst case, it’s going to make things worse.”

You can view where the money is going by clicking here: I-JOBS road funding amounts and bridge projects. One thing to note is that according to the Iowa Department of Transportation’s 2008 Factbook, it costs $3.2 million for a mile of new two lane highway. None of cities or counties receiving funding will receive that much for roads according to the documents released by the Governor.

Also worth noting is cities hit hard by job losses aren’t being targeted by the I-Jobs program. Ottumwa which has experienced 700 lay-offs at John Deere is receiving $242,226 or $346 for each job lost. Webster City which experienced 150 layoffs at Electrolux is receiving $79,220 or $528 for each job lost.