.bodytext {float: left; } .floatimg-left-hort { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right: 10px; width:300px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-caption-hort { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:300px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatimg-left-vert { float:left; margin-top:10px; margin-right:15px; width:200px;} .floatimg-left-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; font-size: 10px; width:200px;} .floatimg-right-hort { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px;} .floatimg-right-caption-hort { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 300px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimg-right-vert { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px;} .floatimg-right-caption-vert { float:left; margin-right:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; font-size: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 200px; border-top-style: double; border-top-color: black; border-bottom-style: double; border-bottom-color: black;} .floatimgright-sidebar p { line-height: 115%; text-indent: 10px; } .floatimgright-sidebar h4 { font-variant:small-caps; } .pullquote { float:right; margin-top:10px; margin-left:10px; margin-bottom:10px; width: 150px; background: url(http://www.dmbusinessdaily.com/DAILY/editorial/extras/closequote.gif) no-repeat bottom right !important ; line-height: 150%; font-size: 125%; border-top: 1px solid; border-bottom: 1px solid;} .floatvidleft { float:left; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} .floatvidright { float:right; margin-bottom:10px; width:325px; margin-right:10px; clear:left;} The 2008 session of the 82nd Iowa General Assembly begins in one week, on Jan. 14, with Democrats in the majority in both the Senate and the House of Representatives and a Democrat, Chet Culver, in the governor’s office.

As is so often the case, the biggest question will be “how much can we afford?” Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal has said that it might be necessary to pull back on spending this time around after a lot of cash was appropriated in 2007.

Gronstal said he sees many areas in which the two parties can work together. However, he noted, “it’s an election year, and minority parties look for differences to use on the campaign trail.”

And, as always, different groups bring a variety of ideas to the table. Here’s a brief summary of the agendas held by some of the participants and interested observers.

House Republicans

On property taxes: Citing a report by the Legislative Services Agency that says residential and agricultural property tax bills will increase by almost $500 million during the next six years, Republicans in the House of Representatives have announced a three-step plan. They hope to tie all four classes of property together; change taxing authority accountability; and ensure that the state funds the property tax share of allowable growth.

On education, House Republicans want to raise state standards and student achievement to national and international standards; provide funding for every high school senior to take the ACT college entrance exam; and address the rising tuitions at community colleges and state universities.

On health care, the legislators want to ensure portability of health-care coverage when Iowans change policies under the same company; develop a plan allowing Iowans to electronically access their health records; and raise the state’s Medicaid payment rates to the maximum allowed by federal law.

Democratic legislative leaders

Sen. Gronstal said his party’s top priority is health care. “We want to take a serious look at that,” he said. “We want to create a pathway that moves us toward universal access. Everybody might not have coverage, but everybody would have access to coverage.”

Gronstal said the state is well-positioned to lead the nation in improving health care. “We have the highest voluntary compliance in the country,” he said. “We’re in the bottom five or six in terms of cost of care, and in the top 10 in quality of care. We’re a state perfectly equipped to take on this issue.”

Despite the lawmakers’ sizable outlays in 2007, “last year’s budget left the state in better financial condition than the year before, and we pledge to repeat that accomplishment in the 2008 session,” Gronstal said last month.

The leaders of the House and Senate Democrats have said they will continue to repay the Senior Living Trust Fund. “We have repaid $182.8 million of the $300 million owed to the Senior Living Trust Fund,” said Senate President Jack Kibbie of Emmetsburg.

Here are some of the issues listed as priorities by several organizations:

Greater Des Moines Partnership

The development of a simplified property tax system that is equitable to all classes of property and more competitive with neighboring states.

Incentives for businesses to implement wellness and prevention programs for employees.

Increasing funding to the Iowa Brownfield Redevelopment Program and the creation of new brownfields tax incentives to work in conjunction with the federal brownfields program.

Expanding the new jobs training tax credits to Iowa insurance industry employment growth to be applied against insurance company premium taxes.

Public policy initiatives that encourage educational institutions and adult education programs to improve the financial literacy of all Iowans.

Iowa Farm Bureau Federation

(These resolutions were among many passed earlier and will be reconsidered this month.)

A city should not be able to annex farmland designated as an agricultural area unless the owners consent.

We support increasing the state sales tax to reduce property taxes and to provide a more equitable funding source for infrastructure needs.

We are adamant in our support for increased state aid for schools in order to phase out the reliance on property taxes. To achieve this we support an additional state appropriation, using a portion of the state sales tax, or increasing the state sales tax to replace school property taxes on a dollar-for-dollar basis.

Additional revenue for Iowa’s road infrastructure needs, such as those outlined in the Transportation Investment Moves the Economy in the 21st Century (Time-21) report, should be generated from an increase in the state fuel tax.

Iowa Association of Business and Industry

The development of a property tax system that is equitable to all classes of property and is based on actual value and use of the property. The system should provide adequate safeguards to prohibit spikes in rates and assessments, and should not rely on new taxes and fees.

Support of the right-to-work law, which guarantees that no one in the public sector or in private industry is forced to join a union or pay dues or fees to a union in order to get or keep a job.

The use of incentives and educational programs to address Iowa’s workforce needs. ABI supports funding job training programs at levels necessary to maintain the state’s competitive advantage for job skill training.

ABI strongly commends the work of the Iowa Department of Transportation and the General Assembly regarding Iowa’s public roads system and specifically the Time-21 report.

Iowa Business Council

Executive Director Elliott Smith said his organization doesn’t have an annual “to-do” list, but listed several ongoing priorities, including:

Develop a system in which teachers are rewarded for self-improvement and continue funding to make preschool learning available to all 4-year-olds in Iowa.

Encourage lean enterprise within state government and academia, to improve efficiency and remove duplication. Free up funding and human resources to address this issue.