Gearing up for the gavel

Northwest Iowa will be represented by two fresh faces Jan. 11 when the Legislature convenes in Des Moines.

For the first time in more than a decade, new faces will represent O'Brien County in the Iowa House of Representatives and Senate. District 3 Representative-elect Dennis Bush and District 2 Senator-elect Jeff Taylor will assume office next week, replacing predecessors Dan Huseman and Randy Feenstra. Huseman retired after the gavel sounded on last year's session and Feenstra is now representing Iowa's Fourth District in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Bush, R-Cleghorn, and Taylor, R-Sioux Center, were unopposed in November. Back to represent Clay County in Des Moines are District 2 Rep. Megan Jones, R-Sioux Rapids, and District 1 Sen. Zach Whiting, R-Spirit Lake.

Though the COVID-19 pandemic has dominated federal legislative discussion over the past 10 months, the Iowa Legislature is planning to address a variety of issues this year.

What are your main priorities for the 2021 Iowa legislative session?

Rep. Dennis Bush: The main priority during my first legislative session is to learn the job and develop relationships with fellow lawmakers. I realize that nothing gets accomplished on your own in the Legislature, and that I must earn [my colleagues'] trust and respect. I hope that more can be accomplished in the areas of mental health and childcare.

Rep. Megan Jones: There will be several large topics of discussion – including mental health, property tax reform, broadband, childcare and COVID-19 recovery – and much of this I would anticipate hinging on a proposal similar to the governor's Invest in Iowa Act. But all will be a priority this upcoming session.

Sen. Jeff Taylor: Promote the protection of unborn human life – and all life. Government exists to safeguard our God-given rights.The right to life is the most foundational of all. Promote quality education of Iowa children, including respect for diverse means to achieve this goal. More specifically, I want to ensure that public education prioritizes citizen accountability, student fairness and curricular integrity.

Sen. Zach Whiting: Economic recovery and growth are the most important issues we face in 2021. Coupled with that, additional tax and regulatory reform are critical to making Iowa competitive and attractive. I look forward to playing a big role in those discussions as a member of the Commerce, State Government, and Ways and Means committees.

As chairman of the Labor and Business Relations Committee, I will push for creative solutions to address our workforce needs in Iowa. On a personal level, I will continue to push for protections for crime victims, a constitutional amendment to protect the right to keep and bear arms, and limiting the use of emergency powers.

Do you support any state-level COVID-19 financial relief packages for Iowans, either for individuals or businesses? If so, what?

DB: I would be open to discussing a targeted financial relief package, but from what I have learned so far, I do not believe that Iowa is in a financial position to provide a meaningful relief package.

MJ: Much of the relief thus far has come down from the federal government and through the state. As we continue to work through the issues that COVID brought to forefront, we will probably see areas where entities have fallen through the gaps. I look forward to continuing to have those discussions and seeing if there are alternative state-based options.

JT: I'm not yet in a position to comment on them. I would have to read and consider the actual proposals, in consultation with my legislative colleagues.

ZW: I anticipate having further discussions on additional state-level relief packages. However, the federal government has passed several aid packages and spent trillions of dollars, including one right before the end of 2020. The state has done an incredible job setting up processes to apply for and disperse aid that has come into the state. Many have been targeted to the industries acutely affected by the shutdowns.

Do you support changes to Iowa's bottle bill? Why or why not?

DB: I would support increasing the deposit from a nickel per beverage container to a dime to encourage more recycling. I would not support any policy that would hinder the ease of redemption. With the advance of technology since the bottle bill was first written, I would think that the process could be automated to a greater degree with a substantial increase in safety and efficiency. I could support policy to investigate and develop that technology.

MJ: Iowa's bottle bill needs an update. It is difficult to return cans and bottles, retailers are saddled with public health issues of redeeming dirty recyclables, and recycling has changed considerably since the bottle bill was enacted. However, there is currently a lawsuit pending on this issue, so it is difficult for the Legislature to engage too heavily into the middle of that. I do think we need a better idea of the accounting for the nickel deposit and a better understanding of unredeemed deposits.

JT: I'm not yet in a position to comment on them. I would have to read and consider the actual proposals, in consultation with my legislative colleagues.

ZW: Yes, and I urge the stakeholders to come to an agreement soon. I have only been in the Legislature for two years, but I sense a great deal of frustration among my colleagues by the foot dragging on making meaningful changes to an outdated law.

I think most of the discussion on the bottle bill focuses too heavily on retail, distributors and redemption centers, and not enough on consumers. Do you know who is not getting their money? The consumer paying five cents for every can and bottle they can't redeem because the store doesn't want to take it for health and safety reasons or the redemption center closed because they aren't making enough money.

Iowa currently has cash reserves of more than $700 million. Do you support using that money for anything in particular? If so, what and why?

DB: The $700 million that I think you are referring to is in two separate funds established by Iowa Code. One is the Cash Reserve Fund and the other is the Economic Emergency Fund. The sum of the balances in those funds must equal 10 percent of the General Fund budget. If the state draws money from those funds, it is required by code to be replenished in the next fiscal year.

It is estimated that the General Fund ending balance for FY2021 will be on the positive side and that FY2022 revenues should increase, but we are being cautioned that COVID-19 will still have an undetermined impact on state revenues in FY2022; and that "New Money" will be required for K-12 education.

MJ: While $700 million is a lot of money, we also have to be very careful. That is one-time money – that should not be spent on ongoing expenses. Also, as we have seen this last year, it doesn't hurt for us to have a savings account. Our state's economy has a lot of rebounding to do, and we need to let the waters settle before we take on more than we can handle.

JT: Iowa is fortunate to have a significant cash reserve in our state treasury. I'm confident Senate Republicans will be prudent in how taxpayer money will be allocated to meet the needs of our state.

ZW: I am confident we will have discussions on tapping into our reserves and emergency funds. However, with billions of dollars that have come into the state from various federal aid packages, it may be prudent to wait and particularly identify what one-time needs we should use this money for and not spend it willy-nilly on ongoing programs.

Do you intend to introduce any legislation this year? If so, what and why?

DB: I have some ideas on legislation regarding mental health and local government. I will be attentive to see if those topics are referred to in the governor's Condition of the State address, and I'll have to see if there is support within the caucus to actually move forward.

MJ: I have several bills in the works. A number of them are for constituents. One bill that seems to have caught a lot of attention relates to childcare. Last session, I introduced a bill that would eliminate the state income tax for childcare providers. This was recommended to me by an employer in northwest Iowa as a solution to increase the take home pay for providers, but not put that cost on working families. I will be renewing that conversation and fighting to make quality childcare as well as affordable childcare.

JT: Bills that I plan to introduce this session are still in the formulation stage. My first priority, as a new legislator, will be to get to know my colleagues and the process so I can be effective working on behalf of my key values, my constituents and Iowans in general.

ZW: I will re-introduce several bills that I worked on last session on behalf of constituents. I am particularly focused on the bills that will come out of the Labor and Business Relations Committee I chair. I want to focus on ways to address our workforce needs and find creative solutions to attract workers and businesses to our rural communities.

Is there anything else you'd like to add?

DB: I am extremely humbled by being elected to represent the more than 30,000 residents of Iowa House District 3 and also a little apprehensive about the awesome responsibility. I will strive to be as accessible as possible.

MJ: I really appreciate the opportunity to serve another session in the Legislature. This is an incredible honor and one I do not take lightly.

JT: No answer.

ZW: No answer.