~by Senator Jerry Behn (R-Boone)
January 18, 2019
This week was the first week of the 88th General Assembly and the first week of the 2019 legislative session. We heard from Governor Kim Reynolds as she gave the Condition of the State, as well as speeches from Chief Justice Mark Cady on the judiciary and General Timothy Orr on the state of the Iowa National Guard.
We had a busy week with organizational committee meetings to meet members who may be new to our committee and even those new to the Iowa Senate. I’m excited to be back at the Capitol and ready to get back to work on an agenda to make our state the best place to live and work.
Governor Kim Reynolds’ Condition of the State – The first week of the legislative session is one I truly enjoy. Optimism runs high as lawmakers listen attentively to the governor’s Condition of the State address. I enjoyed being able to join my colleagues in listening to Governor Reynolds as she laid out her vision for the legislative session and how to make our great state even better.
Some of those funding priorities Governor Reynolds addressed Tuesday included nearly $111 million in new money to go toward education, which includes K-12 and our regent universities. The governor also wants to allocate resources toward STEM investments and workforce for the Future Ready Iowa program passed last session.
Mental health is also a topic that is concerning to all of us at the Statehouse. The governor said she will ask the legislature for an $11 million mental health investment for the adult system, and allocate $3 million to help train teachers to recognize early signs of mental illness.
The Senate, House, and Governor Reynolds agree in order to continue to attract job creators and more people to Iowa to work and raise a family, it is important to invest in rural Iowa. In her speech, she proposed improving broadband infrastructure over the next two years with a $10 million allocation annually over that period.
Governor Reynolds closed her speech talking about the importance of second chances. She wishes to restore voting rights to felons, as well as train inmates and equip them with a skill in order to help improve their lives.
There were many positive initiatives in Governor Reynolds’ speech and we look forward to working with her and the House on how we can keep Iowa the number one state in the country. It is an exciting time at the Statehouse, and we are eager to get back to work.
First look at the 2019 agenda – In 2017 Senate Republicans began a push to move bold, pro-growth policies through the Iowa Senate by reducing the regulatory burden on employers and cutting taxes to improve career opportunities for Iowans. Some of these policies were controversial and required significant effort to accomplish. However, the results speak for themselves.
Our success has been defined by having the lowest unemployment rate in the country, one of the fastest growing economies in the country, and wages rising at a faster rate than most other states. We have more jobs available than workers to fill them. As Senator Whitver said during his opening remarks, “We went from a state asking, ‘where are the jobs’ to a state asking, ‘where are the workers?’”
As we begin the 2019 Iowa Legislature, we will continue our focus on improving the economy by advancing policies to improve the workforce. We want to implement policies to encourage people to join the workforce, provide opportunities for Iowans to develop the skills needed to compete in today’s economy, and by continuing to reward them by letting them keep more of the hard-earned money they make.
Our agenda will continue to challenge the status quo. It will focus on improving the lives of Iowans by implementing additional bold, pro-growth policies.
As always, I want to hear from you. My Senate number is (515) 281-3371 and my home number is (515) 432-7327 or write me at: State Capitol, Des Moines, IA 50319 or at my home address: 1313 Quill Avenue, Boone, IA 50036 or email me at: jerry.behn@legis.iowa.gov.
