Leagueblogging

OK, it's hardly live with presidential candidates, but it's one of the staples of the blog: the monthly league of women voters legislative forum.

Barbara Beaumont is trying to gavel us into submission.

I see Senators Becky Schmitz (the empty Dave Miller chair is filled!) Joe Bolkcom and Bob Dvorsky and Reps. Vicki Lensing, Dave Jacoby and Mary Mascher. Rep. Ro Foege gets here a tad late. So all 7 Dems from Johnson County districts present, with the GOP as usual absent. Other dignitaries in the audience include county attorney Lyness, suprevisor Neuzil, sheriff Pulkrabek, school board members Fields and Crooks and superintendent Plugge, and Dave Leshtz newly of the Dave Loebsack staff.

Iowa City Education Association, school district and CAFE (anti-smokers) are the cosponsors.

Bob Dvorsky goes first. Minimum wage passes, signed Thursday. Bullying bill moving forward. Bob's on juduciary, rules, labor, and chairing appropriations. Looked at Governor's budget. Will be good budget for state and E Iowa. Culver wants 4 or 5 big items, not a laundry list. Senate gets more organized each day.

Bolkcom: Commerce, Approps, Nat Resources, and chairing Ways/Means. Cites min. wage and bullying again. Thanks Jacoby and house commerce for work on predatory lending and car title loans. Ways and Means moving forward on $1 a pack on cigarettes. Ment in the Smoking Room for some ironic chuckles. Culver proposing $1, legislative leadership wants lower. Joe looking at energy policy and what Iowa can do on global warming.

Mascher: We're all smiling and excited; new energy in the capitol, we're not playing defense all the time. Culver has clear message about moving state forward; discussed inaugural events. Praises Chet for binging events to other parts of state than DM. Notes that 257,000 Iowans see wage increase because of minimum wage hike, 58% women. 98,000 kids helped. Discusses cost of living hikes since last minimum wage increase 9 years ago (gas=1.22 a gallon.) On Edu.cation and Educ approriations, human resources and labor. Focused on early childhood ed: accessability, affordability and quality. Allowable growth will be between 4 and 6 %. K12: looking at mandatory attendance till 18, good as long as alternatives for at risk kids. Tobacco tax big priority: has a $2 tax bill in just to make the point. Mentions stem cells.

Jacoby: Appropriations, commerce, state government, human resources. Dave working on midwest rail compact, looking at passenger rail. Also freight: ethanol increases the amount of corn we're hauling around. Looking at smoke free Iowa bill. Car title loans thought committee, to House floor next week; expects "lively discussion" and passage. Some across the rotunda joking with the senators.

Lensing: Enjoying hard work of majority. Environmental protection - looking at expansion of bottle bill, no bill yet. Complexity of ciminal code: may not take on in entirity but looking at impact on prisions. Working on election reform including electroning campaign finance. Oversight: was investigating CITEC in interim. MEdiacom vs. Sinclair: we owed it to constituents to have hearings. But got no real answers. Will talk to federal delegation.

Schmitz: Education, State Govt, Human Resources. Just learning the volume of work... I was school social worker, and was frustrated by dwindling resources. Minimum wage is a start but working families need more help. Bullying bill; long sessions to get through committee. Bullies victims too, they isolate themselves with their behavior. Gets school on page that this is important. Health care: accessibility and cost, hoping for action this session.

Foege: Also an old school social worker. Bullying committee session ran close to midnight; discusses some experiences with Peter (of Paul and Mary) Yarrow and song "Don't Laugh At Me." Also mentions min waye. Ro on admin and rules, approps, education , hum resources, chairing heath human services appropriations Provides services/funding for the most vulnerable, powerless Iowans. Working on comprehensive health care bill. Main pieces: 1) commission to build a plan for covering all Iowans, including mental health. 2) stitch up safety net. Something wrong when 15,000 people in Linn County going to free clinic. 3) $1 pack on smokes to finance. Also looking at statewide smoke free, and funding for prevention/cessation. People need help to quit.