Gov. Terry E. Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds today welcomed the news that Southwest Airlines, along with its wholly-owned subsidy, AirTran Airways, confirmed today the intent to convert AirTran Airways operations at 22 domestic and international airports to Southwest operations over time.
Des Moines International Airport was one of the cities listed in their announcement.
Gov. Branstad and his administration have been in contact with Southwest Airlines executives since taking office last January, hoping to persuade them to bring their air service to Des Moines.
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The second week of the 2012 session is complete and there are several bills moving through committees that will help put Iowans back to work and give the taxpayers a seat at the table.
Over the last two years, there has been a lot of discussion about reforming Iowa’s property tax system – a task imperative to strengthening the economy and putting Iowans back to work. Iowa’s current property tax system is an impediment to economic growth. Our uncompetitive property tax system is a burden to job creators and prohibits employers of all sizes from expanding, hiring or locating to Iowa.
House Republicans are committed to giving the hardworking taxpayers of Iowa more of their money back. We will work to deliver significant tax relief and reform to all Iowa property tax payers.
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On April 21, 2011, the Governor signed Senate File 209 into law. The most important element of that bill was the creation of the Taxpayers Trust Fund (TTF).
When House Republicans unveiled House File 45, the Taxpayers First Act, it contained a new Tax Relief Fund. The fund captured the entire ending balance from the previous year and required it be used for tax relief measures. Unfortunately this language was stripped out of HF 45 before it made its way to the Governor. Because of that, the language was added to SF 209, the tax coupling and supplemental bill.
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A new January 2012 newsletter is available for viewing. Click the link below to see a PDF version:
Newsletter 1.18.12
In this edition:
- Taxpayers Trust Fund Already Working
- Regulatory Reforms Move Through Committee
- DNA Profiling in Judiciary
- Property Tax Reform Discussion
Maj. Gen. Tim Orr, adjutant general of the Iowa National Guard, addressed legislators in a joint session of the Iowa House and Senate this morning. To see the entire address click on the link below:
State of the Guard 2012
Two weeks ago today, Mitt Romney was announced the winner of the Iowa Caucuses, however counties will have until close of business on Wednesday to get their official results to the Republican Party of Iowa. The certification process should be done at the end of the week.
Click here to view the live stream today at 2:30 p.m. with Speaker Kraig Paulsen of Hiawatha, Representative Renee Schulte of Cedar Rapids and Representative Nick Wagner of Marion. The lawmakers will be discussing the Republican priorities for the 2012 legislative session.
The Governor delivered the final education proposal, in the form of a policy brief, to the media and legislators last week. The final legislation is being delivered to legislators this week and will start receiving committee consideration likely next week.
The final price tag of the reform package is $25 million. The Governor is asking for $17 million in new money through the Education Appropriations bill, and is repurposing $8 million of existing pools of money for the remainder.
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The Iowa Veterans Coalition has set Wednesday, January 18th as Veterans Day at the Capitol. Iowans are invited to learn about the latest legislative activity, hear from key policy makers, visit with event vendors about veteran-related services, and meet with elected officials to make your voice heard on the key issues affecting veterans.
January 18th, 2012
09:00 Visit vendor tables – Capitol Rotunda – First Floor
10:00 MG Timothy Orr – The Adjutant General
Condition of the Guard Address – House Chamber
11:00 Veterans Day Program – Capitol Rotunda – First Floor
IDVA Executive Director, Jodi Tymeson, Master of Ceremonies
LTC Todd Jacobus, Chair, Iowa Commission of Veterans Affairs
Governor Terry Branstad (invited)
MG Timothy Orr, Iowa National Guard (invited)
Chair, Senate Veterans Affairs Committee
Ranking Member, Senate Veterans Affairs Committee
Chair, House Veterans Affairs Committee
Ranking Member, House Veterans Affairs Committee
David Worley, Commandant, Iowa Veterans Home
11:30 Talk with legislative officials and discuss legislative initiatives
Noon Depart Capitol
This week marks the start of the 2012 session.
We kicked off the week on Monday, when I gave remarks to the Legislature which you can read here.
I am optimistic about this session. I believe we have the ability to do very positive things for the people of Iowa. With a little patience and commonsense, I am confident we will work with one another to make Iowa a better place to live and do business. After all, it is what Iowans sent us to the Capitol to do; they expect and deserve it.
On Tuesday the Governor came to the House to deliver his Condition of the State Address. I was pleased he released his budget quickly as it gives us ample time to go through every detail. We will immediately get to work on crafting a sustainable budget that funds the priorities of Iowans.
A couple of reminders – please visit www.kraigpaulsen.com for constant updates on what is happening at the Capitol. Our research staff compiles a lot of helpful information on the House Republicans’ website which I hope you will find useful.
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