From this week’s Republican Caucus Newsletter:

During the Governor’s Condition of the state address he proposed spending $43 million from the Economic Emergency Fund on helping communities recover from the storms of 2008.

Property Tax Replacement Funds: The Governor proposes spending $20 million on this purpose. Culver proposes to create a funding source for communities to help replace lost revenue and property taxes. An application process or means of distribution among disaster-impacted communities needs to be proposed.

Jumpstart Assistance: The Governor proposes spending $10 million on additional jumpstart assistance. This round of jump start is more flexible Jumpstart assistance to help meet some of the gap where federal assistance cannot be used. Some of the ways the new Jumpstart assistance could be spent is for grants for those over federal income limits, additional funding for projects just above the federal $25,000 limit on “Jumpstart Express.” Additional mortgage assistance after individuals have exhausted the three months allowed under HUD.

Non-Profit Assistance: The Governor proposes spending $5 million in a forgivable loan program for non-profit and cultural venues impacted by the disaster. They would be required to rebuild and continue to operate for five years at pre-disaster wages and benefits for employees.

Individual Unmet Needs Assistance: The Governor recommends spending $5 million in financial assistance for the “unmet needs” of disaster-impacted individuals and families. He proposal says the assistance could work through the case management system to ensure that eligible individuals have maximized other state and federal assistance and be available in the form of up to $5,000 grants. This program could be administered by the Department of Human Services.

Rebuild Iowa Office: The Governor recommends spending $2.0 million on the administration of the Rebuild Iowa Office. The proposal states the office serves as a clearinghouse for the state’s flood-recovery efforts, and coordinates the day-to-day rebuilding plans.

Skills Training: The Governor proposes the creation of a $1 million Skills Training Fund. The money will also be used to pay for one staff member to administer the fund. The money from the fund would be used for short-term skills training programs particularly to prepare for a construction workforce in the rebuilding phase.

To this point, Republicans have not been included in the development of any disaster relief legislation despite calls for bipartisanship from both legislative Democrats and the Governor. A disaster relief bill is expected to be debated in committee next week (week of Jan. 19) and move quickly to the floor for debate the following the week.

Comments are closed.