Last week the Department of Transportation presented a draft of the Iowa Transportation Improvement Program (“Five Year Plan”) for 2011–2015 to the Transportation Commission. The plan includes investments in aviation, transit, railroads, trails, and highways. Some of the projects included in the plan simply maintain completion schedules of projects started in previous five year plans. Other monies are spent in an attempt to spur economic development.

One of the biggest sections of the five year plan contains the primary highway investments. State and federal funds totaling $2.3 billion will be spent between 2011 and 2015 on right-of-way acquisitions and construction on Iowa highways. The main components of the highway project is preservation of the existing system and enhanced safety features. More than $1.2 billion is reserved for these specific purposes. The amount of money spent on Iowa highways is still contingent on any revisions in a federal transportation spending bill.

Read more for examples of projects…

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

The House passed a bill last Monday that would ban teen drivers from operating any electronic communication or entertainment device that is not permanently installed in the vehicle while driving. The ban came in the form of an amendment to the “texting bill” on its bounce back from the Senate.

Read the details here…

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.