January 30, 2014 Week three of the 2014 session is in the books. The highlight of the week came on Wednesday morning when renowned singer and Iowa native Simon Estes regaled the House with “God Bless America”. Prior to singing he apologized for having a terrible cold and promised to come back when he was in full voice. If that performance was something less than he is capable of, it’s hard to imagine how inspiring and impressive he would be at his best. Activity has started to pick up in the House as we settle into the routine of committee meetings, subcommittee meetings and preparations to begin debating bills on the floor next week. We have passed two resolutions urging the US Congress to take action on items important to Iowa. HR 101 strongly encouraged the Federal government, specifically the EPA, to honor their commitment to the bio-fuel industry and retain the current Renewable Fuels Standard. Renewable fuels have brought hundreds of jobs and local investment opportunities to Iowa while adding value to our locally grown crops. The prosperity brought to farm country by renewable fuels is one of the main reasons Iowa maintains one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country. HR 102 encourages Congress and the Administration to complete negotiations and pass the 2014 five year farm bill. While having a farm bill in place may not be as critical in farm country this year as it may have been in times of low commodity prices and natural disasters, the farm bill also includes items that are important to soil conservation, water quality and nutrition programs. Nutrition programs are currently very important in areas of the country that have not seen the upsurge in employment that we have here in Iowa. There have been some changes in committee assignments that have me back on the Transportation Committee, an assignment that I had for my first several years in the House and I am happy to be back. Today the first Transportation sub-committee I was assigned met before a packed committee room. It was standing room only when five House members held the first hearing of 2014 on Iowa’s Fuel Tax Bill. The bill proposes a staged increase in the fuel tax of three cents per gallon the first year after passage, three cents the second year, and four cents the third. The two most common questions I get in my district forums are; “When will Highway 20 be finished?” and “When are we going to see some improvement in the condition of our roads?” The answer to both questions hinges on increasing revenue to the road use tax fund. Fuel taxes:
are paid by those that use the roads; are constitutionally mandated to the maintenance and construction of roads; are the only mechanism available that requires out of state users to pay their share as they use our roads;
and in my opinion, are the fairest and most equitable way to pay for the system that every Iowan depends on. From the mom running the kids to school to our largest manufacturers shipping in raw materials and moving out the finished products, everyone depends on safe and well maintained roads to accomplish their daily tasks.
The fuel tax has not been changed since 1989 which means we are paying inflated 2014 prices for steel, concrete, and labor with uninflated 1989 dollars. Statistics show that the State Road Use Tax Fund is about $215 million per year short of meeting current maintenance and construction demands and the state is not the only one affected. Counties are steadily falling behind on maintenance and bridge replacement which has resulted in many counties increasing their levies for secondary roads and some are borrowing money for road repairs. These costs are then falling back on the property tax payers rather than where they belong--on the folks that are using the roads. Research indicates that the average Iowan would pay about $60 per year in increased fuel taxes with a ten cent increase. I can tell you from personal experience that the average truck will pay from one to two thousand dollars more in fuel taxes and yet some of the biggest proponents of the increase are trucking companies and the businesses that use their services. They are confident that the increased efficiency, improved timeliness, and a decrease in the damage and maintenance brought about by our poor roads will more than offset the cost incurred by increasing the fuel tax. I have supported a fuel tax increase since I was first elected in 2006. I have always believed that improved funding for our highway system would be a critical piece in the completion of Highway 20. That belief has been born out in the slow progress that we have seen over the last eight years. Currently, the segment from Moville to Correctionville is slated for completion in 2018; however, there is little or no activity scheduled for the Correctionville to Early piece. As always, I welcome your ideas and opinions, send me an email, give me a call, or attend one of the forums that Senator Segabart and I hold on a regular basis.
PLEASE JOIN ME AT THE FORUMS AND COFFEES; I WILL BE HAPPY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS AND DISCUSS ISSUES WITH YOU.
February 8 10:00 Iowa State Bank Meeting Room Sac City
February 22 10:00 am King’s Pointe Regatta Grill
March 22 10:00 am King’s Pointe Regatta Grill
