The Governor s revised budget still includes a proposal from January to shift some gambling revenues that currently go into the Rebuild Iowa Infrastructure Fund into the General Fund. Vilsack said that the state will continue to look for savings opportunities through merging or reforming state services, through eliminating some programs and through not filling positions of retiring employees and lay-offs. He said that the state will not raise taxes but could eliminate 600 positions over the next year. House Speaker Siegrist said that the Republicans will release their own budget targets next week after analyzing the Governor s budget. Rep. Millage, the chair of House Appropriations, previously said that bonding for infrastructure projects is a bad budgeting practice.
Next week looks to be a busy week.
April 6th, a week from this Friday, is the second funnel deadline, and the House and Senate leaders have already said they will work Friday if necessary. File 354 is waiting action in Senate Human Resources Committee, which is chaired by Sen. John Redwine, a physician from Sioux City. Other subcommittee members are Sen. Nancy Boettger of Harlan and Sen. Pat Harper of Waterloo. It must be moved out of committee by Friday. HF 200 died in the funnel.