Bleeding Heartland - Beth Wessel-Kroeschell

Another Iowa legislative victory for Big Ag

desmoinesdem — Wed, 08 May 2013 14:49:00 GMT

Factory farm advocates failed in 2009 to circumvent the Iowa DNR's rulemaking on applying manure over frozen and snow-covered ground. Then they failed in 2010 to win passage of a bill designed to weaken Iowa's newly-adopted regulations on manure storage and application.

But this year, the Iowa Pork Producers Association succeeded in convincing state lawmakers to relax requirements for CAFO operators to be able to store their own manure properly. All they had to do was dress up their effort as an attempt to help families with aspiring young farmers.
Last month Bleeding Heartland covered House File 512, the so-called "mothball" bill for farm structures. Proponents say it would help farm families who need to downsize temporarily, until a child has grown up, finished college, and decided to come home to farm.

The big "tell" during the House debate was that proponents rejected State Representative Chuck Isenhart's amendment, which stated:

During the period of election [to be a small animal feeding operation], a manure storage structure that is part of the confinement feeding operation is not used to store manure originating from a location outside the confinement feeding operation.

If the intent of the bill were to keep vacant buildings available for family use someday, the Iowa House should have approved that amendment. But they rejected it, because CAFO operators want to have the option to dump excess manure in the vacant buildings of neighbors. Transporting and offloading manure to another farm increases the risks of spills and water pollution.

Several environmental organizations and the Iowa Farmers Union had lobbyists registered against House File 512. Only the Iowa Pork Producers Association had lobbyists registered in favor.

Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement Action was mobilizing opposition to this bill. In early April, that group claimed victory when the legislation was placed on the Iowa Senate's "unfinished business" calendar.

But unfinished business doesn't always stay unfinished at the statehouse. Last week, Senate leaders revived their version of the same bill, called Senate File 418. As described in the Senate Journal for May 1 (pdf), Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Joe Seng received unanimous consent to replace Senate File 418 with House File 512. The Senate then approved by voice vote Seng's amendment to the legislation, and passed the bill by 43 votes to 6 (Jack Hatch was absent). The six no votes came from the following Democrats:

Joe Bolkcom
Dick Dearden
Pam Jochum
Matt McCoy
Janet Petersen
Herman Quirmbach

I am surprised Rob Hogg was a yes here.

Excerpt from a May 1 press release by Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement Action:

Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement member Lori Nelson of Bayard, Iowa released the following statement Wednesday morning before the Iowa Senate debates an environmentally hazardous bill that would de-regulate basic and common-sense manure management regulations:
"Senate File 418 - the so-called "mothball" bill - is a shameful attempt by one of Iowa's largest corporate ag lobby groups and Democrats like Majority Leader Mike Gronstal and Ag Chair Joe Seng to de-regulate basic environmental protections that were designed to keep factory farm manure out of our water."
"Today we will hear false statements on the Senate floor, by Democrats and Republicans alike, that this bill is somehow meant to protect the environment because dumping overflowing toxic manure into an abandoned factory farm during bad weather is safer than spreading it on frozen or snow-covered ground. But this is a false comparison and is simply not true. There is a third option that was contemplated by legislators and regulators over five years ago that put the responsibility on the industry to solve this problem, and that is the correct approach we must continue to demand now."
"After the 2009 law banning liquid manure application on frozen and snow-covered ground, the Environmental Protection Commission and the Administrative Rules and Review Committee carved out a five year window for the factory farm industry to come into compliance with the new law, either by building extra storage capacity, reducing their herd sizes, or taking other steps to properly manage their manure over the winter months."
"The industry has had five years to fulfill their obligations, but they have refused, because they don't want to spend the money to do what's right. Now the Iowa Senate, under the leadership of Democrat Mike Gronstal, is set to give one of Iowa's most polluting industries a free pass for bad management rather than stand up for everyday people and the environment."
"We have 628 polluted waterways in this state. The amendment that will be proposed on the floor of the Senate today by Senator Seng is lipstick on a factory farm pig. There is no such thing as an emergency that would require dumping overflowing manure into an abandoned factory farm. That's not an emergency, that's bad management. Winter comes every year, and extreme weather is the new normal. The industry has had years to figure this out."
"Senators of both parties who claim that this measure is the lesser of two evils compared to spreading manure on snow are giving the factory farm industry a free pass for bad management. This is a horrible bill, it's bad policy, and legislative support for it demonstrates to every Iowan all that is wrong with state politics."

Yesterday the Iowa House took up the amended House File 512. According to the House Journal (pdf), floor manager Lee Hein moved that the representatives concur in the Senate amendment. Immediately afterwards, the House approved the bill by 85 votes to 14. Only these Democrats voted no:

Ako Abdul-Samad
Bruce Hunter
Marti Anderson
John Forbes
Lisa Heddens
Chuck Isenhart
Anesa Kajtazovic
Vicki Lensing
Mary Mascher
Kevin McCarthy
Jo Oldson
Cindy Winckler
Beth Wessel-Kroeschell
Art Staed

All House Republicans voted yes, joined by all of the other Democrats present. Dan Muhlbauer was absent but would surely have been a supporter; he supported House File 512 last month.

UPDATE: Cody McKinley, a lobbyist for the Iowa Pork Producers, told the Des Moines Register that

an amendment added to the bill by the Senate addresses CCI's concerns by allowing animal or manure storage in a mothballed facility only "on an emergency basis" and requiring farmers to inform the Department of Natural Resources of such circumstances.
"At any time, the DNR still has jurisdiction over that facility to go in and inspect and make sure they're fulfilling the full extent of the law," McKinley said.

That's not nearly as useful as Isenhart's amendment, which would have barred the use of mothballed facilities to store manure from other farms. So what if a CAFO informs the DNR that they are transporting manure to a vacant building? The DNR doesn't have enough CAFO inspectors even now, as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency thoroughly documented. DNR staff won't closely scrutinize these "emergency" storage situations and won't be able to prevent spills during transport and offloading.

Weekend open thread: Dangerous consensus edition

desmoinesdem — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 19:15:00 GMT

Most political junkies love a good brawl. While Congress-watchers were paying attention to fights this week over the president's proposed budget, confirming federal judges, or tightening up gun ownership regulations, a non-controversial but significant bill zoomed through the U.S. House and Senate.
Niels Lesniewski reported for Roll Call on April 11,

With most of the Senate's attention focused on guns and immigration, the Senate quietly acted to dramatically scale back the reach of the law's most contentious provision. Absent Congressional action or a court order, the law known as the STOCK Act requiring online publication of financial information for a slew of federal employees would take effect next week.
The Senate bill passed Thursday by unanimous consent goes beyond a simple delay. If passed by the House and signed by President Barack Obama, the measure would exclude legislative and executive staffers from having their financial disclosure forms posted on the Internet. The new reporting requirements would still apply to the president, vice president, members of Congress, congressional candidates and individuals subject to Senate confirmation.

Congress approved the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act in 2012 to prevent insider trading by members of Congress, other federal officials, and their staffs. Iowa's five U.S. House representatives and two senators all supported the bill.

The drive to repeal disclosure requirements for staff came after a report on the STOCK Act came out in late March:

"Virtually all the cybersecurity, national security, and law enforcement experts interviewed during this study noted that making this information available in this fashion fundamentally transforms the ability (and the likelihood) of others - individuals, organizations, nation-states - to exploit that information for criminal, intelligence, and other purposes," the report said.

Within a few weeks, a bill was drawn up and passed with no hearings, floor debate or roll call votes in the Senate or House. Emily Pierce reported for Roll Call on April 12,

House and Senate leaders were spurred to action by a scathing report detailing the national security dangers that could come from a provision added in the Senate. But instead of touting those reasons, both chambers attempted to keep the process quiet in an apparent attempt to avoid the political vulnerability that could come from instituting less transparency in government.
Both chambers passed the bill by unanimous consent after leaders in both parties and the White House refused to answer CQ Roll Call's questions about the process all week.

Pierce cited a federal court filing, which indicated that President Barack Obama will sign the bill.

I haven't studied the issues surrounding the STOCK Act. This bill may be a reasonable step to address certain problems. By the same token, it could enable the kind of insider dealing that inspired the STOCK Act in the first place. I'm suspicious of legislation that passes without any public debate or a roll call vote that can be pinned on individual members of Congress. As Roll Call reporter Steven Dennis commented, "We've learned one thing Congress can can do with lightning speed, no debate & no actual voting: Repeal a piece of the STOCK Act."

Iowa politics-watchers have been treated to lots of public battles during this legislative session. Despite the intense disagreements over education funding, Medicaid expansion, and confirmation of Board of Regents nominees, the Iowa House and Senate have agreed on some bills with little public debate.

In today's edition of the Sunday Des Moines Register, editors gave a "thistle" to legislators for passing one bill easily this session.

A thistle to the Iowa Legislature for asking a question but ignoring the answer. The House and Senate both passed a bill that increases the penalty for interference with the official duties of a law officer that results in an injury to the officer. The tougher penalty likely will have a disproportionate impact on minorities in Iowa. Lawmakers know that because the Legislative Services Agency was specifically asked to prepare minority-impact statement on the bill due to Iowa's sorry record of locking up blacks at a higher rate proportionally than whites. Yet, the bill sailed through the Senate 50-zip. At least the House seriously debated the race implications before it passed the bill. Lawmakers might as well not ask for reports on the impact of their actions if they do not intend to take seriously the results.

Radio Iowa's O.Kay Henderson reported on the Iowa House debate over this bill, Senate File 384, on April 11. Click here to find the audio file. The bill passed by 77 votes to 17 (roll call here). You can view the lobbyist declarations on this bill here. The Iowa House Democrats who voted against this bill were Ako Abdul-Samad, Marti Anderson, Deborah Berry, Ruth Ann Gaines, Bruce Hunter, Vicki Lensing, Mary Mascher, Kevin McCarthy, Pat Murphy, Jo Oldson, Rick Olson, Todd Prichard, Sharon Steckman, Todd Taylor, Beth Wessel-Kroeschell, Cindy Winckler, and Mary Wolfe.

It's not the first time Iowa lawmakers overwhelmingly agreed on a bad idea. A few years ago, a bill eliminating fines against nursing homes for various health and safety violations passed the Iowa House and Senate unanimously. A couple of years before that, the film tax credit that wasted a lot of state money and eventually led to some criminal indictments passed by 95 votes to 1 in the Iowa House and 48 to 2 in the Iowa Senate.

High-profile, contentious bills grab attention by prompting press conferences, rallies and public hearings. But consensus bills influence public policy too--not always for the better.

Some political scientists believe divided control of a legislature is ideal, because gridlock prevents either party from overreaching. But failure to act on high-profile, contentious bills doesn't mean nothing important is happening. Political consensus is

IA-Sen: Most Democratic state legislators endorse Braley

desmoinesdem — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 15:10:00 GMT

Representative Bruce Braley's campaign for U.S. Senate rolled out its largest batch of endorsements today: 71 state legislators. All 26 Iowa Senate Democrats plus 45 of the 47 Iowa House Democrats are named in the press release I've posted after the jump. For some reason, Iowa House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and former Iowa House Speaker Pat Murphy are not in this group. Murphy is running for the first Congressional district seat Braley is vacating.

Earlier this week, Braley's campaign announced that it raised more than $1 million during the first quarter. That is a solid number, and I'll be interested to see how the numbers break own (contributions from individuals vs PACs, for instance). Bleeding Heartland will publish a detailed roundup of Iowa Congressional fundraising after all the candidates have filed their reports with the Federal Election Commission. Those reports are due April 15.
April 3 press release from Braley for Iowa (emphasis in original):

71 Iowa Legislators Endorse Braley for Senate
DES MOINES, IA - 71 Democratic members of the Iowa legislature have announced their formal endorsement of Bruce Braley for Senate. 45 Iowa House Democrats are endorsing Braley today, as are all 26 Iowa Senate Democrats, including Iowa Senate Majority Leader Michael Gronstal and President Pam Jochum.
Braley announced in February that he had formed a committee to run for the Senate seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Tom Harkin.
Sen. Michael Gronstal (D-Pottawattamie) said, "I'm proud to endorse Bruce Braley today. Iowans are fortunate to have Bruce in their corner fighting for them in Congress, and he'll do even more in the Senate. From passing polices that strengthen the middle class to helping small businesses, Bruce works so hard to get things done for Iowa because he's never forgotten where he's come from."
Rep. Kirsten Running-Marquardt (D-Linn) said, "Today is a great day for Iowa. I proudly stand with many of my colleagues and endorse Bruce Braley. Bruce has a proven track record of fighting for the middle class, standing up for veterans and working to make college affordable. He is one of us and Iowa needs him in the US Senate."
Braley said, "I'm honored by this outpouring of support. I've launched this campaign because Iowans deserve a Senator who will work hard every day to rebuild the middle class, create economic opportunity, and use taxpayer money more wisely. The endorsements of 71 Iowa legislators today is a big boost to our campaign and I'll rely on all of them to help build our growing grassroots organization in the months ahead."
In recent weeks, momentum has continued to build behind Braley's Senate campaign. On Monday, Braley announced that he has raised $1 million for his Senate campaign since Harkin announced his retirement. In February, Rep. Dave Loebsack (IA-02) and former Rep. Leonard Boswell endorsed Braley for Senate. Last week, Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller and Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald announced their endorsement. And eight labor organizations have endorsed Braley: State Association of Letter Carriers, the Iowa Postal Workers Union, the Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Local 3 Iowa Union, UAW Region 4, SEIU Iowa - Local 199, AFSCME Iowa Council 61, the Iowa State Council of Machinists, and the Great Plains Laborers' District Council.
A full list of the legislators announcing their endorsement today can be found below:
HOUSE
Name County
Deb Berry Black Hawk
Anesa Kajtazovic Black Hawk
Bob Kressig Black Hawk
Sharon Steckman Cerro Gordo
Patti Ruff Clayton
Roger Thomas Clayton
Mary Wolfe Clinton
Daniel Muhlbauer Crawford
Dennis Cohoon Des Moines
Nancy Dunkel Dubuque
Charles Isenhart Dubuque
Bruce Bearinger Fayette
Todd Prichard Floyd
Daniel Kelley Jasper
Curtis Hanson Jefferson
Dave Jacoby Johnson
Vicki Lensing Johnson
Mary Mascher Johnson
Sally Stutsman Johnson
Jerry Kearns Lee
Art Stead Linn
Daniel Lundby Linn
Tyler Olson Linn
Kirsten Running-Marquardt Linn
Todd Taylor Linn
Mark Smith Marshall
Ako Abdul-Samad Polk
Marti Anderson Polk
Bruce Hunter Polk
John Forbes Polk
Ruth Ann Gaines Polk
Jo Oldson Polk
Rick Olson Polk
Joe Riding Polk
Jim Lykam Scott
Phyllis Thede Scott
Cindy Winckler Scott
Frank Wood Scott
Lisa Heddens Story
Beth Wessel-Kroeschell Story
Mary Gaskill Wapello
Scott Ourth Warren
Helen Miller Webster
Dave Dawson Woodbury
Chris Hall Woodbury
SENATE
Name County
Jeff Danielson Black Hawk
Bill Dotzler Black Hawk
Amanda Ragan Cerro Gordo
Rita Hart Clinton
Tom Courtney Des Moines
Pam Jochum Dubuque
Brian Schoenjahn Fayette
Rich Taylor Henry
Mary Jo Wilhelm Howard
Tod Bowman Jackson
Dennis Black Jasper
Joe Bolkcom Johnson
Bob Dvorsky Johnson
Robert Hogg Linn
Wally Horn Linn
Liz Mathis Linn
Steve Sodders Marshall
Chris Brase Muscatine
Dick Dearden Polk
Jack Hatch Polk
Matt McCoy Polk
Janet Petersen Polk
Michael Gronstal Pottawattamie
Joe Seng Scott
Herman Quirmbach Story
Daryl Beall Webster

Iowa House votes to relax manure storage rules for CAFOs (updated)

desmoinesdem — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 12:15:00 GMT

In an ideal world, evidence that more than half of Midwest rivers and streams can't support aquatic life would inspire policy-makers to clean up our waterways. Rivers that are suitable for swimming, fishing, and other recreation can be a huge economic engine for Iowa communities.

We live in Iowa, where most of our lawmakers take the Patty Judge view: "Iowa is an agricultural state and anyone who doesn't like it can leave in any of four directions."

Yesterday the Iowa House approved a bill to relax manure storage regulations for large confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs). All of the House Republicans and two-thirds of the Democrats supported this bad legislation. Details on the bill and the House vote are below.
Proponents of House File 512 claim it would make life easier for farmers who want to "downsize" their operations temporarily.

"This bill allows you to notify the DNR [Department of Natural Resources] that you will no longer have animals above the 500 animal unit that requires the manure management plan," [Republican State Representative Lee] Hein said, "simplifies it and allows those buildings to remain intact in case, say, for instance the next generation comes along in a few years and wants to enter back into the hog operation."

If that were the intended goal of this bill, Iowa lawmakers should have had no problem with an amendment proposed by State Representative Chuck Isenhart, the ranking Democrat on the Iowa House Environmental Protection Committee. His amendment was short and simple:

During the period of election [to be a small animal feeding operation], a manure storage structure that is part of the confinement feeding operation is not used to store manure originating from a location outside the confinement feeding operation.

In other words, go ahead and mothball your barn in case your child wants to come back to the farm someday. But in the meantime, don't use your barn to store manure overflowing from someone else's CAFO. During yesterday's floor debate (audio available at Radio Iowa), Isenhart warned that House Fill 512 would become a "fall-back" option for CAFO operators who don't want to invest in adequate manure storage facilities. He noted that the original bill does not recognize potential hazards from manure spills during transportation to a neighboring farm and offloading.

House members rejected Isenhart's amendment by voice vote shortly before the vote on final passage for House File 512. Incidentally, Hein (the floor manager of this bill) chairs the House Environmental Protection Committee. We can see how committed he is to that mission.

But I don't mean to pin all the blame for this bad bill on House Republicans. Most of the Democratic caucus helped to pass it by 83 votes to 16. The roll call (pdf) shows that all 52 Republicans present voted yes, joined by the following 31 House Democrats: Bruce Bearinger, Deborah Berry, Dennis Cohoon, David Dawson, Nancy Dunkel, Ruth Ann Gaines, Mary Gaskill, Chris Hall, Curt Hanson, Dave Jacoby, Jerry Kearns, Dan Kelley, Bob Kressig, Daniel Lundby, Jim Lykam, Helen Miller, Dan Muhlbauer, Pat Murphy, Tyler Olson, Scott Ourth, Todd Prichard, Joe Riding, Patti Ruff, Kirsten Running-Marquardt, Art Staed, Sharon Steckman, Sally Stutsman, Phyllis Thede, Roger Thomas, Mary Wolfe, and Frank Wood.

I understand the political realities. Many of these Democrats represent rural areas; others represent urban districts where the livestock industry is important to the local economy. The bill's going to pass anyway, so why stick your neck out? The sad fact is, agribusiness interest groups will endorse challengers to most of these Democrats in the next election, ignoring the friendly votes cast to appease Big Ag.

Next time I receive a fundraising call from the Iowa Democratic Party or the House Truman Fund, I will let them know that this bill is one reason I'm keeping my checkbook closed. At least a dozen of the Democrats who voted for House File 512 represent rock-solid safe districts. That includes you, Iowa Democratic Party Chair Tyler Olson.

Credit goes to the House Democrats who had the guts to vote against House File 512 yesterday: Ako Abdul-Samad, Marti Anderson, John Forbes, Lisa Heddens, Bruce Hunter, Chuck Isenhart, Anesa Kajtazovic, Vicki Lensing, Mary Mascher, Kevin McCarthy, Jo Oldson, Rick Olson, Mark Smith, Todd Taylor, Beth Wessel-Kroeschell, and Cindy Winckler.

The lobbyist declarations on House File 512 show that the Iowa Pork Producers Association is the only group registered supporting the bill. These organizations have lobbyists registered against the bill:

Iowa Environmental Council
Food & Water Watch
Des Moines Water Works
Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement Action Fund
Iowa Farmers Union
Sierra Club Iowa Chapter

Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement's Action Fund is calling on Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal to block the Senate version of House File 512. That bill, known as Senate File 418, has already passed the Senate Agriculture Committee and is eligible for floor debate. Gronstal has the final call on what comes up for a vote. In the past, he has supported some bad legislation designed to support factory farms. But in those days, Senate President Jack Kibbie always had Big Ag's back. Now the Senate President is Pam Jochum, who has a strong environmental voting record. Maybe she can prevail on Gronstal.

Iowa Department of Natural Resources Director Chuck Gipp does not agree with Iowa CCI's interpretation of this bill's potential impact on water quality. No big surprise there. The Iowa DNR's lobbyist is registered "undecided" on House File 512.

Any relevant comments are welcome in this thread.

P.S.- House File 512 originated in the House Agriculture Committee, currently chaired by Pat Grassley. He is considered a leading contender for Iowa secretary of agriculture in 2014 if current Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey runs for U.S. Senate.

P.P.S- Environmentalists living in the first Congressional district should ask Pat Murphy to explain this vote when he asks for their support in the IA-01 Democratic primary. In fairness to Murphy, he has voted against some other bad legislation favored by Big Ag in recent years.

UPDATE: Representative Isenhart responded to my request for comment on the passage of this bill.

Rep. Hein, the bill's floor manager and a hog producer, admitted in his remarks what environmental groups feared the bill will make possible: that so-called "mothballed" confinement facilities can still be used to house sick animals and the manure pits to store excess waste from other facilities, all without updated manure management and other plans to mimimize risks to the environment and animal safety.

APRIL 5 UPDATE: The Iowa Senate will not take up this bill during the 2013 legislative session, according to this Iowa CCI Action alert. In an article on legislation that will not clear the second "funnel" deadline today, William Petroski and Jason Noble mentioned that Senate Democrats are rejecting "a proposal to revise rules on hog feeding operations."

Who's who in the Iowa House for 2013

desmoinesdem — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 13:15:00 GMT

The Iowa House will begin its 2013 session next Monday with 53 Republicans, 46 Democrats and one seat to be filled in a special election on January 22.

After the jump I've posted details on the Iowa House majority and minority leadership teams, along with all chairs, vice chairs, and members of standing House committees. Where relevant, I've noted changes since last year's legislative session.

Some non-political Iowa House trivia: three state representatives have the surname Olson (not counting Democrat Jo Oldson). There are two Millers, two Taylors, and two Smiths, one from each party in every case. David is most common first name: the new cohort contains three Daves and two Davids. Four state representatives have the first name Mark, four are called Daniel (three go by Dan) and four were given the name Robert (two Robs, one Bob, and a Bobby). Four women are named Mary (one goes by Mary Ann), and two are named Linda. There are two men each named Greg, Chuck, John, Kevin, Pat, Bruce, Tom, and Chris, and there would have been two Brians if Brian Quirk had not resigned shortly after winning re-election. Oddly, no current Iowa House member is named Mike or Michael.

JANUARY 28 UPDATE: Democrat Todd Prichard won the special election in House district 52, bringing the number of Todds in the Iowa House to two. I've added his committee assignments below. Republicans maintain a 53-47 majority.
Iowa House Republican leadership team

Speaker Kraig Paulsen was first elected in 2002 and just re-elected from House district 67, covering suburban and rural areas in Linn County.

Majority Leader Linda Upmeyer was first elected in 2002 and just re-elected in House district 54, covering all of Franklin County and parts of Cerro Gordo and Butler counties.

Speaker Pro Tem Steve Olson was first elected in 2002 and just re-elected in House district 97, including parts of Scott and Clinton counties. Last year's Speaker Pro Tem Jeff Kaufmann retired.

Majority Whip Chris Hagenow was first elected in 2008 and just re-elected in House district 43, covering some western suburbs of Des Moines. Last year's Majority Whip Erik Helland lost the 2012 Republican primary in Iowa House district 39.

Assistant majority leaders: Matt Windschitl was first elected in 2006 from district 56 and just re-elected in district 17, covering all of Ida and Monona Counties and parts of Harrison and Woodbury Counties. Windschitl was also an assistant majority leader in 2012.

Walt Rogers was first elected in 2010 and just re-elected in House district 60, covering parts of Waterloo and Black Hawk County.

Jeff Smith was first elected in 2010 and just re-elected in House district 1, covering all of Lyon and Osceola Counties and part of Dickinson County.

Joel Fry was first elected in 2010 and just re-elected in House district 27, covering Clarke, Decatur, and Wayne Counties, and part of Lucas County.

Iowa House Democratic leadership team

Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy was first elected in 2002 and just re-elected in House district 33, covering parts of the southeast side of Des Moines. He served as House majority leader during the 2007 through 2010 legislative sessions.

Assistant minority leaders: Ako Abdul-Samad was first elected in 2006 and just re-elected in House district 35, covering central and north-side neighborhoods in Des Moines.

Mary Mascher was first elected in 1994 and just re-elected in House district 86, covering parts of Iowa City.

Mark Smith was first elected in 2000 and just re-elected in House district 71, covering northeastern Marshall County, including Marshalltown.

Mary Gaskill is the newest member of the House Democratic leadership team. She replaces Kirsten Running-Marquardt, who was an assistant minority leader last year. Gaskill was first elected in 2002 and just re-elected in House district 81, covering Ottumwa and some surrounding areas in Wapello County.

FEBRUARY 5 UPDATE: Iowa House Democrats chose Dan Muhlbauer to lead their Rural Caucus. Muhlbauer raises cattle, hogs, corn and soybeans on a Crawford County farm. He was was first elected in 2010 and just re-elected in House district 12, covering Carroll and Audubon Counties and part of Crawford County. Last year Andrew Wenthe held this position, with Muhlbauer as Rural Caucus vice chair, but Wenthe retired.

Iowa House Standing Committees

Administration and Rules

Chair: Matt Windschitl (see above). Last year Renee Schulte chaired this committee, but she lost her re-election bid in House district 66.

Vice Chair: Walt Rogers (see above)

Ranking member: Dan Muhlbauer (see above). Last year Andrew Wenthe was ranking member on this committee, but he retired.

Other members: Joel Fry (R), Chris Hagenow (R), Steve Olson (R), Kraig Paulsen (R), Jeff Smith (R), Linda Upmeyer (R), Ako Abdul-Samad (D), Deborah Berry (D), Mary Mascher (D), Kevin McCarthy (D), Mark Smith (D)

Agriculture

Chair: Pat Grassley was first elected in 2006 and just re-elected in House district 50, covering Grundy County and parts of Hardin and Butler. Last year Annette Sweeney chaired this committee, but Grassley defeated her in the GOP primary to represent House district 50.

Vice Chair: Jarad Klein was first elected in 2010 and just re-elected in House district 78, covering Keokuk County and most of Washington County.

Ranking member: Helen Miller was first elected in 2002 and just re-elected in House district 9, covering part of Webster County, including Fort Dodge.

Other members: Dwayne Alons (R), Clel Baudler (R), Peter Cownie (R), Dave Deyoe (R), Jack Drake (R), Lee Hein (R), Bobby Kaufmann (R), David Maxwell (R), Brian Moore (R), Steve Olson (R), Tom Shaw (R), Bruce Bearinger (D), Nancy Dunkel (D), Curt Hanson (D), Jerry Kearns (D), Dan Kelley (D), Dan Muhlbauer (D), Scott Ourth (D), Patti Ruff (D), Todd Prichard (D)

Appropriations

Chair: Chuck Soderberg was first elected in 2004 and just re-elected in House district 5, covering most of Plymouth and part of Woodbury Counties. Last year Scott Raecker chaired the Appropriations Committee, but he did not seek re-election. Last year's vice chair, Nick Wagner, was expected to take over this committee, but he lost his re-election bid in House district 68.

Vice Chair: Mark Lofgren was first elected in 2010 and just re-elected in House district 91, covering the city of Muscatine and surrounding areas in Muscatine County.

Ranking member: Tyler Olson was first elected in 2006 and just re-elected in House district 65, covering part of Cedar Rapids in Linn County.

Administration and Regulation Appropriations Subcommittee Chair: Ralph Watts was first elected in 2002 and just re-elected in House district 19, covering part of Dallas County and a small area in northern Polk County.

Administration & Regulation Appropriations Subcommittee ranking member: Dan Kelley was first elected in 2010 and just re-elected in House district 29, covering most of Jasper County, including Newton.

Other Administration & Regulation Appropriations Subcommittee members: Tedd Gassman (R), Jason Schultz (R), Quentin Stanerson (R), Guy Vander Linden (R), Bruce Hunter (D), Joe Riding (D), Art Staed (D)

Agriculture and Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee Chair: Jack Drake was first elected in 1992 and just re-elected in House district 21, covering all of Union and Adams Counties and parts of Cass and Pottawattamie Counties.

Agriculture & Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee ranking member: Frank Wood was just elected to the Iowa House for the first time in House district 92, covering parts of Scott County. He served one term in the Iowa Senate from 2005 through 2008. Last year Dan Muhlbauer was the ranking member on this subcommittee.

Other Agriculture and Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee members: Pat Grassley (R), Lee Hein (R), Sandy Salmon (R), Bruce Bearinger (D), Scott Ourth (D), Patti Ruff (D)

Economic Development Appropriations Subcommittee Chair: Dave Deyoe was first elected in 2006 and just re-elected in House district 49, covering parts of Story and Hardin Counties. Last year Jason Schultz chaired this appropriations subcommittee.

Economic Development Appropriations Subcommittee ranking member: Kirsten Running-Marquardt won a 2009 special election and was just re-elected in House district 69, covering part of Cedar Rapids as well as parts of southwestern Linn County. Last year Chris Hall was the ranking member on this subcommittee.

Other Economic Development Appropriations Subcommittee members: Greg Forristall (R), Mary Ann Hanusa (R), Larry Sheets (R), Chuck Isenhart (D), Anesa Kajtazovic (D), Bob Kressig (D)

Education Appropriations Subcommittee Chair: Cecil Dolecheck was first elected in 1996 and just re-elected in House district 24, covering Ringgold, Taylor and Page Counties and part of Montgomery County.

Education Appropriations Subcommittee ranking member: Cindy Winckler was first elected in 2002 and just re-elected in House district 90, covering part of Davenport in Scott County.

Other Education Appropriations Subcommittee members: Josh Byrnes (R), Jake Highfill (R), Ron Jorgensen (R), Curt Hanson (D), Daniel Lundby (D), Sharon Steckman (D)

Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee Chair: Dave Heaton was first elected in 1994 and just re-elected in House district 84, covering Henry County and parts of Lee, Washington and Jefferson Counties.

Health & Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee ranking member: Lisa Heddens was first elected in 2002 and just re-elected in House district 46, covering part of Ames and Story County.

Other Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee members: Rob Bacon (R), Dean Fisher (R), Linda Miller (R), John Forbes (D), Sally Stutsman (D), Beth Wessel-Kroeschell (D)

Justice Systems Appropriations Subcommittee Chair: Gary Worthan was first elected in 2006 and just re-elected in House district 11, covering all of Buena Vista and Sac Counties.

Justice Systems Appropriations Subcommittee ranking member: Todd Taylor was first elected in a 1995 and just re-elected in House district 70, covering part of Cedar Rapids in Linn County.

Other Justice Systems Appropriations Subcommittee members: Julian Garrett (R), Chip Baltimore (R), Mark Brandenburg (R), Megan Hess (R), Marti Anderson (D), David Dawson (D), Todd Prichard (D)

Transportation, Infrastructure and Capitals Appropriations Subcommittee Chair: Dan Huseman was first elected in 1994 and just re-elected in House district 3, covering O'Brien and Cherokee Counties and parts of Sioux and Plymouth.

Transportation, Infrastructure and Capitals Appropriations Subcommittee ranking member: Dennis Cohoon was first elected to the Iowa House in 1986 and just re-elected in House district 87, covering Burlington and part of eastern Des Moines County.

Other Transportation, Infrastructure and Capitals Appropriations Subcommittee members: Dwayne Alons (R), John Landon (R), Brian Moore (R), Nancy Dunkel (D), Dave Jacoby (D), Jim Lykam (D)

Other Appropriations Committee members: Dean Fisher (R), Julian Garrett (R), Jake Highfill (R), Walt Rogers (R), Bruce Bearinger (D), Nancy Dunkel (D), Chris Hall (D), Anesa Kajtazovic (D), Pat Murphy (D), Kirsten Running-Marquardt (D), Todd Taylor (D)

Commerce

Chair: Peter Cownie was first elected in 2008 and just re-elected in House district 42, covering parts of Des Moines and West Des Moines. Last year Chuck Soderberg chaired this committee.

Vice Chair: Mark Brandenburg was first elected in 2010 and just re-elected in House district 15, covering Carter Lake and part of Council Bluffs in Pottawattamie County. Last year Chip Baltimore was the vice chair of this committee.

Ranking member: Chris Hall was first elected in 2010 and just re-elected in House district 13, covering part of Sioux City and eastern Woodbury County. Last year Brian Quirk was ranking member of this committee, but he just resigned his House seat after winning re-election in House district 52.

Other members: Chip Baltimore (R), Dean Fisher (R), Pat Grassley (R), John Landon (R), Dawn Pettengill (R), Tom Sands (R), Jeff Smith (R), Chuck Soderberg (R), Rob Taylor (R), Ralph Watts (R), Guy Vander Linden (R), David Dawson (D), John Forbes (D), Dave Jacoby (D), Anesa Kajtazovic (D), Bob Kressig (D), Jim Lykam (D), Jo Oldson (D), Tyler Olson (D)

Economic Growth

Chair: Mary Ann Hanusa was first elected in 2010 and just re-elected in House district 16, covering part of Council Bluffs. Last year Pat Grassley chaired this committee, and Hanusa served as vice chair.

Vice Chair: Bobby Kaufmann was elected for the first time in 2012 from district 73, covering Cedar County, part of Johnson County, and one town in Muscatine County. He is the son of longtime State Representative Jeff Kaufmann, who retired last year after serving as House speaker pro tem

Ranking member: Roger Thomas was first elected to the Iowa House in 1996 and just re-elected in House district 55, covering parts of Winneshiek, Fayette and Clayton Counties.

Other members: Dwayne Alons (R), Chip Baltimore (R), Dave Deyoe (R), Ron Jorgensen (R), Mark Lofgren (R), Brian Moore (R), Walt Rogers (R), Jason Schultz (R), Larry Sheets (R), Rob Taylor (R), Bruce Bearinger (D), Nancy Dunkel (D), Mary Gaskill (D), Lisa Heddens (D), Dave Jacoby (D), Helen Miller (D), Scott Ourth (D), Frank Wood (D)

Education

Chair: Ron Jorgensen was first elected in 2010 and just re-elected in House district 6, covering parts of Sioux City and Woodbury County. Last year Greg Forristall chaired this committee. He publicly criticized a bill that would have restricted early school opening dates, which House Speaker Paulsen supported.

Vice Chair: Quentin Stanerson was just elected for the first time in 2012 from House district 95, covering parts of Linn and Buchanan counties.

Ranking member: Sharon Steckman was first elected in 2008 and just re-elected in House district 53, covering part of Cerro Gordo County, including Mason City.

Other members: Josh Byrnes (R), Cecil Dolecheck (R), Joel Fry (R), Julian Garrett (R), Tedd Gassman (R), Mary Ann Hanusa (R), Megan Hess (R), Kevin Koester (R), Linda Miller (R), Walt Rogers (R), Sandy Salmon (R), Ako Abdul-Samad (D), Dennis Cohoon (D), Ruth Ann Gaines (D), Curt Hanson (D), Mary Mascher (D), Patti Ruff (D), Art Staed (D), Cindy Winckler (D), Frank Wood (D)

Environmental Protection

Chair: Lee Hein was first elected in 2010 and just re-elected in House district 96, covering all of Delaware County and part of Jones County. Last year Steve Olson (just named House speaker pro tem) chaired this committee.

Vice Chair: Rob Taylor was just elected for the first time in 2012 in House district 44, covering parts of the Des Moines suburbs in Dallas County. Last year Bob Hager was vice chair of this committee, but he lost his re-election bid in House district 56.

Ranking member: Chuck Isenhart was first elected in 2008 and just re-elected in House district 100, covering part of Dubuque.

Other members: Clel Baudler (R), Dave Deyoe (R), Tedd Gassman (R), Megan Hess (R), Jarad Klein (R), David Maxwell (R), Jason Schultz (R), Larry Sheets (R), Jeff Smith (R), Chuck Soderberg (R), Marti Anderson (D), Deborah Berry (D), Dan Kelley (D), Vicki Lensing (D), Daniel Lundby (D), Mark Smith (D), Sharon Steckman (D), Phyllis Thede (D), Beth Wessel-Kroeschell (D)

Ethics

Chair: Jeff Smith (see above) is the new chair of this committee, as well as an assistant majority leader. Last year Kevin Koester chaired this committee.

Vice Chair: Tom Shaw was first elected in 2010 and just re-elected from House district 10, covering Pocahontas, Humboldt, and Calhoun Counties as well as part of Webster County. Last year Scott Raecker was vice chair of this committee, but he retired.

Ranking member: Phyllis Thede was first elected in 2008 and just re-elected in House district 93, covering parts of Davenport and Bettendorf in Scott County.

Other members: Dave Heaton (R), Tyler Olson (D), Mark Smith (D)

Government Oversight

Chair: Kevin Koester was first elected in 2008 and just re-elected in House district 38, covering a large part of northeast Polk County. Last year Chris Hagenow, now majority whip, chaired this committee.

Vice Chair: Greg Heartsill was just elected for the first time in 2012 in House district 28, covering parts of Marion, Jasper, and Lucas Counties. Last year Chip Baltimore was the vice chair of this committee.

Ranking member: Ruth Ann Gaines was first elected in 2010 and just re-elected in House district 32, covering part of Des Moines. Last year Janet Petersen was ranking member of this committee, but she left the Iowa House to run for the Iowa Senate.

Other members: Clel Baudler (R), Peter Cownie (R), Dawn Pettengill (R), Vicki Lensing (D), Pat Murphy (D), Phyllis Thede (D)

Human Resources

Chair: Linda Miller was first elected in 2006 and just re-elected in House district 94, covering part of Bettendorf in Scott County.

Vice Chair: Rob Bacon was just elected to the Iowa House for the first time from House district 48, covering Hamilton County and parts of Webster, Boone, and Story Counties. He previously served two years in the Iowa Senate. Last year Joel Fry was the vice chair of this committee.

Ranking member: Beth Wessel-Kroeschell was first elected in 2004 and just re-elected in House district 45, covering part of Ames in Story County.

Other members: Mark Costello (R), Greg Forristall (R), Joel Fry (R), Julian Garrett (R), Dave Heaton (R), Megan Hess (R), Kevin Koester (R), John Landon (R), Mark Lofgren (R), Rob Taylor (R), Ako Abdul-Samad (D), Marti Anderson (D), David Dawson (D), Lisa Heddens (D), Bruce Hunter (D), Pat Murphy (D), Mark Smith (D), Sally Stutsman (D)

International Relations

Chair: Mark Lofgren (see above)

Ranking member: Deborah Berry was first elected in 2002 and just re-elected in House district 62, covering part of Waterloo in Black Hawk County.

Other members: Jack Drake (R), John Landon (R), Walt Rogers (R), Dan Kelley (D), Mary Mascher (D)

Judiciary

Chair: Chip Baltimore was first elected in 2010 and just re-elected in House district 47, covering most of Boone County and all of Greene County. Last year Rich Anderson chaired this committee, but he retired.

Vice Chair: Megan Hess was just elected for the first time in 2012 in House district 2, covering Palo Alto and Clay Counties and part of Dickinson County. Last year Chip Baltimore was vice chair of this committee.

Ranking member: Mary Wolfe was first elected in 2010 and just re-elected in House district 98, covering part of Clinton County, including the city of Clinton.

Other members: Dwayne Alons (R), Mark Brandenburg (R), Julian Garrett (R), Tedd Gassman (R), Chris Hagenow (R), Greg Heartsill (R), Dave Heaton (R), Bobby Kaufmann (R), Matt Windschitl (R), Gary Worthan (R), Marti Anderson (D), David Dawson (D), Vicki Lensing (D), Jo Oldson (D), Rick Olson (D), Tyler Olson (D), Mark Smith (D), Beth Wessel-Kroeschell (D)

Labor

Chair: Greg Forristall was first elected in 2006 and just re-elected in House district 22, covering most of Pottawattamie County outside Council Bluffs. Last year Lance Horbach chaired this committee, but he retired.

Vice Chair: Larry Sheets was just elected for the first time in House district 80, covering Monroe and Appanoose Counties and parts of Mahaska and Wapello Counties. Last year Jarad Klein was the vice chair of this committee.

Ranking member: Bruce Hunter was first elected in a 2003 special election and just re-elected in House district 34, covering downtown Des Moines and part of the south side.

Other members: Mark Costello (R), Joel Fry (R), Mary Ann Hanusa (R), Ron Jorgensen (R), Jarad Klein (R), Mark Lofgren (R), Jason Schultz (R), Ralph Watts (R), Deborah Berry (D), Jerry Kearns (D), Mary Mascher (D), Pat Murphy (D), Kirsten Running-Marquardt (D), Todd Taylor (D)

Local Government

Chair: Jason Schultz was first elected in 2008 and just re-elected in House district 18, covering all of Shelby County and parts of Crawford and Harrison Counties. Last year Nick Wagner chaired this committee, but he lost his re-election bid in House district 68.

Vice Chair: Greg Heartsill (see above). Last year Jeff Smith was vice chair of this committee.

Ranking member: Art Staed was just elected to House district 66 in Cedar Rapids, defeating Republican incumbent Renee Schulte. He previously served one term in the House (2007-2008). Last year John Wittneben was ranking member of this committee, but he lost his re-election bid in House district 7.

Other members: Cecil Dolecheck (R), Dean Fisher (R), Tedd Gassman (R), Mary Ann Hanusa (R), Jake Highfill (R), Henry Rayhons (R), Larry Sheets (R), Quentin Stanerson (R), Matt Windschitl (R), John Forbes (D), Mary Gaskill (D), Bob Kressig (D), Daniel Lundby (D), Joe Riding (D), Kirsten Running-Marquardt (D), Phyllis Thede (D), Frank Wood (D)

Natural Resources

Chair: Henry Rayhons was first elected to the Iowa House in 1996 and just re-elected in House district 8, covering Wright and Hancock Counties and part of Kossuth County.

Vice Chair: Dean Fisher was just elected for the first time in 2012 in House district 72, covering Tama County and parts of Marshall and Black Hawk Counties. Last year Jeff Smith was the vice chair of this committee.

Ranking member: Curt Hanson was first elected in a 2009 special election and just re-elected in House district 82, covering Davis and Van Buren Counties and most of Jefferson County.

Other members: Rob Bacon (R), Clel Baudler (R), Josh Byrnes (R), Cecil Dolecheck (R), Jake Highfill (R), Dan Huseman (R), David Maxwell (R), Sandy Salmon (R), Tom Shaw (R), Jeff Smith (R), Chris Hall (D), Daniel Lundby (D), Jim Lykam (D), Helen Miller (D), Scott Ourth (D), Patti Ruff (D), Phyllis Thede (D), Roger Thomas (D)

Public Safety

Chair: Clel Baudler was first elected in 1998 and just re-elected in House district 20, covering all of Guthrie and Adair Counties and parts of Cass and Dallas Counties.

Vice Chair: Tom Shaw (see above)

Ranking member: Bob Kressig was first elected in 2004 and just re-elected in House district 59, covering most of Cedar Falls and some rural areas in Black Hawk County.

Other members: Mark Brandenburg (R), Joel Fry (R), Greg Heartsill (R), Dan Huseman (R), Jarad Klein (R), Steve Olson (R), Henry Rayhons (R), Sandy Salmon (R), Tom Sands (R), Gary Worthan (R), Ako Abdul-Samad (D), Deborah Berry (D), David Dawson (D), Ruth Ann Gaines (D), Dan Muhlbauer (D), Rick Olson (D), Mary Wolfe (D)

State Government

Chair: Guy Vander Linden was first elected in 2010 and just re-elected in House district 79, covering most of Mahaska County and the Pella area of Marion County. Last year Peter Cownie chaired this committee.

Vice Chair: Jake Highfill was just elected for the first time in 2012 in House district 39, covering suburban and rural areas in Polk County. He defeated House Majority Whip Erik Helland in the Republican primary. Last year Guy Vander Linden was vice chair of this committee.

Ranking member: Vicki Lensing was first elected in 2000 and just re-elected in House district 85, covering part of Iowa City in Johnson County.

Other members: Rob Bacon (R), Mark Costello (R), Jack Drake (R), Pat Grassley (R), Chris Hagenow (R), Lee Hein (R), Kevin Koester (R), Linda Miller (R), Dawn Pettengill (R), Quentin Stanerson (R), Ralph Watts (R), Dennis Cohoon (D), Bruce Hunter (D), Chuck Isenhart (D), Anesa Kajtazovic (D), Mary Mascher (D), Sharon Steckman (D), Todd Taylor (D), Todd Prichard (D), Cindy Winckler (D)

Transportation

Chair: Josh Byrnes was first elected in 2010 and just re-elected in House district 51, covering Worth, Mitchell, and Howard Counties, and part of Winneshiek. Last year Dave Tjepkes chaired this committee, but he retired.

Vice Chair: Brian Moore was first elected in 2010 and just re-elected in House district 58, covering Jackson County and parts of Jones and Dubuque Counties. Last year Glen Massie was vice chair of this committee, but he retired.

Ranking member: Jim Lykam was first elected in 2002 and just re-elected in House district 89, covering part of Davenport in Scott County.

Other members: Greg Forristall (R), Greg Heartsill (R), Dan Huseman (R), Ron Jorgensen (R), Bobby Kaufmann (R), John Landon (R), Steve Olson (R), Dawn Pettengill (R), Henry Rayhons (R), Walt Rogers (R), Dennis Cohoon (D), John Forbes (D), Helen Miller (D), Pat Murphy (D), Rick Olson (D), Joe Riding (D), Sally Stutsman (D), Mary Wolfe (D)

Veterans Affairs

Chair: Dwayne Alons was first elected in 1998 and just re-elected in House district 4, covering most of Sioux County. Although he is one of the longest-serving Iowa House Republicans, Alons was shut out of the committee chairmanships in 2011 and 2012. Paulsen didn't even make him a vice chair of any committee before now. Last year Royd Chambers chaired the Veterans Affairs Committee, but he retired.

Vice Chair: Sandy Salmon was just elected for the first time in 2012 in House district 63, covering Bremer County and parts of Black Hawk County. Last year Guy Vander Linden was the vice chair of this committee.

Ranking member: Jerry Kearns was first elected in 2008 and just re-elected in House district 83, covering part of Lee County including Keokuk and Fort Madison.

Other members: Rob Bacon (R), Mark Brandenburg (R), Mark Costello (R), Linda Miller (R), Tom Shaw (R), Quentin Stanerson (R), Matt Windschitl (R), Gary Worthan (R), Ruth Ann Gaines (D), Dave Jacoby (D), Dan Muhlbauer (D), Art Staed (D), Roger Thomas (D)

Ways and Means

Chair: Tom Sands was first elected in 2002 and just re-elected in House district 88, covering all of Louisa County and large parts of Des Moines and Muscatine Counties.

Vice Chair: John Landon was just elected for the first time in 2012 in House district 37, covering Ankeny and other parts of northern Polk County. Last year Josh Byrnes was the vice chair of this committee.

Ranking member: Jo Oldson was first elected in 2002 and just re-elected in House district 41, covering part of Des Moines. Last year Dave Jacoby was ranking member on this committee.

Other members: Chip Baltimore (R), Josh Byrnes (R), Peter Cownie (R), Greg Forristall (R), Pat Grassley (R), Chris Hagenow (R), Lee Hein (R), David Maxwell (R), Brian Moore (R), Quentin Stanerson (R), Guy Vander Linden (R), Matt Windschitl (R), John Forbes (D), Mary Gaskill (D), Chuck Isenhart (D), Jerry Kearns (D), Dan Kelley, Dan Muhlbauer (D), Joe Riding (D), Sally Stutsman (D), Roger Thomas (D), Todd Prichard (D)

Administrative Rules Review

Five Iowa House and five Iowa Senate members serve on this committee.

Chair: Dawn Pettengill was first elected in 2004 (as a Democrat) and switched to the Republican caucus in 2007. She was just re-elected in House district 75, covering Benton County and part of Iowa County.

Other Iowa House members: State Representative Jeff Smith (R), State Representative Dave Jacoby (D), State Representative Rick Olson (D), State Representative Guy Vander Linden (R)

More proof smoking bans save lives

desmoinesdem — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 23:09:58 GMT

How about a little good news on a lousy day? A new study confirms previous research, which showed public smoking bans reduce hospitalizations for heart attacks and other life-threatening problems. The Iowa Smokefree Air Act, which went into effect in July 2008, has likely prevented many premature deaths.

UPDATE: The smoking ban was controversial while it was debated in 2008. Below I've listed all of the state legislators who had the courage to send that bill to Governor Chet Culver's desk.
The new study appears in the latest issue of Health Affairs, a peer-reviewed journal. Here's the abstract of "Smoking Bans Linked To Lower Hospitalizations For Heart Attacks And Lung Disease Among Medicare Beneficiaries," by Mark W. Vander Weg, Gary E. Rosenthal, and Mary Vaughan Sarrazin.

Policies limiting exposure to cigarette smoke have been associated with reduced hospitalizations for heart attacks, but little is known about the impact of smoking bans on other health conditions and whether findings from individual communities generalize to other areas. We investigated the association between smoking bans targeting workplaces, restaurants, and bars passed throughout the United States during 1991-2008 and hospital admissions for smoking-related illnesses-acute myocardial infarction and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease-among Medicare beneficiaries age sixty-five or older. Risk-adjusted hospital admission rates for acute myocardial infarction fell 20-21 percent thirty-six months following implementation of new restaurant, bar, and workplace smoking bans. Admission rates for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease fell 11 percent where workplace smoking bans were in place and 15 percent where bar smoking bans were present. By contrast, very little effect was found for hospitalization for gastrointestinal hemorrhage and hip fracture-two conditions largely unrelated to smoking and examined as points of comparison. These findings provide further support for the public health benefits of laws that limit exposure to tobacco smoke.

That's a big drop in hospitalizations for heart attacks and serious lung ailments in communities with public smoking bans. In Iowa, the smoking rate dropped noticeably even in the first year after the Smokefree Air Act passed, and has continued to decline since. That trend benefits both people who quit smoking and those who no longer are exposed to their loved ones' or co-workers' secondhand smoke.

Lead author Mark Vander Weg is an associate professor in the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. He spoke to the Iowa City Press-Citizen:

Hospitalization for heart attack rates is on the decline in general, Vander Weg said, which could be a result of advancing medical care resulting in better identification and treatment of coronary artery disease. It also could be because fewer people are smoking, he said. COPD, on the other hand, has been increasing across the country, Vander Weg said.
Within the first three months of smoking bans being enacted, the increase in COPD admission rates was 5 percent lower in communities with bans than those without. After three years, that difference had grown to 17 percent.
Communities that had smoking bans in all three possible locations - bars, restaurants and offices - saw greater relative reductions than counties that banned smoking only in a single setting, the study found.
Areas with bans in two or three settings saw decreases in heart attack admissions of between 14 percent and 16 percent, while those with a single ban did not see as significant of decreases, Vander Weg said.
"The bottom line for that is that the more bans that there were, the greater reduction that we saw, at least in heart attacks," he said.
The admissions were only for patients age 65 and older because the study relied on Medicare data. Although research has shown that smoking is declining nationwide, it's declining at a lower rate among people age 65 and older.

The Iowa Department of Public Health has posted rules and frequently asked questions related to the Smokefree Air Act.

Because of the many health risks associated with secondhand smoke, Bleeding Heartland strongly supported the Iowa Smokefree Air Act and the Iowa Department of Public Health's decision to enforce that ban in all restaurants. I had no sympathy for smokers who whined about "Big Brother Democrats and Turncoat Republicans" and called the public smoking ban "Soviet" or "fascist."

Former Governor Chet Culver deserves credit for supporting this bill through the legislative process and signing it into law. The lawmakers who had the guts to vote for this controversial bill should feel proud too.

Here is the full list of 54 House members who voted yes on the final version of House File 2212 in 2008. I've put an asterisk next to those who still serve in the Iowa legislature. Note that while Democrats provided most of the yes votes, the bill would not have passed without some support from House Republicans.

Democrats:
Ako Abdul-Samad*
Paul Bell
Deborah Berry*
Polly Bukta
Dennis Cohoon*
Swati Dandekar
Mark Davitt
Ro Foege
Wayne Ford
Marcella Frevert
Mary Gaskill*
Elesha Gayman
Lisa Heddens*
Bruce Hunter*
Dave Jacoby*
Pam Jochum* (now in Iowa Senate)
Doris Kelley
Bob Kressig*
Mark Kuhn
Vicki Lensing*
Mary Mascher*
Kevin McCarthy*
Helen Miller*
Jo Oldson*
Donovan Olson
Rick Olson*
Tyler Olson*
Eric Palmer
Janet Petersen* (now in Iowa Senate)
Mike Reasoner
Nathan Reichert
Paul Shomshor
Mark Smith*
Art Staed (defeated in 2008 but just re-elected)
Kurt Swaim
Dick Taylor
Todd Taylor*
Roger Wendt
Beth Wessel-Kroeschell*
Mark Whitaker
Wes Whitead
Cindy Winckler*
Phil Wise
Ray Zirkelbach
Pat Murphy*

Republicans:
Rich Anderson
Clel Baudler*
Dan Clute
Libby Jacobs
Michael May
Henry Rayhons*
Bill Schickel
Walt Tomenga
Tami Wiencek

Special credit goes to Iowa senators who resisted House Democrats' attempt to weaken the bill and got a fairly strong smoking ban through the conference committee. Here's the full list of the 28 state senators who voted for the final version of the Iowa Smokefree Air Act. Again, most of the yes votes came from Democrats, but at least one Republican vote was needed for final passage. I put asterisks next to the names of those who still serve.

Democrats:
Staci Appel
Daryl Beall*
Joe Bolkcom*
Michael Connolly
Tom Courtney*
Jeff Danielson*
Dick Dearden*
Bob Dvorsky*
Gene Fraise
Mike Gronstal*
Jack Hatch*
Rob Hogg*
Wally Horn*
Jack Kibbie
Matt McCoy*
Rich Olive
Herman Quirmbach*
Amanda Ragan*
Tom Rielly
Becky Schmitz
Brian Schoenjahn*
Joe Seng*
Roger Stewart
Steve Warnstadt
Frank Wood (defeated in 2008, just elected to Iowa House)

Republicans:
Mary Lundby
Larry Noble
Pat Ward

One major loophole remains in Iowa's public smoking ban: casino floors are exempt. Democrat state senator Bill Heckroth voted for an earlier version of the smoking ban but against the final bill, I think because of the casino exemption. An Iowa Smoke-Free Gaming group is trying to rescind that loophole, but they face long odds, given the gambling industry's influence at the statehouse.

Full list of Iowa House Democratic leaders, ranking members

desmoinesdem — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 14:57:29 GMT

Yesterday the Iowa House Democrats announced ranking members for all the standing and appropriations committees for the 2013 legislative session. Below I've posted the full list of House minority leaders and ranking members. Where relevant, I've noted changes since last year. House Democrats will start the session with 46 caucus members, because State Representative Brian Quirk just resigned his seat.

House Republicans named all the committee chairs earlier this week.
Iowa House Democratic leadership team

Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy was first elected in 2002 and just re-elected in House district 33, covering parts of the southeast side of Des Moines. He served as majority leader during the 2007 through 2010 legislative sessions.

Assistant minority leaders: Ako Abdul-Samad was first elected in 2006 and just re-elected in House district 35, covering central and north-side neighborhoods in Des Moines.

Mary Mascher was first elected in 1994 and just re-elected in House district 86, covering parts of Iowa City.

Mark Smith was first elected in 2000 and just re-elected in House district 71, covering northeastern Marshall County, including Marshalltown.

Standing committees

Administrative Rules Review

Dave Jacoby and Rick Olson will serve on this committee, which includes five Iowa House members and five Iowa Senate members. Jacoby was first elected in 2002 and just re-elected in House district 74, covering Coralville and North Liberty in Johnson County. Olson was first elected in 2004 and just re-elected in House district 31, covering parts of the east side of Des Moines.

Administration and Rules

Dan Muhlbauer was first elected in 2010 and just re-elected in House district 12, covering Carroll and Audubon Counties and part of Crawford County. Last year Andrew Wenthe was ranking member on this committee, but he retired.

Agriculture

Helen Miller was first elected in 2002 and just re-elected in House district 9, covering part of Webster County, including Fort Dodge.

Appropriations

Tyler Olson was first elected in 2006 and just re-elected in House district 65, covering part of Cedar Rapids in Linn County.

Administration and Regulation Appropriations Subcommittee: Dan Kelley was first elected in 2010 and just re-elected in House district 29, covering most of Jasper County, including Newton.

Agriculture and Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee: Frank Wood was just elected to the Iowa House for the first time in House district 92, covering parts of Scott County. He served one term in the Iowa Senate from 2005 through 2008. Last year Dan Muhlbauer was the ranking member on this subcommittee.

Economic Development Appropriations Subcommittee: Kirsten Running-Marquardt won a 2009 special election and was just re-elected in House district 69, covering part of Cedar Rapids as well as parts of southwestern Linn County. Last year Chris Hall was the ranking member on this subcommittee.

Education Appropriations Subcommittee: Cindy Winckler was first elected in 2002 and just re-elected in House district 90, covering part of Davenport in Scott County.

Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee: Lisa Heddens was first elected in 2002 and just re-elected in House district 46, covering part of Ames and Story County.

Justice System Appropriations Subcommittee: Todd Taylor was first elected in a 1995 and just re-elected in House district 70, covering part of Cedar Rapids in Linn County.

Transportation, Infrastructure, and Capitals Appropriations: Dennis Cohoon was first elected to the Iowa House in 1986 and just re-elected in House district 87, covering Burlington and part of eastern Des Moines County.

Commerce

Chris Hall was first elected in 2010 and just re-elected in House district 13, covering part of Sioux City and eastern Woodbury County. Last year Brian Quirk was ranking member of this committee, but he just resigned his House seat this week.

Economic Growth

Roger Thomas was first elected to the Iowa House in 1996 and just re-elected in House district 55, covering parts of Winneshiek, Fayette and Clayton Counties.

Education

Sharon Steckman was first elected in 2008 and just re-elected in House district 53, covering part of Cerro Gordo County, including Mason City.

Environmental Protection

Chuck Isenhart was first elected in 2008 and just re-elected in House district 100, covering part of Dubuque.

Ethics

Phyllis Thede was first elected in 2008 and just re-elected in House district 93, covering parts of Davenport and Bettendorf in Scott County.

Government Oversight

Ruth Ann Gaines was first elected in 2010 and just re-elected in House district 32, covering part of Des Moines. Last year Janet Petersen was ranking member of this committee, but she left the Iowa House to run for the Iowa Senate.

Human Resources

Beth Wessel-Kroeschell was first elected in 2004 and just re-elected in House district 45, covering part of Ames in Story County.

Judiciary

Mary Wolfe was first elected in 2010 and just re-elected in House district 98, covering part of Clinton County, including the city of Clinton.

Labor

Bruce Hunter was first elected in a 2003 special election and just re-elected in House district 34, covering downtown Des Moines and part of the south side.

Local Government

Art Staed was just elected to House district 66 in Cedar Rapids, defeating Republican incumbent Renee Schulte. He previously served one term in the House (2007-2008). Last year John Wittneben was ranking member of this committee, but he lost his re-election bid in House district 7.

Natural Resources

Curt Hanson was first elected in a 2009 special election and just re-elected in House district 82, covering Davis and Van Buren Counties and most of Jefferson County.

Public Safety

Bob Kressig was first elected in 2004 and just re-elected in House district 59, covering most of Cedar Falls and some rural areas in Black Hawk County.

State Government

Vicki Lensing was first elected in 2000 and just re-elected in House district 85, covering part of Iowa City in Johnson County.

Transportation

Jim Lykam was first elected in 2002 and just re-elected in House district 89, covering part of Davenport in Scott County.

Veterans Affairs

Jerry Kearns was first elected in 2008 and just re-elected in House district 83, covering part of Lee County including Keokuk and Fort Madison.

Ways and Means

Jo Oldson was first elected in 2002 and just re-elected in House district 41, covering part of Des Moines. Last year Dave Jacoby was ranking member on this committee.

New Iowa House and Senate will include more women

desmoinesdem — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 17:12:41 GMT

Americans elected record numbers of women to Congress on Tuesday. Beginning in January, 20 women will serve in the U.S. Senate, and 78 women will serve in the U.S. House. During the past two years, seventeen U.S. senators and 73 U.S. representatives were women.

Although Iowans continued our streak of not sending women to Congress, we did elect some new women to the state legislature, producing a slight gain in the total number of female lawmakers.
Since 2011, the Iowa Senate has included eight women and 42 men. Three women were not up for re-election this year: Republicans Nancy Boettger and Sandy Greiner, and Democrat Amanda Ragan.

Four female incumbents were re-elected on Tuesday: Republican Joni Ernst and Democrats Liz Mathis, Mary Jo Wilhelm, and Pam Jochum.

Democrats Janet Petersen and Rita Hart won open-seat Senate races, bringing the number of women who'll serve in the upper chamber next year to ~~nine~~. CORRECTION: I omitted Amy Sinclair, a Republican who won an open seat. That makes ten women in the upper chamber.

Senator Pat Ward passed away last month. A special election to fill her seat will take place on December 11. Republicans are unlikely to nominate a woman to run against Democrat Desmund Adams. UPDATE: Charles Schneider is the GOP candidate in Senate district 22, so there is no chance of electing another woman to the Senate this cycle.

Since 2011, the Iowa House has included 24 women and 76 men. Three retired before this year's election: Republicans Kim Pearson and Betty De Boef, and Democrat Janet Petersen (to run for the state Senate).

Two Republican women lost their re-election bids: Annette Sweeney was defeated in a GOP primary, and Renee Schulte lost on Tuesday.

That leaves 19 women who were re-elected to the Iowa House: Democrats Deborah Berry, Ruth Ann Gaines, Mary Gaskill, Lisa Heddens, Anesa Kajtazovic, Vicki Lensing, Mary Mascher, Helen Miller, Jo Oldson, Kirsten Running-Marquardt, Sharon Steckman, Phyllis Thede, Beth Wessel-Kroeschell, Cindy Winckler, and Mary Wolfe, and Republicans Mary Ann Hanusa, Linda Miller, Dawn Pettengill, and Linda Upmeyer.

Five women won open-seat Iowa House races on Tuesday: Democrats Marti Anderson, Nancy Dunkel, and Sally Stutsman, and Republicans Megan Hess and Sandy Salmon.

Patti Ruff defeated a Republican incumbent, which makes 25 women elected to the next Iowa House.

To sum up, the next Iowa House will have 53 Republicans (47 men, six women) and 47 Democrats (28 men, 19 women).

For now I am assuming Susan Judkins will fall just short against Republican incumbent Chris Hagenow in House district 43. If a recount changes the outcome of that race, we'll have 26 women in the Iowa House next year. UPDATE: After counting absentee and provisional ballots, Hagenow leads by 22 votes. That margin is likely to hold, but I expect a recount after the results are certified next week.

Iowa is decades away from anything like gender parity in our state legislature, but we are taking baby steps in the right direction.

Lockdown at state capitol: Abdul-Samad receives letter with suspicious powder

desmoinesdem — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 22:34:32 GMT

The Iowa capitol is currently under lockdown. Sometime before 4 pm this afternoon, State Representative Ako Abdul-Samad's clerk was opening mail in the Iowa House chamber while House members were debating a bill on banning traffic cameras. One envelope contained white powder and a threatening message. According to a source inside the House chamber, powder got on the clerk, Abdul-Samad, and the carpet. Radio Iowa reported that debate was suspended at 3:47 pm. About an hour later, visitors were asked not to leave the building.

As of 5:30 pm, two yellow-suited hazmat workers are in the House chamber trying to determine whether the white powder is dangerous. Other than Abdul-Samad, who was taken to another room, most of the state representatives are in the chamber, as are many of their clerks and Iowa House Republican and Democratic staff. Some lobbyists are in the House gallery, having taken seats there to watch debate before the lockdown.

UPDATE: Further news on this story is after the jump.
A witness told KCCI-TV's Todd Magel that the white powder "smelled like detergent, but was accompanied by a threatening letter." Let's hope it was nothing more dangerous than that.

Mike Wiser posted this photo of the hazmat workers. Republican State Representative Chris Hagenow posted this picture.

Jason Clayworth reported for the Des Moines Register that "multiple areas and people" could be at risk due to a botched response to the incident.

Sen. Bill Dotzler, D-Waterloo who is trained in hazmat response, said it's no laughing matter. Dotzler is a former volunteer with the John Deere Fire Brigade and was fully trained with the Waterloo hazmat team. He additionally helped write John Deere's hazmat response manual.
House members should have been immediately isolated and even removed from the chambers to an isolated area to avoid further possible exposure, Dotzler said. Instead, state representatives and members of the public walked around the Capitol and some even left the building, he noted.
"They were letting them walk everywhere," Dotzler said. "You would think that there would be some general training for this kind of situation. Maybe they did have it and people didn't realize it?"
Dotzler continued: "In the world we live in you have to take every case seriously. People said, 'Well, it smelled like soap.' Well, you can mix toxic biological agents in with soap and it could be something that's pretty bad."

A source tells me that GOP State Representative Jeremy Taylor's two small children entered the House chamber after the suspicious envelope had been opened. Taylor's wife is also his legislative clerk, a common practice in the Iowa legislature.

Democratic State Representative Beth Wessel-Kroeschell posted on Facebook around 6 pm, "Update: initial tests indicate it is not a hazardous substance. More tests to be done in their truck. The death threat letter to [Ako] Abdul-Samad continues to haunt us."

Debate resumed in the House chamber around 7 pm.

Shortly after 8 pm, legislators got word that the substance was not hazardous. Also, the Iowa House approved House File 2450, the traffic camera ban, by 58 votes to 42 (don't have the breakdown yet, but it was a bipartisan vote according to Republican Chris Hagenow).

Abdul-Samad declined to discuss details of the threatening letter when speaking to reporters around 8 pm. O.Kay Henderson posted a link to the audio from that brief news conference.

Notes from the Trayvon Martin rally at the Iowa Capitol

desmoinesdem — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 14:54:45 GMT

At least 200 people gathered on the west steps of the Iowa State Capitol Monday evening for a rally and vigil marking one month since Trayvon Martin's killing in Floriday. After the jump I've posted a few notes from the event, along with links about the impact of Martin's death on the debate over proposed "stand your ground" legislation in Iowa.
Drake Law School students organized the event to call attention to Iowa House File 2215, the so-called "stand your ground" bill. A similar statute in Florida is the main reason law enforcement did not arrest or charge George Zimmerman after he shot and killed the unarmed Martin. The Iowa House passed the bill along party lines on February 29. It is dead in the Iowa Senate for this session, despite efforts by the National Rifle Association to pressure Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Gene Fraise.

The crowd was larger than I expected, given that the organizers announced the time and place of the rally only a day in advance. Most of the attendees posed for a group photo after the speeches. State Representative Ako Abdul-Samad posted the photo on Facebook, which should give you an idea of the size. The organizers said they planned to send copies of the photo to all 150 Iowa legislators and to Trayvon Martin's family.

Lots of Democratic state legislators attended the rally, many wearing hoodies. Unfortunately, they were not introduced individually, and they weren't all standing together so I didn't get a complete count. Besides Abdul-Samad, I saw State Representatives Deborah Berry, Curt Hanson, Bruce Hunter, Chuck Isenhart, Dan Kelley, Helen Miller, Mark Smith, Sharon Steckman, Phyllis Thede, Beth Wessel-Kroeschell, and John Wittneben. Fraise was there, along with State Senators Bob Dvorsky, Jack Hatch, Pam Jochum. Iowa Democratic Party Chair Sue Dvorsky was in the crowd too, as was Senate district 22 Democratic candidate Desmund Adams. I'll update this post with more names if other Bleeding Heartland readers can add to my list.

Third-year law student Kevin Patrick introduced the speakers and in his own remarks urged the audience not to get bogged down in anger and assigning blame, but to be informed and go beyond the superficial in how we relate to each other. He talked about the hoodie as a metaphor for superficialities that obscure who we really are as people.

Abdul-Samad gave a powerful speech and got a laugh from the crowd by demonstratively putting away the talking points he got from Democratic staff ahead of time. He mentioned his son, who was shot to death in 1996, and other black men who have been killed more recently in central Iowa. He lamented the lack of "real conversations" that might prevent violence in our society. He asked members of the audience to hold onto someone else's hand, preferably a stranger's hand, and look into that person's eyes while repeating his words, such as, "I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired!" and "No justice, no peace! Know justice, know peace!" Several times Abdul-Samad stopped to tell people, "Don't look at me," look at your neighbor.

Wessel-Kroeschell was up next, joking, "I have a new rule: never speak after Ako." Although she has a different style due to her "quiet, Lutheran background," she spoke passionately about the dangers of House File 2215, and how we don't want a law in Iowa that would justify actions like killing Trayvon Martin. According to Wessel-Kroeschell, Florida's law has been invoked 93 times in cases involving 65 deaths. (She repeatedly referred to the law as "shoot first" rather than "stand your ground.") She vowed to keep fighting the bill.

Polk County prosecutor Jeff Noble was the next speaker. He emphasized the Polk County Attorney John Sarcone wanted to address the rally himself but had a prior commitment. Noble explained why his office and the county attorneys' association lobbied strongly against House File 2215, which he called the "license to kill bill." He said the legislation protects those who seek to do violence as opposed to those who seek to avoid violence. Current Iowa law already protects our right to defend ourselves. Noble added that sometimes legislators who pass a law don't know how it might work in the real world, but the Trayvon Martin tragedy gives Iowa lawmakers the benefit of seeing the implications of the bill. He also warned against judging Florida police too harshly for not arresting and charging Zimmerman, because if you give law enforcement "defective tools" (laws on the books), you will get "defective justice just like they're seeing in Florida today."

Speaking to me by telephone today, Noble said he has learned in 22 years of work as a Polk County prosecutor that nine times out of ten, both people involved in a violent altercation feel justified in their actions. He is very worried that the "stand your ground" legislation would tie the hands of police and prosecutors when faced with any number of confrontations that become deadly through "incremental escalation." (For instance, a fender bender leads to angry words or profanity, which leads to a clenched fist, which leads to someone pulling out a gun, which makes the other person feel compelled to grab a tire iron. Suddenly both people have "reasonable" grounds to feel so threatened that they must act with deadly force to protect themselves.)

As I mentioned above, House File 2215 is dead for this year. Its lead sponsor, Republican State Representative Matt Windschitl, has pledged to introduce it again next year.

"I understand it's a tragic case that happened in Florida. I wasn't there. The only two people who were there were the victim and the man who defended himself," Windschitl said. "Nobody can tell you what happened besides those people. I think Iowans have a right to defend themselves where they have a right to be present. To require an Iowan to retreat when they feel threatened, I think, that's an asinine proposal."

Windschitl also defended his bill in comments to the Des Moines Register a few days ago.

"I believe the language we have incorporated into the bill passed over to the Senate has protections already embedded into it that would protect law-abiding Iowans who choose to defend themselves but also protect Iowans at large," Windschitl said. [...]
But for opponents of the measure, the Florida case provides a clear example of the dangers inherent in a law loosening restrictions on the use of deadly force.
"What happened in Florida is exactly the type of tragedy that all these law enforcement leaders told us we would see here," said Rep. Mary Wolfe, D-Clinton, and a vocal opponent of the bill. "And it's exactly the scenario that the people supporting the 'stand your ground' bill told us ... was never going to happen." [...]
Another strong critic of "stand your ground" laws, Polk County Attorney John Sarcone, said Thursday that he believes such laws restrict law enforcement's ability to make arrests and initiate the legal process that decides whether the use of force was justified.
That is evident, he said, in the Martin case, where the local police said in a statement they were "prohibited from making an arrest based on the facts and circumstances they had at the time."
"I think it shows what the clear danger of that law is and what it allows to happen," Sarcone said of the Florida case.

All 24 Iowa Senate Republicans have signed a discharge petition seeking to bring the bill directly to the Senate floor. (The tactic wouldn't work, even if they convinced a few Democrats to join them.) Democratic State Senator Jack Hatch brought up the petition in a speech to his colleagues yesterday afternoon:

"I want you to think real hard if you've signed it, why you signed it, and if you haven't signed it, keep your signature off that petition," Hatch told his colleagues. [...]
"The rally today is not only to celebrate and look at the life of Trayvon Martin, but to have us think real clearly whether or not that legislation not only should go forward, let's hope that the state of Florida and other states that have passed that legislation at least consider revising it or even repealing it. This is not a time for us to incite fear among our citizens. This is a time for us to consider providing leadership."
Hatch's remarks drew a sharp rebuke from Sen. Mark Chelgren, R-Ottumwa, who also spoke briefly about the Florida incident on the Senate floor.
"A tragedy happened, a young man is dead and another family is broken," Chelgren said. "This happened in Florida, and it's unfortunate. We have a judicial system that is going to go through this process. And so while we grieve with the families for this tragedy, it is unconscionable to turn this into a political theater here in the state of Iowa.
"The death of a young man should not be used as an excuse to attack the very liberties that we have in this country, and personally I am offended and ashamed of what Sen. Hatch said today because he should not be treating the families who are grieving at this time in such a manner."

Meanwhile, Vanessa Miller reported for the Cedar Rapids Gazette on opposition to the bill from law enforcement officials in eastern Iowa.

"A person already has the right to defend themselves or others, if needed," said Linn County Attorney Jerry Vander Sanden. "The 'stand your ground' legislation goes far past that. I refer to it as the 'license to kill' statute, because that's exactly what it does." [...]
"I think this incident in Florida is going to be, our hope is, an eye-opening true life experience for legislators about what can happen with this type of legislation on the books," Vander Sanden said. [...]
"If you give law enforcement powers to citizens who have no law enforcement training, tragedy will result," Vander Sanden said.
The proposed legislation that passed through the Iowa House this legislative session would allow a person to use force - even deadly force - against someone who they reasonably believe is committing a violent felony or is a threat to kill or cause serious injury.
The proposal says a person has "no duty to retreat from any place where the person is lawfully," and it states that a person "may be wrong in the estimation of the danger or the force necessary to repel the danger as long as there is a reasonable basis for the belief." [...]
Johnson County Attorney Janet Lyness said she's concerned about the proposed bill because it would implement a "shoot first ask questions later" policy that could be problematic in a college community like Iowa City where students have been known to drink and occasionally end up in the wrong house.
"We could have a situation where we would have a drunk student go into the wrong place, and any neighbor could shoot and kill them, and that would be acceptable," Lyness said. "It's a dangerous approach to take."

Countless commentaries on the Florida tragedy have been posted in the last ten days. Michelle Goldberg's post about conservatives smearing Martin's reputation is depressing but worth reading.

Speaking of off-base conservative takes on this tragedy, this exchange on Rush Limbaugh's show yesterday was mind-boggling:

CALLER: [...] Now, [Florida Democratic Party state chair] Rod Smith -- correctly, I think -- is in defense of the law, but also agrees that an arrest should have been made in the case. Now here's my personal observation as a police officer, former police officer. Mr. Zimmerman, I think, fits the profile of somebody that we might refer to as suffering from the John Wayne syndrome. He was a person equipped with a weapon and charged with certain responsibilities as a Neighborhood Watch person that overstepped his bounds. I don't think, um, he was necessarily a racist, but he made poor decisions based on poor judgment.
RUSH: Jerry, what I've read is that Mr. Zimmerman -- who, again, the New York Times refers to as a "white Hispanic" and the rest of the media has now picked that up, 'cause that fits the template. You need white-on-black here to gin this up. I understand. He wants to be a cop. He just loves law enforcement, and he's a self-appointed Neighborhood Watch commander, and he wanted to protect his neighborhood, and he just got a little overzealous and so forth. But we still don't know what the real facts of this are, I don't think.

We don't know all the facts, but somehow I think Rush would consider it more than "a little overzealous" if a black man pursued a confrontation with an unarmed white teenager before shooting him to death.

I don't want to end this post with Limbaugh's ravings. Here's a brief clip from last night's Rally for Justice for Trayvon Martin in Iowa City.

First look at Democratic prospects for Iowa House gains

desmoinesdem — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 11:15:00 GMT

The redistricting process and several Republican retirements have created many pickup opportunities for Iowa House Democrats. The devastating 2010 election left them nowhere to go but up in the lower chamber, where Republicans currently enjoy a 60 to 40 majority. Relatively few sitting House Democrats represent vulnerable districts.

Speaking to activists at the Polk County Democratic convention on March 10, I heard lots of optimism about the House races. After the jump I've posted some early thoughts on the seats up for grabs.
Of the 40 current Iowa House Democrats, two opted to retire from the legislature. Kurt Swaim and Andrew Wenthe were paired with fellow Democratic incumbents Curt Hanson and Roger Thomas, respectively. Two other Democratic representatives, Janet Petersen and Nate Willems, decided to run for the Iowa Senate rather than seek re-election to the House.

That leaves 36 Iowa House Democrats seeking re-election. Of those, 15 do not have a Republican opponent and are therefore virtually assured of winning another term: Rick Olson, Kevin McCarthy, Brian Quirk, Sharon Steckman, Deborah Berry, Tyler Olson, Kirsten Running-Marquardt, Todd Taylor, Dave Jacoby, Jerry Kearns, Vicki Lensing, Mary Mascher, Cindy Winckler, Mary Wolfe, and Chuck Isenhart.

I must point out that at this stage in 2010, State Representatives John Beard and Tom Schueller didn't have Republican opponents either, yet both ended up losing in November. I don't expect any of the currently unchallenged House Democrats to meet the same fate.

Another 14 Democratic incumbents have Republican competition but shouldn't have any trouble winning re-election in their strongly Democratic districts: Helen Miller, Pat Murphy, Jim Lykam, Dennis Cohoon, Mary Gaskill, Mark Smith, Anesa Kajtazovic, Lisa Heddens, Beth Wessel-Kroeschell, Jo Oldson, Ako Abdul-Samad, Bruce Hunter, Ruth Ann Gaines, and Dan Kelley. Disclaimer: several Democrats thought to be "safe" lost in 2010, and more could fall if 2012 turns out to be another horrible year for Democrats generally.

The last seven Democratic House incumbents face potentially difficult re-election battles, either because of the partisan lean of their district, because they are relatively new to politics, or because they have drawn a particularly strong opponent.

John Wittneben in the new district 7. He won an open seat by a few dozen votes in 2010, and his new district no longer has a strong Democratic voter registration advantage. Two Republicans filed to challenge him: Mark Frakes and Tedd Gassman.

Dan Muhlbauer is another first-term Democrat, having won an open-seat race against an unbelievably weak Republican candidate. Muhlbauer's new district is a tiny bit more Democratic, but if Republican candidate Barney Bornhoft has the faintest clue, he should be a stronger opponent than the man Muhlbauer beat in 2010.

Chris Hall also won an open seat in 2010. He is the only House Democrat who will face a sitting House Republican in the general election. First-term GOP State Representative Jeremy Taylor decided to run here after the new map placed his house outside of his current district. He proved himself to be a strong campaigner by almost beating a Democratic incumbent in 2008 and winning an open seat in 2010.

Roger Thomas has more experience in the House, but the new district 55 has a GOP voter registration advantage, unlike the seat where Thomas was previously elected. Three Republicans filed to challenge him: Michael Klimesh, Marshall Nessa, and Dustin Noble.

Bob Kressig has won re-election by narrow margins several times. The winner of the GOP primary between James Kenyon and Howard Lyon will face Kressig in the new district 59.

Curt Hanson won a 2009 special election and his 2010 re-election in a Republican-leaning district, so he stands a decent chance of overcoming the voter registration disadvantage in the new district 82. Two Republicans have filed for this seat: James Johnson and Jeff Shipley.

Phyllis Thede knocked off a GOP incumbent in 2008 and survived the 2010 wave in a Democratic-leaning seat. Her new district 93 is more evenly divided in terms of voter registration. The good news is that she doesn't appear to have drawn a particularly strong candidate in Mark Nelson.

Depending on how many of those seven incumbents hang on, Democrats will have between 29 and 36 current House members returning in 2013.

One Democratic pick-up is a lock: Republicans aren't fielding a candidate in the new House district 57, where Steve Lukan is retiring. Nancy Dunkel is the only Democrat on the ballot.

The new House district 36 should be an easy hold for the winner of the Democratic primary between Marti Anderson, Cara Kennedy-Ode, and William Rock. Janet Petersen left this district open when she decided to run for Senate district 19.

That leaves House Democrats with 31 to 38 seats--a long way from the 51 they need to win back the majority.

The optimism I heard at the convention stems from the many strong candidates Democrats are fielding in Republican-held districts.

In general, it's easier for a political party to pick up an open seat than to defeat an incumbent from the other side. The following 13 districts with no incumbent seem potentially winnable for Democrats:

* district 14, left empty under the redistricting plan. Democrats have a voter registration advantage here; their unsuccessful 2010 candidate David Dawson will face Republican Greg Grupp.

* district 26, where Republican Glen Massie opted not to seek re-election. Massie's 2010 Democratic opponent, Scott Ourth, faces the winner of the GOP primary between Ruth Randleman and Steve McCoy.

* district 28, where Republican Rich Arnold is retiring. Democrat Megan Day Suhr will face the winner of the GOP primary between Len Gosselink and Greg Heartsill (my money's on Heartsill to be the general election candidate).

* district 30, where Republican Kim Pearson opted not to seek re-election. Altoona City Council member Joe Riding is the Democratic candidate; Republicans have a primary between Jim Carley and Carol Miller.

* district 40, where Republican House Appropriations Committee Chair Scott Raecker opted not to seek re-election. Urbandale City Council member John Forbes is the Democratic candidate; he'll face business owner and veteran Mike Brown.

* district 63, left empty under the redistricting plan. Former Democratic State Senator Bill Heckroth faces Sandy Salmon here.

* district 64, where Republican Dan Rasmussen retired. Two candidates from Oelwein are on the ballot: Democratic City Council member Bruce Bearinger and Republican business owner Jim Givant. The party registration numbers lean Democratic.

* district 72, where Republican Lance Horbach retired. The voter registration numbers lean to the GOP. Dean Fisher is the only Republican on the ballot here; a Democratic primary looms between Christina Blackcloud-Garcia and Nathan Wrage.

* district 73, where House Speaker Pro Tem Jeff Kaufmann is retiring. His son, Bobby Kaufmann, is the only Republican on the ballot. He'll have name recognition going for him, but clearly he won't be nearly as tough an opponent as his father would be. Democrats have a primary here between David Johnson and Dick Schwab.

* district 76, left empty after redistricting. Grinnell City Council member Rachel Bly will face the winner of a Republican primary between David Maxwell and Larry Wilson (my money's on Wilson, a Poweshiek County supervisor).

* district 77, left empty after redistricting. The voter registration numbers give the advantage to Democrat Sally Stutsman over Republican Steve Sherman.

* district 80, left empty after redistricting. Joe Judge, the son of former Lieutenant Governor Patty Judge, is the Democratic candidate here. His GOP opponent will be Larry Sheets.

* district 95, where Democrat Nate Willems is running for the Senate instead of for a third term in the House. Two teachers will face off here: Republican Quentin Stanerson and Democrat Kristin Keast.

Obviously, Democrats aren't going to sweep all of those House races, but even winning half of them would represent a major step forward.

There are at least 12 districts Democrats can credibly play for despite the fact that Republican incumbents are seeking re-election. (I'm not saying lightning couldn't strike in some other Republican-held district, but the other Democratic challengers will face long odds given the partisan lean.)

* district 15, covering Carter Lake and the western part of Council Bluffs; first-term GOP Representative Mark Brandenburg moved into this district. The Democratic candidate is George Yaple.

* district 38, where Ankeny Republican Kevin Koester, who was elected from a solidly Republican district, has to seek re-election in an evenly divided seat. John Phoenix is the Democratic candidate here (Koester also has a primary challenger).

* district 43, where Republican Chris Hagenow will be favored but Democrat Susan Judkins has a strong resume.

* district 47, where Democrat Donovan Olson is seeking a rematch with Chip Baltimore, who defeated him by a narrow margin in 2010.

* district 56, where Patti Ruff is running against first-term Republican Bob Hager.

* district 58, where former State Representative Tom Schueller is seeking a rematch with surprise 2010 winner Brian Moore.

* district 60, now represented by first-term Republican Walt Rogers. Bob Greenwood is the Democratic challenger in this Waterloo/Cedar Falls district.

* district 66, where Democrat Art Staed is challenging the Republican who beat him in 2008, Renee Schulte. The voter registration numbers lean Democratic, but Schulte has proved herself to be a strong campaigner.

* district 68, where Daniel Lundby, the son of the late Republican State Senator Mary Lundby, will be a big underdog against two-term Republican Nick Wagner.

* district 88, where House Ways and Means Committee Chair Tom Sands will be heavily favored against Democrat Sara Sedlacek.

* district 91, where 2010 winner Mark Lofgren is up against Democrat John Dabeet.

* district 92, where 2010 GOP winner Ross Paustian (an unsuccessful House candidate in 2008) is up against former State Senator Frank Wood.

Again, Democrats are not going to sweep these races, but having so many GOP-held seats in play will be helpful. Every dollar House Republican leaders spend defending their own incumbents is a dollar they can't spend targeting the vulnerable House Democrats.

It's also worth noting that eleven sitting House Republicans face primary challengers. As a result, many Republicans in safe seats will have to spend money on their own re-election campaigns, rather than in districts Democrats are targeting.

I don't see the House changing hands in 2013, but with good campaigning and GOTV, Democrats should be able to climb most of the way out of their 60-40 hole.

Any comments about the Iowa House races are welcome in this thread.

Weekend open thread: Women's Appreciation Day edition

desmoinesdem — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 23:46:01 GMT

Every year as International Women's Day approaches, the Democratic Activist Women's Network recognizes women who have excelled in Iowa politics. This week DAWN's List announced the 2012 award-winners who will be honored at a reception in Des Moines on March 4. Event details are after the jump, along with the list of honorees for the Women's Appreciation Day Reception.

On International Women's Day itself (March 8), the League of Women Voters of Metropolitan Des Moines, Sisters on the Planet Ambassadors, and the Iowa Oxfam Action Corps are hosting a potluck, speaker, and movie screening at the Thoreau Center, 3500 Kingman Blvd in Des Moines, from 5:00pm to 7:30pm.

This is an open thread. What's on your mind this weekend, Bleeding Heartland readers?

UPDATE: Over at the Essential Estrogen blog, Lynda Waddington reviewed what the four Republican women in the Iowa Senate have been doing this session.
Here's some background on DAWN's List:

The Iowa Democratic Activist Women's Network (DAWN/DAWN's List) was born after the 1992 election at a gathering in Boone, Iowa, organized by Julie Gammack. Political activist women including office holders, past candidates, and campaign workers gathered to share experiences and concerns about electing Democratic women in Iowa.
Two women attending the meeting--Barbara Boatwright, longtime Democratic activist, and Jo Ann Zimmerman, former Lt. Governor of Iowa--proposed the creation of a new political action group patterned after the national organization, EMILY's List.
Believing that Early Money Is Like Yeast, EMILY"S List works to elect Democratic pro-choice women throughout the country. The Democratic Activist's Network (DAWN/DAWN's List) set as its goal the election of Democratic pro-choice women to public office in Iowa, with particular focus on the Iowa legislature.
Since 1993, DAWN has provided campaign training, mentoring, and support for hundreds of Iowa Democratic women. DAWN's List is the only Iowa group dedicated solely to the support, recruitment, mentoring, and election of progressive women.
OUR MISSION:
1. Raise awareness, across the state, of the importance of gender equity in the Iowa legislature.
2. Establish a strong, state-wide grassroots network, supporting the election of Democratic pro-choice women to public office.
3. Publicly support currently elected pro-choice, Democratic women in the Iowa legislature and assist in their re-election campaigns.

The DAWN's List 2012 Women's Appreciation Day Reception is scheduled for March 4th at 1:00 pm at the Quality Inn & Suites: 929 3rd Street in downtown Des Moines. Tickets cost $20. You can RSVP to Natasha Newcomb online or by e-mail: event AT dawnslist.org.

The special guest speaker for this event is State Representative Ruth Ann Gaines. She won Iowa House district 65 in 2010, following Wayne Ford's retirement.

The 2012 honorees are:

The State Elected Official Award is going to Representative Beth Wessel-Kroeschell. She represents Iowa House district 45 (Ames area) and is the ranking Democrat on the Iowa House Human Resources Committee. During 2011, Planned Parenthood Voters of Iowa PAC recognized Wessel-Kroeschell as a "champion" for "working diligently to help stop attacks on women's health care." She was one of the most vocal opponents of legislation aimed at restricting abortion rights, including the 20-week abortion ban and a "personhood" bill.

The Local Elected Official Award is going to Polk County Treasurer Mary Maloney. She has served as treasurer in Iowa's largest county since 1989. She was won awards for her professional work and is a past president of the Iowa State County Treasurers Association.

Drake Law School Professor Maura Strassberg is receiving the DAWN's List Special Recognition Award.

The Barbara Boatwright Breaking Glass Award is going to Mary Campos. She is a legend.

Mary Campos was born in McAlester, Oklahoma and as child her family moved to Des Moines, Iowa. There she became an advocate for woman and children rights and helped to establish better relationships between people of diverse ethnic backgrounds.
During her career, Mary has served on numerous boards and councils, including the Community Housing Education Resources Board, Bidwell Riverside Community Center, Des Moines Human Rights Commission, Hispanic Education Resource Center, Council for International Understanding and several other governmental and community organizations. She is presently a Civil-Service Commissioner.
Along with her involvement in the community she was also the first co-chair of the Iowa Brown-Black Presidential Forum, the nation's only Presidential forum that addresses the important issues that impact the Black and Hispanic communities in Iowa.
Additionally, Mary has served as the Hispanic representative to the Iowa Democratic Party in the 1983 and as the co-chair of the Polk County Democratic Convention in 1992.
In 1995, she was inducted into the Iowa Women's Hall of Fame.
Mary has worked many years registering the voters for the Iowa Democratic Party has worked on many campaigns. She also spends countless hours helping non-English speaking families who are relocating to Des Moines and Perry to become better informed about social and health issues and helping them to become United State citizens.

Cheryll Jones of Ottumwa is receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award. She is a pediatric nurse practitioner who has won other awards for her advocacy in the areas of children's and rural health care.

Coni Samsel, a retired educator from Mason City, is receiving the Activist Award. In 2007, she was on the Iowa Education Leadership Council for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign.

Finally, DAWN's List is giving its Rising Star Award to Allie Panther. She also won a rising star award at last year's Iowa Democratic Party Hall of Fame event. From her bio:

Allie Panther was a natural for the kind of grassroots campaign that the Obama team was putting together: enthusiastic, hard-working, smart and a self-starter. She has been a leader in the University of Iowa Democrats, Hawkeyes for Obama, UI for Chet Culver, and the Johnson County Democrats. She was the co-chair of the Johnson Co Roxanne Conlin campaign as a junior in college, and was a key player in the successful Johnson County Conlin campaign.

Who's who in the Iowa House for 2012

desmoinesdem — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 23:46:35 GMT

Although the 60 Republicans and 40 Democrats in the Iowa House haven't changed since last year, I thought it was worth updating this post, because some committee assignments have changed, and House Democrats reshuffled their ranking members somewhat.

Majority and minority leadership teams are after the jump, along with all members of standing House committees. All 100 House districts are on the ballot every two years, so I've noted the new district numbers for state representatives seeking re-election in 2012, as well as which House members have said they will retire after this year's legislative session.
Iowa House Republican leadership team

Speaker Kraig Paulsen (bio) was first elected in 2002 from district 35, covering suburban and rural areas in Linn County. He is up for re-election in the new House district 67.

Majority Leader Linda Upmeyer (bio) was first elected in 2002 from district 12, covering Franklin County and part of Cerro Gordo and Hancock. Redistricting put her in the new House district 8, but she is moving to the Clear Lake area to seek re-election in the new House district 54 instead. District 54 covers all of Franklin County and parts of Cerro Gordo and Butler Counties.

Speaker Pro Tem Jeff Kaufmann (bio) was first elected in 2004 from district 79, covering Cedar County and parts of Johnson and Muscatine. He is up for re-election in the new House district 73, covering all of Cedar County, a larger area in Johnson County and a tiny portion of Muscatine County.

Majority Whip Erik Helland (bio) was first elected in 2008 in House district 69, covering suburban and rural areas in Polk County. He is up for re-election in the new district 39, covering a smaller area in the northwest Polk County suburbs.

Assistant majority leaders: Matt Windschitl (bio was first elected in 2006 from district 56, covering Harrison County, most of Monona and part of Pottawattamie. He is up for re-election in the new district 17, covering all of Ida and Monona Counties and parts of Harrison and Woodbury Counties.

Renee Schulte (bio) was first elected in 2008 from district 37, covering part of Cedar Rapids in Linn County. She is up for re-election in the new House district 66, covering a similar area. Her likely opponent is Art Staed, the Democratic incumbent Schulte defeated in 2008.

Dave Deyoe (bio) was first elected in 2006 from district 10, covering most of Story County outside Ames and part of Hamilton County. He is up for re-election in the new House district 49, covering parts of Story and Hardin Counties.

Steve Lukan (bio) was first elected in 2002 from district 32, covering parts of Dubuque and Delaware counties. He decided not to seek re-election after the redistricting plan put him in Democratic-leaning House district 57.

Iowa House Democratic leadership team

Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (bio) was first elected in 2002 from district 67, covering the southeast side of Des Moines. He served as House majority leader from 2007 through 2010 alongside House Speaker Pat Murphy. He is up for re-election in the new House district 33, also centered on the southeast side of Des Moines.

Assistant Minority Leaders: Ako Abdul-Samad (bio) was first elected in 2006 from district 66, covering much of central Des Moines in Polk County. He is up for re-election in the new House district 35, covering central and north-side neighborhoods in Des Moines.

Mary Mascher (bio) was first elected in 1994 from district 77, covering part of Iowa City in Johnson County. She is up for re-election in the new House district 86, covering a similar area.

Kirsten Running-Marquardt is the newest member of the House Democratic leadership team, replacing Sharon Steckman as assistant leader in November 2011. Running-Marquardt won a 2009 special election in district 33, covering part of Cedar Rapids. She is up for re-election in the new House district 69, covering part of Cedar Rapids as well as small towns and rural areas in southwestern Linn County.

Mark Smith (bio) was first elected in 2000 from district 43, covering northeastern Marshall County, including Marshalltown. He is up for re-election in the new House district 71, covering a similar area.

Rural Caucus Chair: Andrew Wenthe (bio) was first elected in 2006 from district 18, covering parts of Fayette, Bremer and Black Hawk Counties. He decided not to run for re-election in 2012 after the new map put him with fellow Democrat Roger Thomas in the new House district 55.

Rural Caucus Vice-Chair: Dan Muhlbauer (bio) was first elected in 2010 from district 51, covering Carroll County and parts of Sac and Crawford Counties. He is up for re-election in the new House district 12, covering all of Carroll and Audubon Counties and parts of Crawford.

Iowa House Standing Committees

Administration and Rules

Chair: Renee Schulte (see bio above)

Vice Chair: Dave Deyoe (see bio above)

Ranking member: Andrew Wenthe (see bio above)

Other members: Erik Helland (R), Jeff Kaufmann (R), Steve Lukan (R), Kraig Paulsen (R), Matt Windschitl (R), Linda Upmeyer (R), Andrew Abdul-Samad (D), Dennis Cohoon (D), Mary Mascher (D), Kevin McCarthy (D), Mark Smith (D)

Agriculture

Chair: Annette Sweeney (bio) was first elected in 2008 from district 44, covering Hardin County and most of Marshall outside Marshalltown. She is running for re-election in the new House district 50 and will face fellow incumbent Pat Grassley in the GOP primary.

Vice Chair: Lee Hein (bio) was first elected in 2010 from district 31, covering Jones County and parts of Dubuque County. He decided to move so that he could run for re-election in the new House district 96, covering all of Delaware County and part of Jones. (The redistricting plan paired Hein with another Republican incumbent in the new district 58.)

Ranking member: Helen Miller (bio) was first elected in 2002 from district 49, covering part of Webster County, including Fort Dodge. She is up for re-election in the new House district 9, covering a similar area.

Other members: Dwayne Alons (R), Clel Baudler (R), Betty DeBoef (R), Dave Deyoe (R), Cecil Dolecheck (R), Jack Drake (R), Dan Huseman (R), Brian Moore (R), Steve Olson (R), Ross Paustian (R), Dan Rasmussen (R), Tom Shaw (R), Curt Hanson (D), Chuck Isenhart (D), Dan Kelley (D), Dan Muhlbauer (D), Brian Quirk (D), Kurt Swaim (D), Roger Thomas (D), Andrew Wenthe (D)

Appropriations

Chair: Scott Raecker (bio) was first elected in 1998. During the last decade he represented district 63, covering most of Urbandale in Polk County. He is up for re-election in the new district 40, covering a similar area.

Vice Chair: Nick Wagner (bio) was first elected in 2008 from district 36, covering Marion and some rural areas of Linn County. He is up for re-election in the new House district 68, covering a similar area.

Ranking member: Tyler Olson (bio) was first elected in 2006 from district 38, covering part of Cedar Rapids in Linn County. He is up for re-election in the new House district 65, covering a similar area.

Administration and Regulation Appropriations Subcommittee Chair: Ralph Watts (bio) was first elected in 2002 from district 47, covering most of Dallas County and a small part of Boone County. He is up for re-election in the new House district 19, covering part of Dallas County and a small area in northern Polk County.

Administration & Regulation Appropriations Subcommittee ranking member: Dan Kelley (bio) was first elected in 2010 from district 41, covering most of Jasper County, including Newton. He is up for re-election in the new House district 29, covering a similar area.

Agriculture and Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee Chair: Jack Drake (bio) was first elected in 1992 from district 57, covering Shelby County and parts of Cass and Pottawattamie Counties. He is up for re-election in the new House district 21, covering all of Union and Adams Counties and parts of Cass and Pottawattamie Counties.

Agriculture & Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee ranking member: Dan Muhlbauer (see bio above)

Economic Development Appropriations Subcommittee Chair: Jason Schultz (bio) was first elected in 2008 from district 55, covering Ida County and parts of Woodbury, Crawford and Monona. He is up for re-election in the new House district 18, covering all of Shelby County and parts of Crawford and Harrison Counties.

Economic Development Appropriations Subcommittee ranking member: Chris Hall (bio) was first elected in 2010 from district 2, covering the northeast part of Sioux City in Woodbury County. He is up for re-election in the new House district 13, covering a similar area in Sioux City and part of rural Woodbury County.

Education Appropriations Subcommittee Chair: Cecil Dolecheck (bio) was first elected in 1996 from district 96, covering Montgomery, Adams, Taylor and Ringgold Counties and part of Union County. He is up for re-election in the new House district 24, covering Ringgold, Taylor and Page Counties and part of Montgomery County.

Education Appropriations Subcommittee ranking member: Cindy Winckler (bio) was first elected in 2002 from district 86, covering part of Davenport in Scott County. She is up for re-election in the new House district 90, covering a similar area.

Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee Chair: Dave Heaton (bio) was first elected in 1994 from district 91, covering Henry County and part of Lee County. He is up for re-election in the new House district 84, covering Henry County and parts of Lee, Washington and Jefferson Counties.

Health & Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee ranking member: Lisa Heddens (bio) was first elected in 2002 from district 46, covering part of Story County, including the north side of Ames, and a small area in Boone County. The redistricting plan put her into the new House district 48, but Heddens decided to move into the new House district 46, covering part of Ames and Story County.

Justice Systems Appropriations Subcommittee Chair: Gary Worthan (bio) was first elected in 2006 in district 52, covering Buena Vista County and part of Sac County. He is up for re-election in the new House district 11, covering all of Buena Vista and Sac Counties.

Justice Systems Appropriations Subcommittee ranking member: Todd Taylor (bio) was first elected in a 1995 special election from House district 34, covering part of Cedar Rapids in Linn County. He is up for re-election in the new House district 70, covering a similar area.

Transportation, Infrastructure and Capitals Appropriations Subcommittee Chair: Dan Huseman (bio) was first elected in 1994 in House district 53, covering Cherokee county and parts of Plymouth and Woodbury Counties. He is up for re-election in the new House district 3, covering O'Brien and Cherokee Counties and parts of Sioux and Plymouth.

Transportation, Infrastructure and Capitals Appropriations Subcommittee ranking member: Dennis Cohoon (bio) was first elected to the Iowa House in 1986. For the last decade he has represented district 88, covering Burlington and part of eastern Des Moines County. He is up for re-election in the new House district 87, covering a similar area.

Other Appropriations Committee members: Julian Garrett (R), Chris Hagenow (R), Steve Lukan (R), Walt Rogers (R), Renee Schulte (R), Mary Gaskill (D), Chris Hall (D), Pat Murphy (D), Kirsten Running-Marquardt (D), Andrew Wenthe (D)

Commerce

Chair: Chuck Soderberg (bio) was first elected in 2004 from district 3, covering parts of Plymouth and Sioux Counties. He is up for re-election in the new House district 5, covering most of Plymouth and part of Woodbury Counties.

Vice Chair: Chip Baltimore (bio) was first elected in 2010 from district 48, covering most of Boone County and part of Dallas County. He is up for re-election in the new House district 47, covering most of Boone County and all of Greene County.

Ranking member: Brian Quirk (bio) was first elected in 2000 from district 15, covering Chickasaw and Howard Counties and part of Winneshiek County. He is up for re-election in the new House district 52, covering all of Chickasaw and Floyd Counties and a small part of Cerro Gordo.

Other members: Mark Brandenburg (R), Joel Fry (R), Pat Grassley (R), Lance Horbach (R), Stew Iverson (R), Ross Paustian (R), Dawn Pettengill (R), Tom Shaw (R), Jeff Smith (R), Nick Wagner (R), Ralph Watts (R), Matt Windschitl (R), Dave Jacoby (D), Anesa Kajtazovic (D), Bob Kressig (D), Jim Lykam (D), Dan Muhlbauer (D), Jo Oldson (D), Kurt Swaim (D)

Economic Growth/Rebuild Iowa

Chair: Pat Grassley (bio) was first elected in 2006 from district 17, covering Butler County and part of Bremer. He is up for re-election in the new House district 50, where he has been paired with fellow Republican Annette Sweeney.

Vice Chair: Mary Ann Hanusa (bio) was first elected in 2010 from district 99, covering part of Council Bluffs. She is up for re-election in the new House district 16, also covering part of Council Bluffs.

Ranking member: Roger Thomas (bio) was first elected to the Iowa House in 1996. For the past decade he represented district 24, covering Clayton County and parts of Delaware and Fayette. He is up for re-election in the new House district 55, covering parts of Winneshiek, Fayette and Clayton Counties.

Other members: Rich Anderson (R), Chip Baltimore (R), Josh Byrnes (R), Betty DeBoef (R), Bob Hager (R), Mark Lofgren (R), Steve Lukan (R), Dan Rasmussen (R), Jeff Smith (R), Jason Schultz (R), Chuck Soderberg (R), Chris Hall (D), Lisa Heddens (D), Dave Jacoby (D), Helen Miller (D), Kirsten Running-Marquardt (D), Sharon Steckman (D), John Wittneben (D)

Education

Chair: Greg Forristall (bio) was first elected in 2006 from district 98, covering parts of Pottawattamie and Mills Counties. He is up for re-election in the new House district 22, covering most of Pottawattamie County outside Council Bluffs.

Vice Chair: Jeremy Taylor (bio) was first elected in 2010 from district 1, covering the western part of Sioux City in Woodbury County. He is up for re-election in the new district 13, covering the eastern part of Sioux City and some rural areas in Woodbury County.

Ranking member: Sharon Steckman (bio) was first elected in 2008 from district 13, covering part of Cerro Gordo County, including Mason City. She is up for re-election in the new House district 53, covering a similar area.

Other members: Josh Byrnes (R), Royd Chambers (R), Peter Cownie (R), Cecil Dolecheck (R), Mary Ann Hanusa (R), Ron Jorgensen (R), Kevin Koester (R), Mark Lofgren (R), Linda Miller (R), Kim Pearson (R), Renee Schulte (R), Annette Sweeney (R), Ako Abdul-Samad (D), Dennis Cohoon (D), Ruth Ann Gaines (D), Curt Hanson (D), Dan Kelley (D), Mary Mascher (D), Cindy Winckler (D)

Environmental Protection

Chair: Steve Olson (bio) was first elected in 2002 from district 83, including parts of Scott and Clinton counties. He is up for re-election in the new House district 97, covering a large area of Clinton County.

Vice Chair: Bob Hager (bio) was first elected in 2010 from district 16, covering Allamakee and part of Winneshiek County. He is up for re-election in the new House district 56, covering Allamakee and most of Clayton County.

Ranking member: Chuck Isenhart (bio) was first elected in 2008 in district 27, covering part of Dubuque. He is up for re-election in the new House district 100, covering a similar area.

Other members: Josh Byrnes (R), Betty DeBoef (R), Dave Deyoe (R), Cecil Dolecheck (R), Lee Hein (R), Jarad Klein (R), Brian Moore (R), Ross Paustian (R), Tom Sands (R), Jason Schultz (R), Chuck Soderberg (R), Dan Kelley (D), Vicki Lensing (D), Mark Smith (D), Sharon Steckman (D), Phyllis Thede (D), Beth Wessel-Kroeschell (D), Cindy Winckler (D)

Ethics

Chair: Kevin Koester (bio) was first elected in 2008 from district 70, covering Ankeny in Polk County. He is up for re-election in the new House district 38, covering a large part of northeast Polk County.

Vice Chair: Scott Raecker (see bio above)

Ranking member: Phyllis Thede (bio), first elected in 2008 from district 81, covering part of Bettendorf and Davenport in Scott County. She is up for re-election in the new House district 93, covering less of Davenport and a larger area of Bettendorf.

Other members: James Van Engelenhoven (R), Dan Kelley (D), Mark Smith (D)

Government Oversight

Chair: Chris Hagenow (bio) was first elected in 2008 from district 59, covering some of the western Des Moines suburbs in Polk County. He is up for re-election in the new House district 43, covering a similar area.

Vice Chair: Chip Baltimore (see bio above)

Ranking member: Janet Petersen (bio) was first elected in 2000 from district 64, covering part of the west side of Des Moines in Polk County. She decided to run for the new Senate district 18 in 2012 instead of seeking another term in the House.

Other members: Clel Baudler (R), Kim Pearson (R), Dawn Pettengill (R), David Tjepkes (R), Ruth Ann Gaines (D), Bob Kressig (D)

Human Resources

Chair: Linda Miller (bio) was first elected in 2006 from district 82, covering part of Bettendorf in Scott County. She is up for re-election in the new House district 94, covering a similar area.

Vice Chair: Joel Fry (bio) was first elected in 2010 from district 95, covering Union, Clarke and Decatur Counties. He is up for re-election in the new House district 27, covering Clarke, Decatur, and Wayne Counties, and part of Lucas County.

Ranking member: Beth Wessel-Kroeschell (bio) was first elected in 2004 from district 45, covering most of Ames in Story County. She is up for re-election in the new House district 45, covering a similar area.

Other members: Richard Anderson (R), Mark Brandenburg (R), Julian Garrett (R), Dave Heaton (R), Stew Iverson (R), Ron Jorgensen (R), Kevin Koester (R), Mark Lofgren (R), Glen Massie (R), Renee Schulte (R), Ako Abdul-Samad (D), Lisa Heddens (D), Bruce Hunter (D), Mary Mascher (D), Janet Petersen (D), Mark Smith (D), Cindy Winckler (D), Mary Wolfe (D)

Judiciary

Chair: Rich Anderson (bio) was first elected in 2004 from district 97, covering Page and Fremont Counties and much of Mills County. He decided not to run for re-election in 2012.

Vice Chair: Chip Baltimore (see bio above)

During the 2011 legislative session, Kim Pearson was the vice chair of this committee, but she and House Republican leaders had a lot of friction. Pearson is not seeking re-election in the new House district 30 in 2012.

Ranking member: Mary Wolfe (bio) was first elected in 2010 in district 26, covering part of Clinton County, including the city of Clinton. She is up for re-election in the new House district 98, covering a similar area.

Other members: Dwayne Alons (R), Julian Garrett (R), Chris Hagenow (R), Dave Heaton (R), Jeff Kaufmann (R), Glen Massie (R), Kim Pearson (R), Walt Rogers (R), Jeremy Taylor (R), David Tjepkes (R), Ruth Ann Gaines (D), Vicki Lensing (D), Jo Oldson (D), Rick Olson (D), Tyler Olson (D), Mark Smith (D), Kurt Swaim (D), Beth Wessel-Kroeschell (D)

Labor

Chair: Lance Horbach (bio) was first elected in 1998 from district 40, covering Grundy County and most of Tama. He has decided not to seek re-election in 2012, leaving the new House district 72 open.

Vice Chair: Jarad Klein (bio) was first elected in 2010 from district 89, covering Washington County and parts of Johnson and Jefferson Counties. He is up for re-election in the new House district 78, covering all of Keokuk County and most of Washington County.

Ranking member: Bruce Hunter (bio) was first elected in 2003 (special election) from district 62, covering part of the south side of Des Moines in Polk County. He is up for re-election in the new House district 34, covering downtown Des Moines and part of the south side.

Other members: Mark Brandenburg (R), Dave Deyoe (R), Greg Forristall (R), Mary Ann Hanusa (R), Ron Jorgensen (R), Linda Miller (R), Brian Moore (R), Jason Schultz (R), Ralph Watts (R), Jerry Kearns (D), Pat Murphy (D), Kirsten Running-Marquardt (D), Todd Taylor (D), Nate Willems (D)

Local Government

Chair: Nick Wagner (see bio above)

Vice Chair: Jeff Smith (bio) was first elected in 2010 to district 6, covering all of Dickinson County and part of Clay County. He is up for re-election in the new House district 1, covering all of Lyon and Osceola Counties and part of Dickinson.

Ranking member: John Wittneben (bio) was first elected in 2010 from district 7, covering Palo Alto and Emmet Counties and part of Kossuth County. He is up for re-election in the new district 7, covering all of Emmet and Winnebago Counties and part of Kossuth County.

Other members: Rich Arnold (R), Chip Baltimore (R), Bob Hager (R), Erik Helland (R), Lance Horbach (R), Jarad Klein (R), Kim Pearson (R), Henry Rayhons (R), David Tjepkes (R), James Van Engelenhoven (R), Deborah Berry (D), Ruth Ann Gaines (D), Mary Gaskill (D), Anesa Kajtazovic (D), Jerry Kearns (D), Bob Kressig (D), Kirsten Running-Marquardt (D), Phyllis Thede (D)

Natural Resources

Chair: Henry Rayhons (bio) was first elected to the Iowa House in 1996. For the past decade he represented district 11, covering Winnebago and Worth Counties and part of Hancock County. He is up for re-election in the new House district 8, covering Wright and Hancock Counties and part of Kossuth County.

Vice Chair: Jeff Smith (see bio above)

Ranking member: Curt Hanson (bio) was first elected in the 2009 special election from district 90, covering Van Buren County, most of Jefferson and part of Wapello County. He is up for re-election in the new House district 82, covering Davis and Van Buren Counties and most of Jefferson County.

Other members: Rich Arnold (R), Clel Baudler (R), Joel Fry (R), Bob Hager (R), Mark Lofgren (R), Steve Lukan (R), Dan Rasmussen (R), Annette Sweeney (R), James Van Engelenhoven (R), Guy Vander Linden (R), Mary Gaskill (D), Chris Hall (D), Dan Kelley (D), Jim Lykam (D), Helen Miller (D), Sharon Steckman (D), Phyllis Thede (D), John Wittneben (D)

Public Safety

Chair: Clel Baudler (bio) was first elected in 1998 from district 58, covering Guthrie, Audubon and Adair Counties and part of Cass County. He is up for re-election in the new House district 20, covering all of Guthrie and Adair Counties and parts of Cass and Dallas Counties.

Vice Chair: Tom Shaw (bio) was first elected in 2010 from district 8, covering Pocahontas and Humboldt Counties and part of Kossuth County. He is up for re-election in the new House district 10, covering Humboldt, Pocahontas and Calhoun Counties and part of Webster County.

Ranking member: Bob Kressig (bio) was first elected in 2004 from district 19, covering most of Cedar Falls and some rural areas in Black Hawk County. He is up for re-election in the new House district 59, covering a similar area.

Other members: Dwayne Alons (R), Mark Brandenburg (R), Joel Fry (R), Chris Hagenow (R), Jarad Klein (R), Steve Olson (R), Henry Rayhons (R), Tom Sands (R), David Tjepkes (R), Matt Windschitl (R), Gary Worthan (R), Ako Abdul-Samad (D), Deborah Berry (D), Ruth Ann Gaines (D), Dan Muhlbauer (D), Rick Olson (D), Kurt Swaim (D), Mary Wolfe (D)

State Government

Chair: Peter Cownie (bio) was first elected in 2008 from district 60, covering part of West Des Moines. He is up for re-election in the new House district 42, covering parts of Des Moines and West Des Moines.

Vice Chair: Guy Vander Linden (bio) was first elected in 2010 from district 75, covering parts of Mahaska and Poweshiek Counties. He is up for re-election in the new House district 79, covering most of Mahaska County and the Pella area of Marion County.

Ranking member: Vicki Lensing (bio) was first elected in 2000 from district 78, covering part of Iowa City in Johnson County. She is up for re-election in the new House district 85, covering a similar area.

Other members: Jack Drake (R), Lee Hein (R), Erik Helland (R), Stew Iverson (R), Ron Jorgensen (R), Jeff Kaufmann (R), Kevin Koester (R), Glen Massie (R), Dawn Pettengill (R), Scott Raecker (R), Walt Rogers (R), Renee Schulte (R), Mary Gaskill (D), Bruce Hunter (D), Chuck Isenhart (D), Anesa Kajtazovic (D), Mary Mascher (D), Brian Quirk (D), Todd Taylor (D), Andrew Wenthe (D)

Transportation

Chair: David Tjepkes (bio) was first elected in 2002 from district 50, covering Calhoun and Greene Counties and part of Webster County. He decided not to seek re-election in 2012 after the redistricting plan paired him with fellow Republican Tom Shaw in the new House district 10.

Vice Chair: Glen Massie (bio) was first elected in 2010 in district 74, covering most of Warren County. He has not confirmed whether he will seek re-election in the new House district 26, also covering most of Warren County.

Ranking member: Jim Lykam (bio) was first elected in 2002 from district 85, covering part of Davenport in Scott County. He is up for re-election in the new House district 89, covering a similar area.

Other members: Rich Arnold (R), Julian Garrett (R), Dan Huseman (R), Stew Iverson (R), Kim Pearson (R), Dan Rasmussen (R), Walt Rogers (R), James Van Engelenhoven (R), Ralph Watts (R), Matt Windschitl (R), Gary Worthan (R), Dennis Cohoon (D), Chris Hall (D), Curt Hanson (D), Pat Murphy (D), Janet Petersen (D), Andrew Wenthe (D), Mary Wolfe (D)

Veterans Affairs

Chair: Royd Chambers (bio), first elected in 2002 from district 5, covering Osceola and O'Brien Counties and parts of Clay and Sioux Counties. He has decided to retire in 2012; the redistricting plan paired him with fellow Republican Dan Huseman in the new House district 3.

Vice Chair: Guy Vander Linden (see bio above)

Ranking member: Jerry Kearns (bio) was first elected in 2008 from district 92, covering part of Lee County including Keokuk and Fort Madison. He is up for re-election in the new House district 83, covering a similar area.

Other members: Dwayne Alons (R), Mary Ann Hanusa (R), Steve Lukan (R), Henry Rayhons (R), Tom Shaw (R), Annette Sweeney (R), Jeremy Taylor (R), Deborah Berry (D), Lisa Heddens (D), Dan Muhlbauer (D), Roger Thomas (D), John Wittneben (D)

Ways and Means

Chair: Tom Sands (bio) was first elected in 2002 from district 87, covering Louisa County and part of Des Moines County. He is up for re-election in the new House district 88, covering all of Louisa County and large parts of Des Moines and Muscatine Counties.

Vice Chair: Josh Byrnes (bio) was first elected in 2010 in district 14, covering Mitchell County and parts of Floyd and Cerro Gordo. He is up for re-election in the new House district 51, covering Worth, Mitchell, and Howard Counties, and part of Winneshiek.

Ranking member: Dave Jacoby (bio) was first elected in 2002 from district 30, covering Coralville and North Liberty in Johnson County. He is up for re-election in the new House district 74, covering a similar area.

Other members: Peter Cownie (R), Betty DeBoef (R), Greg Forristall (R), Pat Grassley (R), Lee Hein (R), Erik Helland (R), Jeff Kaufmann (R), Brian Moore (R), Ross Paustian (R), Dawn Pettengill (R), Chuck Soderberg (R), Jeremy Taylor (R), Guy Vander Linden (R), Chuck Isenhart (D), Anesa Kajtazovic (D), Jerry Kearns (D), Dan Muhlbauer (D), Jo Oldson (D), Janet Petersen (D), Brian Quirk (D), Roger Thomas (D), Nate Willems (D)

Administrative Rules Review

Five Iowa House and five Iowa Senate members serve on this committee.

Chair: Democratic State Senator Wally Horn

Vice Chair: Dawn Pettengill (bio) was first elected in 2004 as a Democrat in district 39, covering Benton County and part of Iowa County. She switched to the Republican caucus in 2007. She is up for re-election in the new House district 75, covering a similar area. During the 2011 legislative session, Pettengill chaired the Administrative Rules Review Committee.

Other members: Senator Merlin Bartz (R), Senator Tom Courtney (D), Senator Jack Kibbie (D), Senator James Seymour (R), State Representative Dave Heaton (R), State Representative Jo Oldson (D), State Representative Rick Olson (D), State Representative Guy Vander Linden (R)

Iowa Workforce Development offices as a 2012 campaign issue

desmoinesdem — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 15:00:49 GMT

The state agency Iowa Workforce Development has replaced 36 field offices with hundreds of new "enhanced access" computer terminals this year.

Although the shuttered offices are unlikely ever to reopen, they may live on as talking points in many competitive Iowa House and Senate races next fall.
Iowa Workforce Development officials announced the restructuring plans in February as a way to save money while improving access for unemployed Iowans. Some 500 computer terminals in public libraries, Iowa State University extension offices and other locations will eventually be equipped to allow people to seek help from Iowa Workforce Development staff.

The agency will continue to operate 16 "regional integrated one-stop offices" in Burlington, Carroll, Cedar Rapids, Council Bluffs, Creston, Davenport, Decorah, Des Moines, Dubuque, Fort Dodge, Marshalltown, Mason City, Ottumwa, Sioux City, Spencer and Waterloo. Additionally, Iowa Workforce Development will keep satellite office locations open in Fort Madison, Iowa City and Webster City.

Many state legislators favored keeping all 55 Iowa Workforce Development field offices open. It was one of the highest priorities for Senate Democrats during lengthy negotiations over the state budget. In fact, Teresa Wahlert barely won Senate confirmation as Iowa Workforce Development director because of this controversy. Iowa House Republicans supported funding to keep the field offices open for another year, but Branstad used his line-item veto power to reject that portion of the economic development appropriations bill for fiscal year 2012.

Senate Democrats called for a special legislative session to override Branstad's veto, but House and Senate Republicans rejected that path. During the summer, Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal vowed to try to override the veto during the 2012 legislative session. Republicans are certain to ignore that call.

Several Democratic legislators are co-plaintiffs in a lawsuit challenging Branstad's use of his item veto power with respect to Iowa Workforce Development funding. But as the governor pointed out during a recent press conference, it will be a long time before that case works its way through the court system.

Branstad seems unconcerned about any lingering political controversy over his administration's actions. In his view, the restructuring has been a "significant success":

"Our tracking data indicates that services are equal to or greater than what they were available at this time last year. I see this as a significant success and commend Director (Teresa) Wahlert and Iowa Workforce Development for their good work," Branstad said. [...]
In place of the unemployment offices, the state is installing hundreds of kiosk-like computer stations in places like libraries and homeless shelters where Iowans can access online training, assistance in preparing for interviews and other job application services.
Critics contend that what's essentially a self-help computer program is a far cry from personal, one-on-one assistance previously provided to thousands of unemployed workers.
But advocates say the move will prove to be more beneficial to Iowans, saving $6.5 million a year and also enhancing job searches through computer software. [...]
There are now 373 virtual access points with at least one kiosk-like center in each county. Iowans have access to phone or online interaction with state unemployment officials at the sites, which has led to an extension of the number of hours of service, state officials said today.

Wahlert has touted other aspects of the new system:

"We continue to add new things. This is a very evolving technology. One of the things we added just today...is a fifth option for people and it's called, 'I am a student,'" Wahlert says. "And in this fifth option we have things like 'How to find a job', what the requirements are for GED. We are working on a partnership with ACT to add practice testing."
Those practice tests for the ACT and for GEDs will be available in December.
Workforce Development staff are now available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. 'til 2 p.m. to answer questions from people who go online and seek help with their job search. Wahlert says in the past, Workforce Development offices weren't open past 4:30 p.m. and not every county in the state had an office. Today, there are 370 on-line access points for the Workforce Development computer program.

If 500 computer terminals across the state serve unemployed people well, the Iowa Workforce Development restructuring may be a non-issue next year. Still, I expect to see some Democratic statehouse candidates pointing to vacant storefronts where field offices used to be. The "enhanced access points" could become a symbol of failed Republican governance if they don't function as advertised in numerous locations.

Here's a list of the 36 cities and towns that lost Iowa Workforce Development field offices this year, along with background on the 2012 Iowa House and Senate races in those areas. Scroll to the end of this post for a shorter list of potentially competitive statehouse campaigns in communities that no longer have an Iowa Workforce Development field office.

Algona (Kossuth County)

For the past decade, Algona has been in the old House district 8, where Republican Tom Shaw won an open-seat race in 2010. Iowa's new map of political boundaries put Algona in the new House district 7 (map), represented by first-term Democrat John Wittneben. He won his open-seat race in 2010 by less than three dozen votes. House district 7 has a small Democratic voter registration advantage, but I expect Republicans to mount a strong challenge for this seat. Algona is also part of the new Senate district 4 (map), which has a comfortable Republican voter registration advantage. No Democratic candidate has declared for that race. Former State Senator Jim Black is likely to be the Republican nominee.

Ames (Story County)

Both Iowa House districts in Ames are fairly strong seats for Democrats Beth Wessel-Kroeschell and Lisa Heddens, who decided to move after the redistricting plan put her home outside the north Ames-based district 46 (map). Wessel-Kroeschell lives in the new House district 45 (map). Democratic State Senator Herman Quirmbach is the incumbent in the new Senate district 23 (map), and he won't be on the ballot again until 2014.

Atlantic (Cass County)

Atlantic will be part of the new House district 21 (map) and Senate district 11 (map). Both districts have huge Republican voter registration advantages, and Democrats are unlikely to mount serious challenges to GOP State Representative Jack Drake or State Senator Hubert Houser, assuming both seek re-election.

Boone (Boone County)

Both the House and the Senate race here have potential to be competitive in 2012. First-term Republican Chip Baltimore represents the current House district 48, where he defeated Democratic incumbent Donovan Olson by only a couple dozen votes in 2010. Boone is part of the new House district 47 (map), which has a tiny Democratic registration advantage but a plurality of no-party voters. Olson has not disclosed whether he plans to seek a rematch with Baltimore. No other Democrat has declared for the seat yet. Boone is in the new Senate district 24 (map), represented by Republican Jerry Behn. His new district has only a small voter GOP registration advantage, with a plurality of no-party voters. No Democrat has stepped up to challenge Behn, whose long incumbency and recent election as Iowa Senate Republican leader make him the clear favorite in my opinion.

Centerville (Appanoose County)

Retiring Democrat Kurt Swaim currently represents this area, but the new map of political boundaries puts Appanoose County in House district 80 (map). No incumbent currently lives in the district. Democrat Joe Judge announced his candidacy in May, shortly after the redistricting plan was approved. It's among the most balanced House districts, with roughly equal numbers of registered Democrats, Republicans and no-party voters. To my knowledge, no Republican has entered the race. On the Senate side, Centerville is in the new district 40 (map). Two-term Democratic incumbent Tom Rielly faces a big uphill climb here, and he hasn't represented Appanoose County before.

Charles City (Floyd County)

Charles City is current represented by Republican State Representative Josh Byrnes, who won an open-seat race in 2010. However, in 2012 it will be in the new Iowa House district 52 (map), where six-term Democratic State Representative Brian Quirk is the incumbent. The district leans Democratic in terms of voter registration. When Democrats controlled the Iowa House from 2007 through 2010, Quirk was known as a member of the conservative "six-pack" that opposed organized labor's legislative priorities. Since Republicans won back the Iowa House majority, Quirk has voted with most GOP lawmakers on legislation serving the interests of big ag multiple times. He also voted for a controversial bill to promote nuclear power in Iowa. The more interesting race here is likely to be on the Senate side, because the new Senate district 26 (map) pits two incumbents against each other: Democrat Mary Jo Wilhelm and Republican Merlin Bartz. Both parties are certain to target this race, which Bleeding Heartland previewed here. The district has a Democratic voter registration advantage of about 1,300, and Bartz has drawn some unflattering local press over a fence dispute with neighbors. On the other hand, Bartz has had a much longer career in the Iowa legislature than Wilhelm.

Cherokee (Cherokee County)

Both Iowa House district 3 (map) and Iowa Senate district 2 (map) lean heavily Republican. It will take a lot more than Iowa Workforce Development closing an office to make this part of northwest Iowa politically competitive. State Senator Randy Feenstra should be safe for 2012. Two current Iowa House Republicans, Royd Chambers and Dan Huseman, live in this district; it's not clear whether they will face off in a GOP primary or whether one will retire.

Clarinda (Page County)

Similar story here: the new Iowa House district 24 (map) and Senate district 12 (map) cover parts of southwest Iowa that are safe for Republicans. State Senator Joni Ernst should have no trouble winning re-election. On the House side, the eventual nominee (Cecil Dolecheck or Rich Anderson) should have no problem winning the general election, with or without an Iowa Workforce Development office.

Clinton (Clinton County)

First-term Iowa House Democrat Mary Wolfe represents the Clinton area, which is in the new House district 98 (map). It's a Democratic-leaning district already. Voter registration numbers favor Democrats in Senate district 49 as well (map), but Republicans have a strong announced candidate in Andrew Naeve. No Democrat has declared for that open Senate race. It will be on the ballot despite its odd number, because State Senator Tod Bowman opted to stay in the new Senate district 29 instead.

Denison (Crawford County)

Restructuring of state services for the unemployed is sure to become an issue here, because the Democratic candidate in the new Iowa House district 18 (map) is Kasey Friedrichsen, a former Iowa Workforce Development employee in the Denison office. Her opponent will be two-term Republican State Representative Jason Schultz. He's not my cup of tea, but he has a fairly substantial GOP voter registration edge on his side. Senate district 9 (map) also leans heavily Republican. It may not be on the ballot in 2012, unless current GOP incumbent Senators Nancy Boettger and Jim Seymour decide to face off in a primary. JANUARY 2012 UPDATE: Seymour is retiring, so there will be no election this year in Senate district 9.

Emmetsburg (Palo Alto County)

To my knowledge, there is no Democratic candidate yet in the new Iowa House district 2 (map). The Republican nomination is up for grabs, as no current incumbent lives in this district. There won't be a 2012 campaign in the new Senate district 1 (map), which includes Palo Alto County. Democrat Jack Kibbie's retirement means Republican Senator David Johnson will hold over until 2014.

Estherville (Emmet County)

Like Algona, which I covered above, Estherville is located in the new House district 7, represented by Democrat John Wittneben, and the new Senate district 4, which has no incumbent. Estherville is Wittneben's home base, and he'll need to run up the score here to win in this swing district. I wouldn't be surprised to see the Iowa Workforce Development office closure become a campaign issue for him.

Fairfield (Jefferson County)

Fairfield is located in the new House district 82 (map). Democrat Curt Hanson is the incumbent. Republicans will contest the new district 82 in 2012, because they have a slight voter registration advantage here. However, Hanson has strong local support, having won a 2009 special election and re-election in 2010 in the old House district 90. First-term Republican State Senator Mark Chelgren holds over until 2014 in the new Senate district 41 (map), which includes the Fairfield area. That's lucky for him, because Democrats should win this district back next time it's on the ballot. Chelgren defeated Democratic incumbent Keith Kreiman by only a dozen votes in 2010.

Glenwood (Mills County)

Glenwood is located in the new House district 23 (map), which has no incumbent but should be safe for Republicans, considering their commanding voter registration advantage in the area. The same goes for the new Senate district 12 (map), where Republican Joni Ernst, a 2011 special election winner, should easily be elected to a full term in 2012.

Harlan (Shelby County)

Like Denison, which I discussed above, Harlan is located in the new House district 18 (map). This campaign will pit Republican State Representative Jason Schultz, case law hater and Ron Paul endorser, against Democrat Kasey Friedrichsen, a former Iowa Workforce Development employee in the Denison office. Senate district 9 (map) contains two GOP incumbents, Nancy Boettger and Jim Seymour. If one of them retires, the other holds over until 2014. JANUARY 2012 UPDATE: Seymour announced his retirement; there will be no Senate district 9 election in 2012.

Humboldt (Humboldt County)

A contested Republican primary is likely in the new House district 10 (map). Neither first-term State Representative Tom Shaw nor five-term incumbent Dave Tjepkes lives in Humboldt County. Social issues may dominate the primary campaign. Shaw is more conservative, having been among a handful of House Republicans to back impeaching Iowa Supreme Court justices who concurred in the Varnum v Brien decision. Shaw also has supported bringing "personhood" legislation to the House floor and voted against a late-term abortion ban because it didn't go far enough to restrict abortions in his view. To my knowledge, no Democrat has announced plans to run in the new House district 10, which has a large GOP voter registration advantage. Democratic State Senator Daryl Beall holds over until 2014 in the new Senate district 5 (map), which includes Humboldt County. By then I doubt the Iowa Workforce Development restructuring will be a salient issue.

Iowa Falls (Hardin County)

About half of Hardin County, including Iowa Falls, is in the new House district 50 (map). This will be the site of the premier GOP primary battle of 2012, pitting House Agriculture Committee Chair Annette Sweeney against Economic Growth Committee Chair Pat Grassley, grandson of U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley. My guess is there won't be a Democratic candidate in House district 50, which leans heavily Republican. There also won't be a 2012 election in Iowa Senate district 25 (map), where Iowa Falls is located. First-term Republican Bill Dix didn't get his wish to be Senate minority leader, but he does get to hold over until 2014 thanks to Rob Bacon's decision to run for the Iowa House instead.

Keokuk (Lee County)

Lee County has one of the highest unemployment rates in the state and used to contain two Iowa Workforce Development field offices. The agency decided to keep the other Lee County office open in Fort Madison. Both Keokuk and Fort Madison are located in the new Iowa House district 83 (map). Democratic State Representative Jerry Kearns should have no problem winning re-election in this heavily Democratic area, judging from his comfortable 2010 victory. Senate district 42 (map) lacks an incumbent with the retirement of Democrat Gene Fraise. To my knowledge, no Democrat has announced plans to run for this seat. Republicans have a candidate, Lee County Supervisor Larry Kruse, but the district has what should be a solid Democratic voter registration advantage.

Manchester (Delaware County)

So far Republican State Representative Lee Hein is the only announced candidate in the new House district 96, which includes all of Delaware County (map). The district doesn't have an overwhelming GOP voter registration advantage, but it's not clear whether Democrats can recruit a strong candidate here. The campaign in Senate district 48 (map) should be one of the most competitive statehouse races in 2012. State Representative Nate Willems will be the Democratic nominee and will probably face one of three Republicans running or considering this race: Dan Zumbach, Brian Cook, and Cindy Golding.

Maquoketa (Jackson County)

Democrat Tom Schueller, a Maquoketa native, is trying to return to the Iowa House in the new district 58 (map). He shouldn't need an Iowa Workforce Development office controversy to seal the deal against Republican Brian Moore, who may be the most endangered Iowa House incumbent in 2012. There won't be an Iowa Senate election in the new district 29 (map) next year. Democrat Tod Bowman holds over until 2014, thanks to Senator Tom Hancock's decision to retire.

Mount Pleasant (Henry County)

Republican Dave Heaton has represented the Mount Pleasant area in the Iowa House since the 1994 election. The new map puts Henry County in Iowa House district 84 (map). To my knowledge, no Democrat has announced plans to challenge Heaton, who will be heavily favored even if there is lingering resentment over the demise of the Iowa Workforce Development office. Henry County is part of the new Senate district 42 (map), which I discussed above in the context of Keokuk.

Muscatine (Muscatine County)

Democrats do not yet have a candidate in the new House district 91, which covers the Muscatine area (map). Republican State Representative Mark Lofgren defeated three-term Democratic incumbent Nathan Reichert in the old House district 80 in 2010. FEBRUARY 2012 UPDATE: John Dabeet will be the Democratic candidate in House district 91. The city of Muscatine and nearby areas of Muscatine county also like in the new Senate district 46 (map). That should become one of the most competitive state Senate races of 2012. Democrat Chris Brase will face one of two Republican incumbents: Shawn Hamerlinck or Jim Hahn.

New Hampton (Chickasaw County)

Like the Charles City area, discussed above, New Hampton and the rest of Chickasaw County are in the new House district 52 (map), represented by six-term Democrat Brian Quirk. To my knowledge, no Republican has announced plans to challenge Quirk, who benefits from a Democratic voter registration advantage. Chickasaw County lies in the new Senate district 26 (map), which I discussed above in the context of Charles City. Democratic State Senator Mary Jo Wilhelm has a decent shot here against Republican Senator Merlin Bartz.

Newton (Jasper County)

The optics of closing the Iowa Workforce Development branch in Newton are lousy: unemployment is relatively high in the city that hasn't fully recovered from the Maytag plant closing. On the other hand, Newton isn't far from Marshalltown or Des Moines, which both will retain staffed Iowa Workforce Development offices. Newton lies in the new House district 29 (map), represented by Democrat Dan Kelley. It's a strong Democratic district where no Republican has entered the race, as far as I know. There will be no election next year in the new Senate district 15 (map), which includes Newton and most of Jasper County. Democrat Dennis Black holds over until 2014.

Oelwein (Fayette County)

The Oelwein area lies in the new House district 64 (map), represented by Republican Dan Rasmussen. He narrowly defeated Democratic State Representative Gene Ficken in 2010 in the old House district 23, and the new district 64 leans Democratic in terms of voter registration. I am not aware of any Democrat actively campaigning here yet, but I wouldn't be surprised to see the Iowa Workforce Development controversy pop up during the 2012 campaign. The part of Fayette county that includes Oelwein is in the new Senate district 32 (map). It's almost evenly divided in terms of voter registration, and Democratic incumbent Brian Schoenjahn could face a tough battle in 2012. Schoenjahn is from Arlington, a smaller town in Fayette County. He has no GOP challenger yet, to my knowledge.

Orange City (Sioux County)

Iowa Senate district 2 (map) and Iowa House district 4 (map) are located in one of the most Republican-voting counties in the United States. No amount of fallout over Iowa Workforce Development Offices will threaten State Representative Dwayne Alons or State Senator Randy Feenstra.

Osceola (Clarke County)

Osceola is the largest town in the new House district 27 (map). First-term Republican State Representative Joel Fry lives in Osceola, and his new district has only a slight GOP voter registration advantage. I haven't heard of any Democrat running for this seat yet. Clarke County is part of the new Senate district 14 (map). Neither party has an announced candidate here, as far as I know. Former Republican Senate Minority Leader Paul McKinley decided against running for re-election in 2012.

Oskaloosa (Mahaska County)

Oskaloosa lies in the new House district 79 (map). Republican State Representative Guy Vander Linden lives in Oskaloosa. I doubt any resentment over an Iowa Workforce Development office will create a problem for him, given the large GOP voter registration advantage in this district. Meanwhile, two-term Democrat Tom Rielly is arguably the most endangered Iowa Senate incumbent in 2012, despite having previously served as mayor of Oskaloosa. Registered Republicans outnumber Democrats by nearly 5,000 voters in the new Senate district 40 (map), which includes Oskaloosa.

Pella (Marion County)

Pella has a reputation as one of Iowa's most conservative towns, and it lies in the new House district 79 (map) along with Oskaloosa. Should be smooth sailing here for GOP State Representative Vander Linden and a rough ride for Democrat Rielly in he new Senate district 40 (map)

Perry (Dallas County)

The northwest portion of Dallas County, including Perry, lies in the new House district 20 (map). Republican State Representative Clel Baudler, a national board member of the National Rifle Association, is the incumbent here. He voted against the redistricting plan in the Iowa House but is in a fairly Republican district. I am not aware of any announced Democratic challenger to Baudler. Perry is in the new Senate district 10 (map). No incumbent lives here, but the open-seat race won't be attractive for Democrats given the voter registration numbers.

Pocahontas (Pocahontas County)

Like Humboldt, which I discussed above, Pocahontas is in the new House district 10 (map). Republican incumbents Tom Shaw and Dave Tjepkes appear likely to face off in a primary, and there is no announced Democratic candidate to my knowledge. Democratic State Senator Daryl Beall holds over until 2014 in the new Senate district 5 (map).

Red Oak (Montgomery County)

The northern two-thirds of Montgomery County, including Red Oak, are in the new House district 23 (map). Although the seat is open, it won't be an inviting target for House Democrats given the enormous GOP voter registration advantage. The Republican primary will in effect determine the winner of House district 23 in 2012. All of Montgomery County is the new Senate district 12 (map), where Red Oak resident Joni Ernst won't have any trouble being re-elected in 2012.

Shenandoah (Page County)

Like Clarinda, which I discussed above, Shenandoah is in the overwhelmingly Republican House district 24 (map) and Senate district 12 (map).

Storm Lake (Buena Vista County)

Buena Vista County is part of the new House district 11 (map). Incumbent Republican Gary Worthan lives in Storm Lake and will be able to run for re-election in a district with a strong GOP voter registration advantage. Worthan defeated Democrat Danuta Hutchins by nearly a 3:1 margin in 2010, and he shouldn't have much trouble winning a fourth term in 2012. The new Senate district 6 (map) is open, because current Senate Republican whip Steve Kettering has decided to retire in 2012. The winner of the GOP primary will be heavily favored in the general election, and it's possible that Democrats won't even field a candidate here.

Washington (Washington County)

Most of Washington County, including county seat Washington, is part of the new House district 78 (map). The new map paired two Republican incumbents: first-termer Jarad Klein and long-timer Betty DeBoef. She decided to retire, so Klein doesn't have to deal with a competitive primary. Democrats don't have a candidate yet in House district 78, which has a Republican voter registration advantage. There will not be a 2012 election in the new Senate district 39 (map), which covers the Washington area. Republican Sandy Greiner holds over until 2014, by which time the Iowa Workforce Development restructuring will be a long time past.

Waverly (Bremer County)

Waverly is the largest town the new House district 63 (map). Republican Pat Grassley currently represents Bremer County in the Iowa House, but no incumbent lives in the new district. Longtime Waverly resident Bill Heckroth, a former Democratic state senator, is running for this House seat and has at least one Republican opponent, Sandy Salmon. It should be a hard-fought race; Republicans have a voter registration edge, but the Democrat has a stronger base in the Waverly area. Bremer County is part of the new Senate district 32 (map), which I discussed above in the context of Oelwein. Democrat Brian Schoenjahn is the incumbent.

To sum up, the following potentially competitive Iowa House and Senate districts contain towns where Iowa Workforce Development offices have closed in 2011.

Democratic-held seats

House district 7 (Algona)

House district 52 (Charles City, New Hampton)

House district 80 (Centerville) *no incumbent

House district 82 (Fairfield)

Senate district 26 (Charles City, New Hampton) *Democratic vs Republican incumbent

Senate district 32 (Waverly, Oelwein)

Senate district 49 (Clinton) *no incumbent

Republican-held seats

House district 27 (Osceola)

House district 47 (Boone)

House district 63 (Waverly) *no incumbent

House district 64 (Oelwein)

House district 78 (Washington)

House district 91 (Muscatine)

House district 96 (Manchester)

Senate district 14 *no incumbent

Senate district 26 (Charles City, New Hampton) *Democratic vs Republican incumbent

Senate district 46 (Muscatine)

Senate district 48 (Manchester) *no incumbent

In all of the above districts, I would not be surprised to see Democratic incumbents or challengers criticize the Iowa Workforce Development restructuring, especially if Iowa's unemployment rate doesn't drop significantly during the next year. It's too early to say whether that would be a successful political strategy. It's possible that voters will share Governor Branstad's preference for hundreds of computer terminals instead of a few dozen field offices with part-time hours.

Any comments about the 2012 legislative races are welcome in this thread.

Planned Parenthood PAC rates Iowa lawmakers, praises Petersen and Wessel-Kroeschell

desmoinesdem — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 12:43:51 GMT

Planned Parenthood Voters of Iowa published its scorecard of Iowa legislators and gave its "Champion Award" to two Iowa House Democrats: State Representatives Janet Petersen and Beth Wessel-Kroeschell.

Details from the 2011 legislative update are after the jump. Planned Parenthood of the Heartland President and CEO Jill June described this year as "the worst legislative session for women in my 25 years at Planned Parenthood."
Planned Parenthood Voters of Iowa included three Iowa House votes on their 2011 legislative scorecard: House File 657 (the ban on most abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy); House amendment 1564 to House File 649 (amending the health and human services budget bill to remove cuts to Iowa Family Planning Network eligibility); and Senate File 534 (the "certificate of need" bill passed by the Iowa Senate as an alternative to the 20-week abortion ban, which House Republicans amended to include 20-week ban language). The Planned Parenthood Voters of Iowa position was against House File 657 and the amended Senate File 534 and for amendment 1564 to House File 649.

Fifty-seven of the 60 Iowa House Republicans voted against the Planned Parenthood position on all three measures, or on all measures for which they were present to vote. Republicans Glen Massie and Kim Pearson voted for the Planned Parenthood position on House File 657, but only because they did not believe a 20-week ban went far enough in outlawing abortions in Iowa. For the same reason, Republican Tom Shaw voted for the Planned Parenthood position on both House File 657 and the amended Senate File 534.

Of the 40 Iowa House Democrats, 36 voted for the Planned Parenthood position on all three scorecard measures, or on all for which they were present to vote. All of the House Democrats supported restoring the family planning funding to the health and human services budget. State Representatives Kurt Swaim, Roger Thomas and Brian Quirk voted for House File 657. Dan Muhlbauer voted for the abortion bans in House File 657 and the amended Senate File 534.

One noteworthy abortion-related vote was not included on this scorecard: the procedural motion on whether to bring a "personhood" bill to the Iowa House floor. That vote was scrambled because although no House Republicans argued against the substance of the "personhood" bill, leadership and more than half the GOP caucus disagreed with bringing it to the floor on tactical grounds. Click here for details on that vote; 24 House Republicans and Democrat Muhlbauer supported bringing up the personhood legislation.

Planned Parenthood's Iowa Senate scorecard included just one vote from the 2011 session: amendment 3293 to House File 649, the health and human services budget. That amendment (passed in May) removed cuts to Iowa Family Planning Network eligibility and restored abortion access. It passed on a straight party-line vote, backed by all 26 Iowa Senate Democrats and opposed by the 22 Senate Republicans present. Senate File 534, the "certificate of need" bill designed to prevent a late-term abortion clinic from opening in Iowa without restricting reproductive rights, also passed the Senate on a party-line vote, but Planned Parenthood Voters of Iowa didn't include that on the scorecard.

The 20-week abortion bans never came to Iowa Senate floor votes this year.

In giving the "Champion Award" to Wessel-Kroeschell and Petersen, Planned Parenthood Voters of Iowa recognized their work against House File 657, the bill that would have banned almost all abortions in Iowa after the 20th week of pregnancy. From a legislative update mailed to Planned Parenthood supporters last week:

Throughout the 2011 Iowa Legislative session, Rep. Beth Wessel-Kroeschell was consistently a strong voice for Iowa's women and families, working diligently to help stop attacks on women's health care.
Rep. Wessel-Kroeschell served on the initial subcommittees of HF657, the 20-week abortion ban, and raised serious questions about how the bill could endanger Iowa women.

Wessel-Kroeschell is the ranking Democrat on the Iowa House Human Resources Committee, to which House File 657 was first assigned. Republican dissidents Pearson and Massie prevented the 20-week abortion ban from passing that committee because they want to outlaw all abortion. Fewer than 1 percent of abortions in Iowa are performed after the 20th week of pregnancy.

House Republicans then assigned House File 657 to the Government Resources Committee, where Janet Petersen is the ranking Democrat. Planned Parenthood Voters of Iowa praised her for taking "the lead against this bill":

She challenged anti-choice lawmakers to produce scientific evidence for their findings, and also pointed out medically inaccurate provisions in the bill.
As an advocate for making Iowa "the safest place in the U.S. to have a baby," Rep. Petersen brought to light the many unintended consequences of the proposed 20-week ban, and how any woman who becomes pregnant could be endangered by this legislation.

Here is Petersen's closing statement during the House floor debate on HF 657:

Here are Wessel-Kroeschell's opening remarks during that floor debate, as provided by Iowa House Democratic staff:

Mr. Speaker....
Make no doubt about it, HF 657 puts our daughter's lives and health at risk. This bill is an extreme measure which is being sold to us as a way to keep a Nebraska physician out of Iowa. If keeping this dr. out of Iowa is necessary, there are ways to do that without risking the lives of our daughters. Using this bill for that means is equivalent to using a sledgehammer to kill a fly.
Women terminate pregnancies for many reasons. Although we may disagree with them on why, most Iowans agree that those decisions should be left up to a woman, her family, doctor, and faith advisors.
It puts our daughters at risk when a much wanted pregnancy goes wrong. We will illustrate this for Iowan's during today's debate.
A Nebraska woman, Danielle Deaver was excited about her pregnancy and planning for her second child. She had experienced numerous miscarriages but felt confident about her current pregnancy because she is the mother of a healthy 2 year old. Through no fault of her own, tragedy happened: her water broke at 22 weeks. Desperate to continue the pregnancy her dr. put her on 24 hour bedrest hoping her body would replenish the amniotic fluid that protects babies and allows them to thrive in their mother's uterus. Common practice in obstetrics has been that once a pregnant woman's water breaks, she will deliver the baby within 24 hours to avoid life threatening infections.
Prayers, medicine and her sheer will did not replace Danielle's amniotic fluid. As a mother, I can't imagine how awful it must feel to realize that you can no longer protect your much anticipated pregnancy. Danielle had lost the ability to protect her unborn child and her uterus was instead crushing and suffocating the baby. Now her fetus is in distress.
Knowing that there was no hope that her pregnancy could continue to viability and knowing the baby would not survive, Danielle and her husband Robb asked to have labor induced to prevent infection and preserve their fertility. As the happy parents of a 2 year old, they wanted another chance; they knew that Danielle was at risk of infection which could not only risk her ability to have another pregnancy but could also kill her.
Based on the Nebraska 20 week ban (a bill that is very similar to HF 657) which went into effect one month earlier, three attorneys advised the Deaver medical team that they would risk losing their license, going to prison and various lawsuits if they induced Danielle's labor. Their hands were tied and they could not use best medical practices.
Dannielle Deaver went home and waited for a life threatening infection in either her or her baby. Her life was in danger. She went home and waited for her life to be put at "immediate danger." Finally, 8 days later, she went into labor and watched her baby die.
I feel strongly, that a family who is in this situation should not have their decisions made by politicians. It should be the family's decision.
I may not always agree with all the decisions that Iowans make for their family, but I respect that they have the right to make them. I respect that every family is different. I respect that every pregnancy is unique. I oppose this bill not only because it does not allow for an exception for rape and incest, or real exception for the health and life of a woman, but I oppose this bill because it is extreme.
HF 657 takes away a couple's decision making powers regarding the first days and months of parenting and put it in the hands of the government. We can all feel for this couple, struggling to make the decision that is best for their circumstances. And because each situation is different, we must protect a family's ability to make decisions in consultation with those they trust.
Families are allowed to make many health care and life and death decisions for children. Does this bill indicate that government will move toward making these decisions for parents?
Danielle and Robb Deaver deserved to make the decision for the child they had hoped for and loved even if it were not the decision you or I may have made.

Many pro-choice Democrats spoke against House File 657 during the floor debate as well.

Wessel-Kroeschell will run for a sixth term in the Iowa House in 2012. The new map of political boundaries put her in district 45, covering part of Ames, much like the district she has represented since 2004. Petersen has represented House district 64 for the past decade and will run for the new Iowa Senate district 18 in 2012. That district covers much of northwest Des Moines, Petersen's current territory, and stretches to include part of the east side as well. Democrats have significant registration advantages in both the new House district 45 and the new Senate district 18.

Share any relevant thoughts in this thread.

Iowa House passes pro-nuclear bill; Senate prospects unclear

desmoinesdem — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 16:27:33 GMT

After more than five hours of debate, the Iowa House on April 26 approved a bill to let MidAmerican Energy charge consumers for costs associated with a nuclear reactor it may or may not build in the coming decade. House File 561 passed 68 to 30. All Republicans present except two voted yes, joined by 12 House Democrats: Deborah Berry (district 22), Chris Hall (district 2), Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (district 67), Dan Muhlbauer (district 51), Pat Murphy (district 28), Rick Olson (district 68), Brian Quirk (district 15), Mark Smith (district 43), Phyllis Thede (district 81), Andrew Wenthe (district 18), John Wittneben (district 7) and Mary Wolfe (district 26). The remaining 29 House Democrats voted against the bill. Two Republicans voted no: Guy Vander Linden (district 75) and Kim Pearson (district 42).

Details on the House debate and efforts to amend the bill are after the jump, along with some speculation about its prospects in the Senate and thoughts about the coalitions lobbying for and against it.
An unusually large number of amendments were submitted to House File 561. Many came from Democrats seeking more protection for consumers, more obligations for MidAmerican, or further study of the risks, costs and benefits of nuclear power. Most of the Democratic amendments failed by voice vote or nearly along party lines if roll call was taken. The House Journal for April 26 lists the amendments in the order considered and includes the roll calls. Most of the Democrats who voted for final passage of House File 561 supported amendments to improve this very bad bill during the floor debate.

Notable amendments that passed Tuesday:

*language to require an applicant to build a nuclear power plant to work with relevant state agencies to develop a detailed "public emergency preparedness and response strategy in the event of an accident, natural disaster," or other event threatening public safety and welfare. Passed unanimously, submitted by Democrat Chuck Isenhart (district 27), amended by Republican Chuck Soderberg (district 3).

*language instructing the governor to appoint a task force to "evaluate the economic development opportunities created through nuclear electric power generation in this state and to develop specific plans to maximize these opportunities." Passed unanimously, jointly submitted by Soderberg and Democrat Pat Murphy.

*language allowing the Iowa Utilities Board and the state's Consumer Advocate to hire new employees to handle matters related to ratemaking principles to finance a nuclear power project. Passed unanimously, submitted by Soderberg.

Notable amendments that failed on voice votes:

*an attempt to replace the entire bill with language creating an interim study committee with five House representatives and five state senators, who would study issues relating to nuclear power generation and report back to the legislature by January 15, 2012. Submitted by Chuck Isenhart (district 27).

*language requiring a utility to project trends related to energy demand, production and transmission over a 20-year period before applying to build a nuclear generating facility. Submitted by Vicki Lensing (district 78).

*language requiring the Iowa Utilities Board to submit a report on "baseload electrical generation options and costs" by January 1, 2012. The study would explore "nuclear power and potential retrofits of existing generation plants, based on evidence regarding system benefits, rate impact, financing options, and any risks of delay, cancellation, or cost overruns." Submitted by Nate Willems (district 29).

*language requiring a utility to conform to an "energy savings performance standard of 1.5 percent annual reduction in energy use" if that utility seeks to operate a nuclear generating facility in Iowa. Submitted by Isenhart.

*language removing a section of the bill that would protect a utility from having to refund money if a court decision modified rules on what the utility could charge customers to cover anticipated costs of building a nuclear plant. Submitted by Bruce Hunter (district 62).

*language stating that a utility could recover costs from ratepayers only "over the useful life of the nuclear unit," not "during the period of construction." Submitted by Isenhart.

*an attempt to remove part of one sentence asserting that nuclear generation has a proven record of providing a "safe, reliable and secure" electricity production. Submitted by Mary Mascher (district 77).

*language requiring a utility that seeks to build a nuclear facility to "demonstrate that the need for additional baseload generating capacity justifying the application cannot be achieved in whole or in part through any combination of demand reduction strategies, or any combination of demand reduction strategies and alternative generating options." Submitted by Isenhart.

Notable amendments that failed on nearly party-line roll call votes:

*language requiring a public referendum in any county where a company seeks to build a nuclear generating facility. If a majority of county voters reject the proposal, the application to build the nuclear plant would be denied and another referendum could not be held in that county for at least eight years. All Republicans voted against this amendment (so much for "local control"!), joined by Democrat Brian Quirk; the rest of the Democratic caucus voted for it. Submitted by Dan Kelley (district 41), Phyllis Thede (district 81), Beth Wessel-Kroeschell (district 45) and Ruth Ann Gaines (district 65).

*language stating that in the event of an accident or natural disaster, the utility operating a nuclear generating facility bears "sole responsibility for the costs associated with the cleanup and disposal of any radioactive material and for resulting damages sustained by individuals and entities." The amendment also said neither ratepayers nor taxpayers would be charged for those costs. Obviously MidAmerican would never build a nuclear reactor if it had to assume those risks. All Republicans voted against this amendment, joined by Democrat Brian Quirk; the rest of the Democratic caucus voted for it. Submitted by Wessel-Kroeschell.

*an attempt to replace most of the bill text with language instructing the Iowa Utilities Board to analyze "risks associated with financing nuclear power plants and the assignment of those risks, and safety risks associated with traditional nuclear facility and small modular reactor technology construction." The board would report back to the legislature with recommendations by January 9, 2012. All Republicans voted against this amendment, joined by Democrats Brian Quirk and John Wittneben; the rest of the Democratic caucus voted for it. Submitted by Janet Petersen (district 64).

*language to cap rate increases a utility could impose to recover costs associated with building a nuclear power plant. The revenue increase would be applied equally to each customer class and capped at one percent per year. Most of the Republican caucus and Democrats Brian Quirk and John Wittneben voted against this amendment; the rest of the House Democrats voted for it, joined by Republicans Kim Pearson (district 42) and Guy Vander Linden (district 75). Submitted by Anesa Kajtazovic (district 21). Kajtazovic commented during the debate, "I know there are people back home that support nuclear energy as part of a comprehensive plan. But they don't support an open checkbook."

Prospects in the Iowa Senate

Governor Terry Branstad supports more nuclear power generation, so the only way to stop this legislation is to keep it from passing the Iowa Senate. The companion bill Senate File 390 passed the Senate Commerce Committee on a bipartisan vote in March. Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal told IowaPolitics.com this week that a decision on bringing the bill up for a floor vote "hasn't been made." Last month nine Democratic senators urged their colleagues to shelve the nuclear bill. They want a legislative commission "to thoroughly investigate all of the issues including the need for a nuclear power plant, the costs and impact on utility rates, financing and liability issues, safety and waste disposal issues, and renewable energy alternatives."

The American Association for Retired Persons has spoken out repeatedly against this bill, saying it would hurt consumers on fixed incomes. After House passage on Tuesday, an AARP statement said:

"AARP is concerned about this legislation, not because of the question of nuclear power, but because we oppose raising rates for consumers already struggling to afford their utility bills for a plant yet to be built, where we don't know the actual cost to build, and may or may not even be built in Iowa,"

AARP's Iowa associate state director for advocacy, Anthony Carroll, added,

"AARP is disappointed the Iowa House of Representatives ignored the concerns of Iowa consumers and voted to advance legislation that substantially shifts the costs and risk to Iowa ratepayers for a possible new nuclear power plant in Iowa. We hope that the Senate will decide to make consumers' wishes and needs a priority."

The desire to do the right thing by consumers wouldn't normally prevail over MidAmerican's campaign contributions to Iowa legislators, but perhaps public opinion will derail this bill in the Senate. Earlier this week, Friends of the Earth announced results from a Survey USA Iowa poll showing large majorities oppose raising electricity rates to pay for building a nuclear power plant. Republican State Representative Chuck Soderberg dismissed those findings:

"I know what the survey said, I would have liked it to continue and have asked 'How many Iowans would like to spend $800 million on old, outdated (coal) plants?' " he said. "Not many, I don't think."

Soderberg also made a misleading claim in defense of the bill he floor-managed:

"This bill does not authorize anyone to build a nuclear facility in the state of Iowa," Soderberg said. "It does not authorize any utility to increase their rates. That's the responsibility of the Iowa Utilities Board."

Yes and no, Mr. Soderberg. Mark Cooper, Senior Fellow for Economic analysis at the Vermont Law School's Institute for Energy and the Environment, analyzed the proposed Iowa legislation and concluded that they "are among the most aggressive in removing consumer protection as any in the nation. " In part that's because the Iowa Utilities Board would not be allowed to apply "the used and useful standard and the least cost principle" when considering an application for a nuclear permit. Also, Cooper noted,

• It excuses the utility from showing that it "has considered other source for long-term electricity supply," of that the nuclear reactor is "reasonable when compared to other feasible alternative sources of supply," While it applies such language to all other feasible alternative sources of supply.
• Language that would have allowed alternatives other than nuclear to be selected on the basis of competitive bidding was stricken from the Senate versions.

Final note: the lobbyist declarations on House File 561 reveal some unusual coalitions. Quite a few business groups and corporations supported the bill, but several large companies registered "undecided," and I noticed WalMart's lobbyist registered against. Organized labor was split, with the Iowa Federation of Labor, Plumbers and Steam Fitters, Central Iowa Building and Construction Trades Council, and the Great Plains Laborers District Council supporting the bill. A lobbyist representing the South Central Iowa Federation of Labor AFL-CIO registered undecided, while the United Transportation Union and the Iowa Farmers Union registered against.

A lobbyist for some unions backing the bill told IowaPolitics.com, "Our membership is out of work, and they need to find jobs. They see this as a real opportunity to create some jobs and get their people back to work and support their families." Creating well-paying jobs for union members is a worthwhile goal, but jobs building a nuclear reactor in Iowa won't materialize for many years, if ever. Nuclear projects around the country have stalled for lack of financing, and I believe there's a good chance no reactor will be built in Iowa even if House File 561 becomes law. MidAmerican could cancel its nuclear program at any time without giving back money it collected from ratepayers to cover anticipated construction costs. Ramping up energy efficiency programs and other ways to generate electricity in Iowa would create more jobs more quickly. UPDATE: It's also worth mentioning that this small modular reactor design MidAmerican is touting has not been approved by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. There is no guarantee it will ever be approved for construction.

Lobbyists registered against the bill represented the Sierra Club Iowa chapter, the Iowa Environmental Council, the Iowa Beyond Nuclear Coalition, Green State Solutions, the American Association for Retired Persons, the Iowa Council of Health Care Centers, the League of Women Voters, and the Iowa Conference of the United Methodist Church.

Share any relevant thoughts in this thread.

Iowa House passes big government abortion ban

desmoinesdem — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 18:52:07 GMT

The abortion issue magically transforms conservatives from people who want to keep bureaucrats from getting between you and your doctor into people eager to let the government limit pregnant women's medical care. The Iowa House demonstrated that contradiction again yesterday, as representatives approved a ban on most abortions after 20 weeks gestation.

House File 657 is modeled on a Nebraska statute with the intent of stopping Omaha physician Leroy Carhart from opening an abortion clinic in Iowa. State representatives voted 60 to 39 to send the bill to the Senate. The yes votes included 56 Republicans and four Democrats: Dan Muhlbauer (district 51), Brian Quirk (district 15), Kurt Swaim (district 94) and Roger Thomas (district 24). Three first-term Republicans--Kim Pearson (district 42), Glen Massie (district 74) and Tom Shaw (district 8)--voted no, along with the rest of the House Democratic caucus. Those Republicans have argued against the bill because it would ban less than 1 percent of abortions in Iowa; their opposition forced House Republican leaders to pull the bill out of the House Human Resources Committee and send it to Government Oversight instead.

Excerpts from yesterday's arguments for and against House File 657 are after the jump, along with thoughts about the bill's prospects in the Iowa Senate.
Various news accounts described the "emotional" floor debate over House File 657. Reading the comments from many Republicans, I'm struck by how they refused to acknowledge the kind of circumstances that lead women to seek an abortion after 20 weeks. Representative Walt Rogers, a supporter of the bill, described how he turned against legal abortion after feeling baby kicks: "It was the coolest moment in my life to feel my child inside my wife's stomach." Good for you, Mr. Rogers, but why should your "cool moment" give you power to make life and death choices for other adults?

First-term Republican Representative Mary Ann Hanusa floor-managed House File 657. She is from Council Bluffs, where Carhart's clinic would be located. Speaking on the House floor yesterday, she argued that "protecting the well being of a 20-week-old unborn child and shielding it from the agony and painful death of an abortion" should be as important a topic as other bills the House as debated, related to the care of animals. Hanusa also told her colleages,

"There is a substantial and growing body of medical and scientific evidence that unborn babies at 20 weeks can feel intense pain when they are aborted. ...Medical studies show that these unborn children recoil from painful stimulation as you and I might and that this dramatically increases their release of stress hormones."
Hanusa said Iowans' sense of decency and compassion and our common humanity dictate that we as a state protect these vulnerable individuals. She said the bill does have an exception for the life of the mother.
"This is a bill about saving babies," said Rep. Dawn Pettengill, R-Mount Auburn. "When you have a 20-week-old baby, it is able to live and it should not be taken in the way it has to be taken when you do an abortion at that age."
Pettengill later broke down in tears as she graphically described the different procedures used for late-term abortions. "These are living people," she said.

I am not aware of any fetuses surviving at 20 weeks gestation. It is rare for fetuses to survive even at 22 or 23 weeks. But more to the point, Pettengill does not recognize that women do not seek abortions that late in pregnancy without compelling reasons related to the health of the mother or baby.

In her opening remarks, Democratic State Representative Beth Wessel-Kroeschell described what the Nebraska law put one pregnant woman through:

Make no doubt about it, HF 657 puts our daughter's lives and health at risk. This bill is an extreme measure which is being sold to us as a way to keep a Nebraska physician out of Iowa. If keeping this dr. out of Iowa is necessary, there are ways to do that without risking the lives of our daughters. Using this bill for that means is equivalent to using a sledgehammer to kill a fly.
Women terminate pregnancies for many reasons. Although we may disagree with them on why, most Iowans agree that those decisions should be left up to a woman, her family, doctor, and faith advisors.
It puts our daughters at risk when a much wanted pregnancy goes wrong. We will illustrate this for Iowan's during today's debate.
A Nebraska woman, Danielle Deaver was excited about her pregnancy and planning for her second child. She had experienced numerous miscarriages but felt confident about her current pregnancy because she is the mother of a healthy 2 year old. Through no fault of her own, tragedy happened: her water broke at 22 weeks. Desperate to continue the pregnancy her dr. put her on 24 hour bedrest hoping her body would replenish the amniotic fluid that protects babies and allows them to thrive in their mother's uterus. Common practice in obstetrics has been that once a pregnant woman's water breaks, she will deliver the baby within 24 hours to avoid life threatening infections.
Prayers, medicine and her sheer will did not replace Danielle's amniotic fluid. As a mother, I can't imagine how awful it must feel to realize that you can no longer protect your much anticipated pregnancy. Danielle had lost the ability to protect her unborn child and her uterus was instead crushing and suffocating the baby. Now her fetus is in distress.
Knowing that there was no hope that her pregnancy could continue to viability and knowing the baby would not survive, Danielle and her husband Robb asked to have labor induced to prevent infection and preserve their fertility. As the happy parents of a 2 year old, they wanted another chance; they knew that Danielle was at risk of infection which could not only risk her ability to have another pregnancy but could also kill her.
Based on the Nebraska 20 week ban (a bill that is very similar to HF 657) which went into effect one month earlier, three attorneys advised the Deaver medical team that they would risk losing their license, going to prison and various lawsuits if they induced Danielle's labor. Their hands were tied and they could not use best medical practices.
Dannielle Deaver went home and waited for a life threatening infection in either her or her baby. Her life was in danger. She went home and waited for her life to be put at "immediate danger." Finally, 8 days later, she went into labor and watched her baby die.
I feel strongly, that a family who is in this situation should not have their decisions made by politicians. It should be the family's decision.
I may not always agree with all the decisions that Iowans make for their family, but I respect that they have the right to make them. I respect that every family is different. I respect that every pregnancy is unique. I oppose this bill not only because it does not allow for an exception for rape and incest, or real exception for the health and life of a woman, but I oppose this bill because it is extreme.
HF 657 takes away a couple's decision making powers regarding the first days and months of parenting and put it in the hands of the government. We can all feel for this couple, struggling to make the decision that is best for their circumstances. And because each situation is different, we must protect a family's ability to make decisions in consultation with those they trust.
Families are allowed to make many health care and life and death decisions for children. Does this bill indicate that government will move toward making these decisions for parents?
Danielle and Robb Deaver deserved to make the decision for the child they had hoped for and loved even if it were not the decision you or I may have made.

A friend of mine once faced a choice similar to Danielle Deaver's. At a routine 20-week ultrasound, she learned that the baby she was carrying had no chance of life outside the womb because of major anomalies, including missing vital organs. Because of her religious beliefs, she decided to continue the pregnancy for as long as possible. During the subsequent month before the fetus died, my friend developed health problems related to excessive amniotic fluid. Her blood pressure skyrocketed, and her doctor warned she was at risk for a stroke. She eventually delivered a stillborn baby, after which her health issues subsided. She told me after the experience that she didn't regret her choice, but she would never want the government to make that choice for others.

Under House File 657, it would probably take a stroke before a woman in my friend's condition would be deemed to have a "medical emergency" justifying an abortion. Representative Mary Mascher was among the House Democrats who pointed out that the bill would endanger women with health complications that did not immediately threaten their lives. Representative Sharon Steckman developed this argument well in her speech yesterday, which is worth reading in full:

Mr. Speaker, ladies and gentlemen of the House
After reading this bill I have some major concerns about the health and safety of a woman who might be affected by this law. In fact, I think it's clear that this bill will actually put our sisters and daughters at very grave risk.
A woman facing the decision to terminate a pregnancy after 20 weeks is most likely to also be facing a serious health complication.........this legislation only causes more concerns for her health and safety.
The bill states that it will be illegal to terminate a pregnancy unless, in the physician's medical judgment, the pregnant woman has a condition which is deemed a medical emergency. That sounds good - until we look closer.
My first concern is on page 4, lines 23-26 we find the definition of "medical emergency", I quote, "a condition which, in reasonable medical judgment, so complicates the medical condition of a pregnant woman as to necessitate the immediate abortion of the human pregnancy to avert the woman's death".........further down, lines 27 and 28 it states, "a serious risk of substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function."
In other words, a woman could have a condition which will ultimately kill her, but if it isn't killing her RIGHT NOW, she has to wait until she's on death's door.
How does that protect the health and safety of a woman? It doesn't.
The definition of medical emergency talks about termination only being allowed if it is "immediately necessary." How would we measure this immediate danger of death....... Days, months, hours?
For example, if a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer, and needs chemotherapy or radiation treatment to begin as soon as possible...would she be able to terminate that pregnancy in order to start treatment immediately under this bill?
Or would she have to be in Hospice before it would be considered "immediate danger"? I can't imagine a woman having to make a heart breaking decision such as this.....and also have to sort out what this bill means.
Let's assume that we know a woman who for sure would fit under the exception in this bill - say that she has some other "immediate danger", and is much closer to death. This woman is losing blood from a uterine rupture and will die soon if she does not get help.
Here is my second concern....
I know Rep. Hagenow is from the Des Moines area....
His constituents in immediate danger would have a short trip to Iowa Methodist Medical Center, right in DesMoines.
How fortunate, your constituents health and safety could be immediately taken care of ........mine would not be so lucky....I represent Mason City....Des Moines is the closest hospital in this situation.....2 hours.................yet the distance is not the only problem.....
And here is another problem I have with this bill. The other problem is called EMTALA...a federal law that says you cannot transport anyone in an emergency unless they have first been stabilized.
So first in Mason City we must stabilize the patient, but to do that we must terminate the pregnancy, but we can't do that unless we have the poor woman at a certain hospital which is two hours away, but we can't get her to the hospital unless she is stabilized.........This is a major problem with this bill.
A federal law requires stabilization, while a state law prohibits taking action to stabilize her. How will this turn out? Probably fatally for some woman in an emergency situation.
On page 1 , lines 24 and 25 it states, "The state has a legitimate interest from the outset of pregnancy in protecting the health of the woman."
How are we accomplishing that goal in this bill?
While we may disagree, Rep. Hagenow, about the reasons a woman may choose to end a pregnancy, I would hope we could agree that protecting a woman's health and safety at all times is paramount. This bill hopelessly fails to meet that standard.
On a day when we are so focused on maps, this bill is creating a death map for women across Iowa.
I strongly encourage my colleagues to vote no. This is not about politics anymore - this is about the health and safety of our sisters and daughters. Thank you.

A family I know faced a choice like what Steckman describes. The mother received a cancer diagnosis after the 20-week mark in her second pregnancy. She rejected medical advice to have an abortion, opting to wait a couple of months until labor could be safely induced before starting cancer treatment. The baby was born at seven months gestation and thrived. A few years down the road, his father was a widower raising two young children. There's no guarantee the mother would have survived if she had begun cancer treatment sooner, of course. But the Iowa House majority would force every woman to take that risk.

Many Democrats mentioned losses in their own family as they argued against House File 657:

Rep. Janet Petersen, D-Des Moines, a mother of three who once had a stillborn child, choked up in tears as she spoke on the House floor about her personal experience of a pregnancy that did not go as planned.
"This bill forces a mom to carry a baby to term even when the baby will not survive," Petersen said. "Moms who have to say goodbye to a baby know the heartache of phantom kicking, dealing with their milk coming in and enduring a painful labor without a live baby to hold when it's over. Supporting this bill adds another cruel punishment to what is already an overwhelming and ongoing experience of heartache."

Representative Ruth Ann Gaines urged legislators to vote no even though she adopted a child with developmental disabilities, whose birth mother considered abortion. She too saw House File 657 as threatening women's lives. Sharing her own family's perspective, Representative Helen Miller

told of how one of her daughters who was pregnant with triplets was advised by doctors to abort one of the children because of a medical situation. She didn't and all three children died.
"Here's what my daughter lives with everyday," Miller said. "She wonders if she had done something and followed her doctor's advice and reduced pregnancy to two, could she have saved two of those children."

Later in the debate, Wessel-Kroeschell warned that the bill would deter obstetricians from wanting to practice in Iowa, because as Representative Mary Wolfe noted, an obstetrician could be charged with a class C felony for inducing an abortion with the intent of saving a woman's life.

Meanwhile, Representative Kirsten Running-Marquardt noted that it's ironic Republicans want to reduce sex education funding if their goal is to have fewer abortions induced. State Representative Anesa Kajtazovic

questioned why the body is debating an issue that has affected so few families compared to other maternity issues. Kajtazovic said just six abortions were performed in the state last year after 20 weeks of pregnancy, compared 700 Iowa families that have experienced a miscarriage or stillbirth in the past year.
"What's sad is that we have members in this body politicizing what is such a personal and difficult decision that a woman is faced with sometimes in her pregnancy," Kajtazovic said.

Several men in the House Democratic caucus spoke against House File 657, including Representative Tyler Olson and Representative Chris Hall. Mark Smith, who has extensive experience as a social worker, expressed concern that suicide is not considered a medical emergency under the bill. He added,

"The key here is who makes the decision. Is it the woman who faces threats to her life or severe fetal anomalies or is it those in the room today who may be guessing at the unique circumstances that Iowa women face?" Smith asked. "As I reviewed my faith and my belief system, the decision on who should make this difficult and painful decision should be the woman. ... I don't believe that these are decisions that should be made by gray-haired legislators like myself."

None of those arguments changed a single vote yesterday, and House File 657 now goes to the Senate. Bills coming out of the Government Oversight Committee are not subject to today's second "funnel" deadline, so it will be considered at some point.

If House File 657 comes to a floor vote in the Senate, it will pass. None of the 24 Senate Republicans are pro-choice, while several of the 26 Democrats are anti-choice. Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal is probably not going to keep it off the floor if it clears a Senate committee. He's in an awkward position, because although he is pro-choice, Carhart's abortion clinic would be located in his district, where many residents do not support legal abortion at any stage of pregnancy. Gronstal is already the Republicans' top target in the 2012 Iowa Senate elections.

The best chance for keeping this bill off Governor Terry Branstad's desk is to stop it from coming out of the Senate Human Resources Committee, where it will probably be referred. Eight Democrats and five Republicans serve on that committee, meaning that two Democrats would have to vote for the bill to send it out. Senate Human Resources Committee Chair Amanda Ragan is strongly pro-choice.

Share any relevant thoughts in this thread.

UPDATE: Craig Robinson goes after the GOP dissenters at The Iowa Republican blog:

For months, Pearson, Massie, and Shaw have taken every opportunity to speak out about their opposition to the late term abortion ban. They have sent numerous press releases, repeatedly defended their position on the radio, and done interviews with reporters, yet when it came time to debate the bill, the three didn't utter a word on the floor of the House.
Some pro-life advocates hold these three freshmen legislators in high regard for their principled stand. While I have been a vocal critic of their opposition to the bill, I do find it admirable that they want to outlaw all abortions in the state. That is why I think it is unacceptable and disappointing that the three of them sat in the House Chamber like bumps on a log while ever liberal woman in the chamber took to the microphone to speak out against the bill.
I understand that the three were not going to support the bill, but that doesn't mean that they couldn't advocate for their position or speak on behalf of life in general. Frankly, I find it cowardly that Rep. Pearson felt the need to confront me at a coffee shop about my position on the bill, but can't say a single word when its debated in the house. Meanwhile, Rep. Walt Rodgers and Rep. Dawn Pettengill were the only two Republicans besides Rep. Mary Ann Hanusa, who managed the bill, to provide a pro-life viewpoint.
There are a number of people who think that Pearson, Massie, and Shaw have shown leadership for holding firm on their position. A real leader would have engaged in last night's debate. While it is true that that the debate was about a late term abortion ban, the debate, which the media watched and reported on extensively, was all about the abortion in general. Had they weighed in a productive and respectful way, not only would they have gained the respect of their Republican colleagues, they also would have helped their cause of passing a personhood bill.

Robinson also criticized the socially conservative group The FAMiLY Leader, which didn't cheer passage of House File 657:

In an email entitled "Disappointment at the Capitol," Chuck Hurley and Danny Carroll of The Family Leader revealed that the House had planned to debate an amendment to House File 656, a bill dealing with waivers from abortion notification requirements for pregnant minors, saying that the life of each human begins at conception. But House Republican leaders determined that the amendment would not be germane.
"So after two attempts, the House Republicans have failed to advance a bill to protect life at conception," Hurley and Carroll asked. "Is it not reasonable to ask why? How can such a large majority of Republicans - 60 out of 100 - fail to advance a policy that most, if not all, say they support?"

LATE UPDATE: The bill was not referred to the Senate Human Resources Committee. It went to the Senate Government Oversight Committee and stalled there. Committee Chairman Tom Courtney said in April that it was too late in the legislative session to adequately review the bill this year, and he would prefer to take it up in 2012. Council Bluffs Mayor Tom Hanafan, a Democrat, urged the Senate to act on the bill before adjourning to prevent his city from becoming "home to a clinic that specializes in later term abortions." Senate Majority Leader Gronstal said he would not block the bill from coming to a vote and would let the normal committee process work.

Iowa House Democrats afraid to stand up to Big Ag

desmoinesdem — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 12:58:14 GMT

Although the 60-40 Republican majority leaves Iowa House Democrats few opportunities to block legislation, the Democratic caucus has taken a high-profile stands against some GOP proposals this year. House Democrats spoke passionately against preschool cuts in the first major bill of the 2011 session. Democrats fought the GOP's bill to restrict collective bargaining at public rallies, all night in the House Labor Committee and for days on the House floor. The ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee spoke out against the GOP's income tax cut bill, and Democrats tried to redirect that proposal toward middle income Iowans.

In contrast, House Democrats have made little noise about bills that elevate the needs of agribusiness over the public interest. Earlier this month, nearly a quarter of the Democratic caucus voted to protect factory farms from undercover recordings to expose animal abuses. I saw no public comments from House minority leaders opposing that bill, which may well be unconstitutional.

Last week state representatives approved House File 643, which transfers several water quality responsibilities from the Department of Natural Resources to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. After minimal floor debate, seven Democrats voted with all the Republicans present for a bill that would impair efforts to limit water pollution. I saw no public comments or press releases from House minority leaders criticizing the bill or decrying its passage.

Follow me after the jump for more on House File 643 and its implications.
During last year's campaign, Republican gubernatorial candidate Terry Branstad repeatedly criticized the Iowa DNR for allegedly taking too tough a stand on pollution. House File 643 (originally numbered House Study Bill 148) grew out of Governor Branstad's proposal to move water programs from the DNR to the more business-friendly agriculture department. Branstad's claim that the move would improve efficiencies doesn't stand up to scrutiny.

Bill Ehm, water policy coordinator for the DNR, said the complexities of transferring the programs would take at least a year to complete, and would cost money. He said officials from both the DNR and Agriculture were already working together to coordinate a transition.
Ehm said he knew of no complaints about the DNR's administration that prompted the legislation.
"In fact, we just got a review from the (federal Environmental Protection Agency) and came away with exemplary remarks in their analysis of our program," Ehm said. "The EPA allows us to use 10 percent of their funding for administrative costs, and we only use 5 percent. I think we've made pretty efficient use of our federal support."

According to Iowa Environmental Council Executive Director Marian Riggs Gelb, the U.S. EPA "recently warned that if the bill passes it would severely stress limited state and federal resources."

The clear intent of House File 643 is to give agribusiness more leverage to block enforcement of water quality standards. The lobbyist declarations for the bill show only the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation's representatives in favor. Farm Bureau has fought every attempt to regulate agricultural pollution and filed a lawsuit last year to block the DNR's most significant water quality policy of the past decade.

The original draft of House File 643 moved all water monitoring programs from the DNR to IDALS as well. That raised red flags with Iowans who have experience in this area:

Erv Klaas, professor emeritus of Iowa State University's department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, has participated in the DNR's volunteer water monitoring program for nine years. He thinks both bills are "an extremely bad idea."
"The people I talk to are really worried about (the Agriculture Department) being unable to really continue watershed assessment," Klaas said. "Volunteers monitor 3,000 sites across the state with a minimum amount of expense from the DNR. We're are the watchdogs; we are often the first to discover problems."
Klaas said the bills hand down much of the burden of the added programs to local soil and water conservation districts, which are "operating on a 1994 budget," which will also result in less water monitoring. Klaas is a commissioner for the Story County Soil and Water Conservation District.
Riggs Gelb believes that is part of the intention of the legislation.
"Part of the point is to monitor less," she said, "and then the less data you have, the less information you have to make claims that something is an impaired waterway. If we don't know about it, then everything's fine."

Extensive data collection is crucial. One section of House File 643 states,

Numerical standards shall have a preference over narrative standards when determining whether a water of the state is supporting its designated use or other classification. A narrative standard shall not constitute the basis for determining an impairment unless the department of agriculture and land stewardship identifies specific factors as to why a numeric standard is not sufficient to assure adequate water quality.

First-term Republican State Representative Brian Moore offered an amendment in response to concerns about giving Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey's department control over water monitoring. State representatives approved Moore's amendment during floor discussion before passing the bill. (Click here for the full bill history.) Moore's amendment didn't fix House File 643's central problems, though. Jerry Peckumn, a farmer who chairs the Iowa Rivers Revival board of directors, explained in this recent legislative update:

State Representative Moore filed an amendment to make changes from last week's bill; the amendment leaves the $2.9M water quality monitoring at the DNR for a year. Language in the amendment gives the IA Department of Land Stewardship (IDALS) and Water Resources Council authority to determine where and how DNR spends water quality monitoring (assessment protocol, assessment report and impaired waters list) and how to interpret and use data for assessment and prioritization decisions all will be made by IDALS.
Do you want IDALS to determine if water quality is good enough? There are two major problems with them managing clean water in Iowa. One, there is a inherent conflict of interest in promoting agriculture and making long term decisions on water quality. The other is the lack of transparency within the IDALS and too many unanswered questions. Where do project funds go and who directly benefits from funding conservation projects on private property? The DNR is forced to be open because the citizen commission provides public oversight of the programs.
The amendments to HF 643 - DO NOT fix the problems in the bill. The bill would leave water monitoring funding with the DNR for now...but all decisions would be made by IDALS on where and how to monitor water quality. It could mean an end to Project AWARE.
The current program managed by the DNR is now ranked 9th in the country for efficiency. There is very little chance that this change will be efficient or more cost-efficient, and in fact, will likely cost the taxpayer more for some time to come. It appears there is a great desire by Farm Bureau to gain more control of the clean water planning by moving development of TMDL plans (Total Maximum Daily Load of pollutants) for non-point water pollution (anything entering our streams not through a pipe) to the IDALS. It is unprecedented by any other state to have the DNR prepare one part (point source) of the TMDL and the IDALS prepare another part of the plan-it really makes no sense if you want plans for clean water. The Iowa DNR has registered in favor of this bill now, but you have to remember that the Governor appoints the Director of the DNR and may remove him at any time for any reason. The Governor said on WOI Radio (link below) that he is in favor of moving the clean water programs to save money but has offered no analysis showing how those savings would be made.

Here's the link to Branstad's March 21 comments on Iowa Public Radio. Project AWARE is A Watershed Awareness River Expedition. Hundreds of Iowans have volunteered for that DNR program to help clean up garbage in Iowa rivers.

Advocates for environmental protection in Iowa have been sounding the alarm about this proposal for weeks. The Cedar Rapids Gazette's editorial board commented on March 11:

The legislation smacks of retribution against an agency that has taken its lumps, fairly and unfairly, over the years. This is not part of some major new initiative to improve water quality or manage watersheds with hopes of controlling flooding. The bill doesn't come with beefed up spending or fresh ideas.
This is about taking money and authority from an agency the House majority dislikes and giving it to one it likes better. That's not a good enough reason to tinker with critical programs. We've seen no evidence presented that the bill will make water any cleaner or flooding any less likely. And it's worth noting that many of the DNR rules and regulations now faulted by lawmakers were first approved by lawmakers.
We question whether the ag department, charged with supporting and promoting Iowa agriculture, should be in charge of policing water quality. Efforts to improve waterways and better manage watersheds aren't always popular with agricultural interests, as the DNR has discovered. We think the ag department's current role is inconsistent with the role of a water regulator.

Democratic leaders in the Iowa House didn't take up those arguments. Whereas the collective bargaining bill inspired passionate Democratic speeches to the House floor, House File 643 generated relatively little discussion. The Iowa House Journal from March 23 (pdf) covers the legislative action. Democrat Vicki Lensing offered an amendment to require quarterly reports on the transfer of powers from the DNR to IDALS; that was ruled out of order. Lensing then offered an amendment to ensure continuity in data collection, which was adopted. Democrat Beth Wessel-Kroeschell withdrew an amendment on employee retention at IDALS. Moore's amendment passed, and then the House proceeded to a final vote on the bill. The roll call shows 64 votes in favor, including all Republicans present and Democrats Deborah Berry (district 22), Helen Miller (district 49), Dan Muhlbauer (district 51), Brian Quirk (district 15), Roger Thomas (district 24), Andrew Wenthe (district 18), and John Wittneben (district 7). Several of those House Democrats also voted for a bill prohibiting secret recordings and other "interference" on Iowa farms. Rural Democrat Kurt Swaim (district 94) was absent for the vote on House File 643.

Many of those Democrats also belong to the caucus Iowa House Democrats formed late last year to focus on rural economic issues, "rural job creation, meeting Iowa's rural infrastructure needs, and guaranteeing adequate resources for rural schools." Berry and Lykam are exceptions, representing districts in Waterloo and Davenport, respectively. I don't know why they would want to give the agriculture department control over water quality programs.

Bad bills for the environment sometimes made headway in the Iowa legislature even when Democrats controlled both chambers, so it's no surprise that the Democratic minority didn't go to the mat to fight House File 643. Nevertheless, it's discouraging to see House Democrats unwilling to make the case against a clear assault on Iowa water quality. I'll remember that next time a phone banker calls me seeking a donation to the House Truman Fund.

P.S. The Iowa Senate version of legislation to transfer water programs to IDALS passed the Agriculture Committee and was referred to Senate Appropriations. After House File 643 cleared the Iowa House, it was referred to the Senate Natural Resources and Environment Committee, which hasn't yet considered it. Even if the Democratic-controlled Iowa Senate blocks this bill, Governor Branstad may exercise his power to put certain programs under the jurisdiction of IDALS.

UPDATE: From the Ames Tribune on March 26:

"Even as amended, this bill has the DNR doing the actual monitoring," Riggs Gelb said, "but the Department of Agriculture still gets to decide where, what and how much to monitor, how to evaluate water quality impairments. They would be in charge of the water quality assessment reports and the list of impaired waters required by the EPA. This is still a bad piece of legislation." [...]
Rep. Dave Deyoe (R-Nevada) voted in favor of the legislation.
"We felt the funding of these programs belonged under the Department of Agriculture," Deyoe said, "because they are doing the work for these programs already. We felt that made more sense, and would focus more of the money on those projects, instead of in other areas and in salaries."

This March 27 article in the Waterloo/Cedar Falls Courier includes the Farm Bureau spin:

Rick Robinson, environmental policy advisory for the Iowa Farm Bureau, thinks the bill would result in better use of federal and state money directed to improving water quality. He said many programs geared toward farmers already are administered by IDALS. He said the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has put a great deal of emphasis recently on non-point source pollution, or basically all pollution that comes from water moving across land, rather than out of a pipe from a factory or city sewage system.
According to Robinson, in Iowa much of that non-point source attention goes to farms, and IDALS has expertise in providing programs to decrease pollution.
Currently two state-funded water quality programs are administered by IDALS, while the Chapter 319 program that handles about $4.4 million in federal funds for non-point source pollution falls under DNR control.

Tennessee is the only other state that gives its agriculture department responsibility over water quality programs.

Ten dishonest talking points on the marriage amendment in Iowa

desmoinesdem — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 15:46:47 GMT

A constitutional amendment to restrict marriage to couples of the opposite sex advanced on January 24 in both a subcommittee of the Iowa House Judiciary Committee and the full committee. House Joint Resolution 6 states, "Marriage between one man and one woman shall be the only legal union valid or recognized in this state." Iowa Republicans have promised for months to approve a constitutional amendment overturning the Iowa Supreme Court's 2009 decision striking down the state's Defense of Marriage Act. This amendment goes further, barring any kind of legal union apart from marriage and therefore any legal recognition for same-sex relationships.

After an emotionally charged subcommittee hearing with more than 200 observers present, Republicans Dwayne Alons and Chris Hagenow voted to advance the amendment, while Democrat Beth Wessel-Kroeschell voted no. Later in the day, the full House Judiciary Committee approved the bill on a 13 to 8 vote. Democrat Kurt Swaim joined all 12 Republicans in voting yes, while the other Democrats on the committee voted no. Click here for a list of House Judiciary Committee members.

Reading the news coverage of yesterday's debate, I was struck by how many misleading talking points were used to justify denying rights and privileges to thousands of Iowans.
1. From State Representative Dwayne Alons, the lead sponsor of House Joint Resolution 6: "This is the direction of the people, by the people, for the people and we should not lose sight of that."

The Iowa Constitution has never been amended to restrict people's rights. Making minority rights contingent to a majority vote goes against what this country stands for.

2. Alons also suggested that the public needs to vote on an amendment because the Iowa Code still contains language struck down by the Supreme Court in Varnum v Brien:

Despite the court's decision, [Alons] said, the definition of marriage - between one man and one woman - remains a part of the Iowa Code, Alons said. The Legislature had a chance to remove that last year when Democrats controlled the House and Senate as well as the governor's office.
"Your side failed. You didn't want to touch it," Alons said.

Ever since the Varnum v Brien decision came down, some Iowa conservatives have been making a big deal about how the Defense of Marriage Act remains part of the Iowa Code. Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Cady addressed a version of this argument in his condition of the judiciary speech on January 13. Judicial review has been part of our country's legal system for more than 200 years. When courts strike down a law, legislators are not required to take further action to remove or correct the language at issue.

3. Iowa House Judiciary Committee Chairman Rich Anderson, explaining why he will schedule a public hearing before the full House votes on the constitutional amendment:

"This is one of those really important issues that divide our country," he said. "I know that our tone and demeanor will be exemplary in helping the people of Iowa and America see how Iowans and Americans can disagree in a context of respect and honor."

I love when Republicans congratulate themselves for the very gracious way they seek to revoke other people's rights. Anderson's remarks reminded me of how onetime gubernatorial candidate Christian Fong used to urge Republicans to talk about the marriage issue in a "respectful and honoring way." If you really respect and honor diversity of views and experiences, you should understand that the state shouldn't be picking and choosing which Iowans get to marry their partners.

4. Tom Chapman of Iowa Catholic Conference, the first member of the public to speak at yesterday's subcommittee hearing:

"We think that that it takes a man and a woman to have a marriage. Marriage is definitely about the emotional desires and needs of adults, it's about the love people have for one another but we also believe on a very important element it's about the possibility of bringing children into the world."

Come on. Thousands of heterosexual couples who get married have no chance or intention to bring children into the world. The Iowa Catholic Conference would never suggest that childless married heterosexuals don't deserve the legal rights and benefits that go along with marriage.

Chapman explained that the Iowa Catholic Conference's support for the constitutional amendment "is based on our answer to the question: what is marriage?" But the tenets of Chapman's church shouldn't give anyone veto power over civil marriage rights in Iowa. We all have ethical or religious beliefs informing our views on marriage. I may not approve of someone marrying for money, others may not approve of my marrying someone from a different religion, but we don't get to deny heterosexual couples a marriage license because we disapprove of their relationships.

In any event, hundreds of Iowa clergy support marriage equality and have officiated at gay and lesbian weddings since April 2009. Matt Mardis-LeCroy, minister at Plymouth Congregational Church in Des Moines, told legislators yesterday, "Rabbis, imams, pastors, and priests have debated the meaning of marriage for thousands of years. With all due respect, this one is above your pay grade."

The Varnum v Brien ruling made clear that churches would not be required to recognize same-sex marriages, nor would clergy be required to officiate at the ceremonies. Just as Iowa statutes relating to divorce have not forced the Catholic Church to change its doctrine on divorce, granting civil marriage rights to all doesn't restrict anyone's religious views on marriage.

5. Former legislator Danny Carroll of the FAMiLY LEADER, the umbrella organization including the Iowa Family Policy Center: "we reject evangelical Christians being the brunt of name calling, being called bigots because they simply want the chance to vote on what the definition of marriage is and has been for the last 2,000 years."

It's clever for a self-appointed "marriage defender" to put in that qualifier about 2,000 years. That way, Carroll avoids talking about the marriage rules outlined in the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament): men taking several wives, men being expected to sire a child by a dead brother's widow, men and women instructed to marry only within their own tribal clan.

The fact remains that Carroll and his allies want to impose their religious views on the whole state of Iowa. And this isn't just about the definition of marriage, because House Joint Resolution 6 would also forbid civil unions, domestic partnerships or any legal recognition for same-sex couples.

6. The fuller context of Carroll's statement to the subcommittee hearing deserves to be cited:

"The people that we represent at the Family Leader and the many hundreds and thousands of Iowans who want a chance to vote on this do so with no malice in [their] hearts. In fact, many of those people would be quick to offer an apology to the homosexual community for the way they have been treated over the decades. For the ridicule and at least verbal if not physical abuse that they have been subject to. We reject that, Mr. Chair. Let me repeat: we reject that just as much as we reject evangelical Christians being the brunt of name calling, being called bigots because they simply want the chance to vote on what the definition of marriage is and has been for the last 2,000 years."

Carroll gets bonus points for acknowledging that gays and lesbians are a historically disfavored group, but I'm sure the "homosexual community" would happily forgo any apology if FAMiLY LEADER supporters would just stop trying to take people's rights away.

On a related note, I can't help including this passage from an e-mail Iowa Family Policy Center President Chuck Hurley sent to supporters yesterday. Technically, it wasn't a talking point for public consumption, but it reflects sentiments like those Carroll shared at the hearing:

Several of us plan to bring a token of Christian love (like a small bag of cookies or other treats) to share with homosexual activists who we'll be encountering Monday. It's time we dispel lies about Christians, by tangibly showing love to people who struggle with homosexuality.

How generous of them. Here, have a cookie on your way to the back of the bus!

By the way, Mr. Hurley, it's people like you who "struggle with homosexuality." You've made it part of your life's work to write your views on homosexuality into the state constitution. People who want to keep discrimination out of the constitution aren't struggling with their orientation, whether it be heterosexual or LGBT.

7. Carroll makes this list one more time by telling lawmakers yesterday: "We are not necessarily asking you to take a position one way or the other on the issue. We are simply asking you to give the people the right to vote."

The wording of House Joint Resolution is clear:

"Marriage between one man and one woman shall be the only legal union valid or recognized in this state."

Voting to advance that bill is not a neutral statement about popular sovereignty. It's a deliberate step to deny marriage rights or any form of legal recognition to thousands of Iowans.

8. Democratic State Representative Swaim, explaining his vote for the amendment:

"In my opinion we can trust the citizens of Iowa to study and understand the issues," Swaim said in voting with Republicans. "Iowans are fair, honest and smart. They are up to it. And the bottom line is simply this: The Iowa people are ultimately arbitrators of their own constitution."

I get that Swaim is in a tough spot politically. He won re-election in House district 94 by only 74 votes (less than 1 percent). In his district's three counties, the vote against retaining the Iowa Supreme Court justices was over 60 percent in Wayne and Appanoose, and over 70 percent in Davis.

But whether or not Iowans are fair or smart, we don't put minority rights up to a majority vote in this country. That's why we have a constitution with an equal protection clause.

9. Look at how Representative Hagenow answered a question from Representative Wessel-Kroeschell during the subcommittee hearing:

Rep. Beth Wessel-Kroeschell: Representative Alons and Hagenow, why do you want to deny loving, committed couples like Larry and David the right to visit one another in a nursing home or hospital?
Hagenow: "I certainly don't now of any law in the state of Iowa that precludes someone from visiting in the hospital."

You have to be willfully ignorant not to know that depriving couples of legal recognition wouldn't jeopardize their future ability to visit each other in a hospital or nursing home. Many couples across the country have experienced this pain. Research on hospital procedures has shown this to be a widespread problem.

Later in the hearing, Hagenow offered this amazing statement:

Rep. Chris Hagenow, R-Windsor Heights, conceded the possibility of legal snarls, and said that could be part of a statewide debate.
"I don't think that should stand in the way of having the people of Iowa decide this," said Hagenow.

Liz George had testified to the committee about legal problems she encountered following the death of her partner in 2007. They had been a couple for 21 years, but her partner's family challenged the will. I cannot imagine facing a legal nightmare while coping with a devastating bereavement. Hagenow's an attorney, but he doesn't seem to grasp the concept of Iowans being equal under the law. In his view, legal problems for a few people like Liz George shouldn't stop a popular vote from deciding her fate.

10. By approving a constitutional amendment on marriage, legislators will reduce the political pressure on the judiciary.

Although I didn't hear anyone make this argument yesterday, it pops up from time to time. Governor Terry Branstad and Iowa Senate Minority Leader Paul McKinley, among others, have suggested that allowing Iowans to vote on the definition of marriage will restore the public's trust in the judicial system.

According to this line of analysis, the campaign against retaining three Supreme Court justices grew out of frustration that statehouse Democrats were blocking a vote on a marriage amendment. There's no basis for that revisionist history. Within days of the Varnum v Brien decision, some conservative groups vowed to target the Supreme Court justices who would be on the ballot in 2010.

Share any relevant thoughts in this thread.

Who's who in the Iowa House for 2011 (revised)

desmoinesdem — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 14:51:10 GMT

When the 84th General Assembly convenes on January 10, the Iowa House will have 60 Republicans and 40 Democrats. House Republicans selected leaders and committee chairs last month, and Democrats finished choosing leaders and ranking committee members in the past two weeks.

All Iowa House leaders, committee chairs and ranking members can be found after the jump. I've included a link to a short biography for each state representative, as well as the year the person was first elected to the Iowa House and the district he or she represents.
Republicans (60 state representatives)

Leadership team

Speaker Kraig Paulsen (bio), first elected in 2002 from district 35, covering suburban and rural areas in Linn County

Majority Leader Linda Upmeyer (bio), first elected in 2002 from district 12, covering Franklin County and part of Cerro Gordo and Hancock

Speaker Pro Tem Jeff Kaufmann (bio), first elected in 2004 from district 79, covering Cedar County and parts of Johnson and Muscatine

Majority Whip Erik Helland (bio), first elected in 2008 in House district 69, covering suburban and rural areas in Polk County

Assistant majority leaders: Matt Windschitl (bio), first elected in 2006 from district 56, covering Harrison County, most of Monona and part of Pottawattamie

Renee Schulte (bio), first elected in 2008 from district 37, covering part of Cedar Rapids in Linn County

Dave Deyoe (bio), first elected in 2006 from district 10, covering most of Story County outside Ames and part of Hamilton

Steve Lukan (bio), first elected in 2002 from district 32, covering parts of Dubuque and Delaware counties

House committee chairs

Appropriations Committee: Scott Raecker (bio) first elected in 1998 from district 63, covering most of Urbandale in Polk County

Administration and Regulation Appropriations Subcommittee: Ralph Watts (bio), first elected in 2002 from district 47, covering most of Dallas County and a small part of Boone

Agriculture and Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee: Jack Drake (bio), first elected in 1992 from district 57, covering Shelby County and parts of Cass and Pottawattamie

Economic Development Appropriations Subcommittee: Jason Schultz (bio), first elected in 2008 from district 55, covering Ida County and parts of Woodbury, Crawford and Monona

Education Appropriations Subcommittee: Cecil Dolecheck (bio), first elected in 1996 from district 96, covering Montgomery, Adams, Taylor and Ringgold counties and part of Union

Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee: Dave Heaton (bio), first elected in 1994 from district 91, covering Henry County and part of Lee

Justice Systems Appropriations Subcommittee: Gary Worthan (bio), first elected in 2006 in district 52, covering Buena Vista County and part of Sac

Transportation, Infrastructure and Capitals Appropriations Subcommittee: Dan Huseman (bio), first elected in 1994 in House district 53, covering Cherokee county and parts of Plymouth and Woodbury

Agriculture Committee: Annette Sweeney (bio), first elected in 2008 from district 44, covering Hardin County and most of Marshall outside Marshalltown

Commerce Committee: Chuck Soderberg (bio), first elected in 2004 from district 3, covering parts of Plymouth and Sioux Counties

Economic Growth/Rebuild Iowa Committee: Pat Grassley (bio), first elected in 2006 from district 17, covering Butler County and part of Bremer

Labor Committee: Lance Horbach (bio), first elected in 1998 from district 40, covering Grundy County and most of Tama

State Government Committee: Peter Cownie (bio), first elected in 2008 from district 60, covering part of West Des Moines

Transportation Committee: David Tjepkes (bio), first elected in 2002 from district 50, covering Calhoun and Greene Counties and part of Webster

Ways and Means Committee: Tom Sands (bio), first elected in 2002 from district 87, covering Louisa County and part of Des Moines County

Government Oversight Committee: Chris Hagenow (bio), first elected in 2008 from district 59, covering some of the western Des Moines suburbs in Polk County

Judiciary Committee: Rich Anderson (bio), first elected in 2004 from district 97, covering Page and Fremont Counties and much of Mills

Education Committee: Greg Forristall (bio), first elected in 2006 from district 98, covering parts of Pottawattamie and Mills Counties

Administration and Rules: Renee Schulte (bio), first elected in 2008 from district 37, covering part of Cedar Rapids in Linn County

Environmental Protection: Steve Olson (bio), first elected in 2002 from district 83, including parts of Scott and Clinton counties

Ethics: Kevin Koester (bio), first elected in 2008 from district 70, covering Ankeny in Polk County

Human Resources: Linda Miller (bio), first elected in 2006 from district 82, covering part of Bettendorf in Scott County

Local Government: Nick Wagner (bio), first elected in 2008 from district 36, covering Marion and some rural areas of Linn County

Natural Resources: Henry Rayhons (bio), first elected in 1996 from district 11, covering Winnebago and Worth Counties and part of Hancock

Public Safety: Clel Baudler (bio), first elected in 1998 from district 58, covering Guthrie, Audubon and Adair Counties and part of Cass

Veterans Affairs: Royd Chambers (bio), first elected in 2002 from district 5, covering Osceola and O'Brien Counties and parts of Clay and Sioux

Administrative Rules Review: Dawn Pettengill, (bio), first elected in 2004 as a Democrat before switching parties in 2007; represents district 39, covering Benton County and part of Iowa

Note on experience: seven committee chairs were elected to the House for the first time in 2008; four were elected for the first time in 2006. Some of those legislators had plenty of relevant work experience prior to running for office, but others are only in their 20s or early 30s.

Of the 60 incoming House Republicans, 34 are either on Paulsen's leadership team or will chair a committee or appropriations subcommittee. Another 22 were just elected for the very first time. These four relatively experienced state representatives were left behind:

Dwayne Alons (bio), first elected in 1998 from district 4, covering Lyon County and most of Sioux. Bleeding Heartland readers may recall Alons' remarkably ill-informed views on climate change.

Rich Arnold (bio), first elected in 1994 from district 72, covering Monroe and Lucas Counties and parts of Mahaska and Marion

Betty De Boef (bio), first elected in 2000 from district 76, covering Keokuk County and parts of Iowa, Poweshiek and Tama

Jim Van Engelenhoven (bio), first elected in 1998 from district 71, covering most of Marion Couty and a little bit of Jasper

Democrats (40 state representatives)

Leadership team

Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (bio), first elected in 2002 from district 67, covering the southeast side of Des Moines. He served as House majority leader for the last four years alongside House Speaker Pat Murphy.

Assistant Minority Leaders:

Ako Abdul-Samad (bio), first elected in 2006 from district 66, covering much of central Des Moines in Polk County

Mark Smith (bio), first elected in 2000 from district 43, covering northeastern Marshall County, including Marshalltown

Sharon Steckman (bio), first elected in 2008 from district 13, covering part of Cerro Gordo County, including Mason City

Mary Mascher (bio), first elected in 1994 from district 77, covering part of Iowa City in Johnson County

On December 19, House Democrats voted to create a Rural Caucus "that will focus on giving Iowa's rural economy a boost by focusing on rural job creation, meeting Iowa's rural infrastructure needs, and guaranteeing adequate resources for rural schools."

Rural Caucus Chair: Andrew Wenthe (bio), first elected in 2006 from district 18, covering parts of Fayette, Bremer and Black Hawk Counties

Rural Caucus Vice-Chair: Dan Muhlbauer (bio), first elected in 2010 from district 51, covering Carroll County and parts of Sac and Crawford

Ranking committee members

Appropriations: Tyler Olson (bio), first elected in 2006 from district 38, covering part of Cedar Rapids in Linn County

Administration & Regulation Appropriations Subcommittee: Mary Gaskill (bio), first elected in 2002 from district 93, covering part of Wapello County, including Ottumwa

Agriculture & Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee: Chris Hall (bio), first elected in 2010 from district 2, covering the northeast part of Sioux City in Woodbury County

Economic Development Appropriations Subcommittee: Kirsten Running-Marquardt (bio), first elected in 2009 (special election) from district 33, covering part of Cedar Rapids in Linn County

Education Appropriations Subcommittee: Cindy Winckler (bio), first elected in 2002 from district 86, covering part of Davenport in Scott County

Health & Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee: Lisa Heddens (bio), first elected in 2002 from district 46, covering part of Story County, including the north side of Ames, and a small area in Boone County

Justice Systems Appropriations Subcommittee: Todd Taylor (bio), first elected in a 1995 special election from House district 34, covering part of Cedar Rapids in Linn County

Agriculture: Helen Miller (bio), first elected in 2002 from district 49, covering part of Webster County, including Fort Dodge

Commerce: Brian Quirk (bio), first elected in 2000 from district 15, covering Chickasaw and Howard Counties and part of Winneshiek

Economic Growth/Rebuild Iowa: Roger Thomas (bio), first elected in 1996 from district 24, covering Clayton County and parts of Delaware and Fayette

Education: Nate Willems (bio), first elected in 2008 from district 29, covering parts of Linn and Johnson Counties

Environmental Protection: Phyllis Thede (bio), first elected in 2008 from district 81, covering part of Davenport in Scott County

Ethics: Dan Kelley (bio), first elected in 2010 from district 41, covering most of Jasper County, including Newton

Government Oversight: Janet Petersen (bio), first elected in 2000 from district 64, covering part of the west side of Des Moines in Polk County

Human Resources: Beth Wessel-Kroeschell (bio), first elected in 2004 from district 45, covering most of Ames in Story County

Judiciary: Kurt Swaim (bio), first elected in 2002 from district 94, covering Appanoose, Davis and Wayne Counties

Labor: Bruce Hunter (bio), first elected in 2003 (special election) from district 62, covering part of the south side of Des Moines in Polk County

Local Government: John Wittneben (bio), first elected in 2010 from district 7, covering Palo Alto and Emmet Counties and part of Kossuth

Natural Resources: Curt Hanson (bio), first elected in 2009 (special election) from district 90, covering Van Buren County, most of Jefferson and part of Wapello

Public Safety: Bob Kressig (bio), first elected in 2004 from district 19, covering most of Cedar Falls and some rural areas in Black Hawk County

State Government: Vicki Lensing (bio), first elected in 2000 from district 78, covering part of Iowa City in Johnson County

Transportation: Jim Lykam (bio), first elected in 2002 from district 85, covering part of Davenport in Scott County

Veterans Affairs: Jerry Kearns (bio), first elected in 2008 from district 92, covering part of Lee County including Keokuk and Fort Madison

Ways & Means: Dave Jacoby (bio), first elected in 2002 from district 30, covering Coralville and North Liberty in Johnson County