PROOF _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ STATE OF IOWA Senate Journal MONDAY, JANUARY 12, 2015 Printed daily by the State of Iowa during the sessions of the General Assembly. An official corrected copy is available for reference in the Secretary of the Senate’s Office. (The official bound copy will be available after a reasonable time upon adjournment.) _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 1st Day MONDAY, JANUARY 12, 2015 1 JOURNAL OF THE SENATE __________ FIRST CALENDAR DAY FIRST SESSION DAY Senate Chamber Des Moines, Iowa, Monday, January 12, 2015 Pursuant to chapter two (2), sections two point one (2.1) and two point three (2.3), Code of Iowa, the 2015 Regular Session of the Eighty- sixth General Assembly convened at 10:01 a.m., and the Senate was called to order by President Jochum. Prayer was offered by Sister Marge Clark, formerly of Clarke University and a member of the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She was the guest of Senator Jochum. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Senator Courtney. OPENING REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE President Jochum addressed the Senate with the following remarks: Good morning. Welcome to the 2015 session of the 86th General Assembly of the Iowa Legislature. I especially want to welcome the 7 new members of the Senate: Senators Chaz Allen, Mark Costello, Kevin Kinney, Tim Kraayenbrink, Jason Schultz, Tom Shipley and Senator Tony Bisignano, who is returning to the Senate. Thank you for the commitment to public service that led your family, friends and neighbors to send you to serve them and represent all the people of our great state in the Iowa Senate. My final thank you is for the honor of serving as President of the Senate. I pledge to work with every member of the Senate with an open door policy. As State Senators, we have a responsibility to lead honorably with our words and our actions; as leaders we have a duty to set an example on how to solve problems in spite of our differences. 2 JOURNAL OF THE SENATE 1st Day With the Golden Rule as our guide—to treat others as we want to be treated—we will succeed. As Henry Ford once said, “Coming together is a beginning, staying to together is progress, and working together is success.” Since Iowa voters created divided government, only ideas that have or can gain bipartisan support will become law. The question is: How do we move forward despite our real differences? Let’s begin by aiming higher than the partisan debates that divide us. Let’s begin by listening and talking TO each other rather than OVER each other. Let’s begin by setting our sights on goals that are supported by all Iowans and will make a real difference in Iowa’s future. After all, that is how we reached agreement on the Earned Income Tax Credit, commercial property tax reform, skilled worker programs, and the Iowa Health And Wellness Plan, to mention just a few initiatives from the recent past. Here’s our challenge: We need to craft a balanced budget that is fair to all Iowans. The budget is our plan for the future. The budget is proof of our commitment to the people and policies we claim to believe in. And, the budget must help us build an economy that works for everyone. That means jobs that support families. According to the recent Batelle Report, Iowa’s workers outperform the national average on productivity, but their wages are twenty-three percent below the national average. Subsequently, too many IOWANS are being left behind, and those who are impacted the most are our children. For too long, the well-being of children has been considered a “woman’s issue.” It is not just a “woman’s issue”. It is an American issue. It is an Iowan issue. Today, forty-one percent of Iowa’s children under the age of 6 live in low income households. Children who grow up in poverty are more likely to have persistent health issues, are less successful in school, and have lower incomes throughout their lives. If that’s the likely future for 41% of future Iowans, that spells trouble for our economy and for all Iowans. However, if those same kids have good health care and extra help in school, almost all of the predicted disadvantages go away. Iowans have always risen to the challenges we face. For example, the Healthy and Well Kids of Iowa (HAWK-I) health insurance program was begun and then repeatedly funded by bipartisan legislative majorities. It was implemented by Republican and Democratic Governors: Branstad, Vilsack, and Culver. As a result of those efforts, Iowa children have fewer health problems, incur lower health care costs, and are doing better in school. Those benefits will last throughout their lives. That’s the sort of outcome that brings people together. Here are three ways we can come together to help Iowa’s children. First, continue opening doors to education. Let’s freeze in-state undergraduate tuition for a third year. This will encourage more Iowa students to get their college degree and help reduce college debt. Let’s restore bipartisan consensus to support our local PreK-12 students. The legislators who filled this chamber in years past, Democrats and Republicans, would be appalled to learn that Iowa has fallen to 37th in the nation in per pupil funding. Those former Iowa senators knew long ago that great local schools are the best, most certain path to economic prosperity and to prepare our youth to be responsible citizens, and life-long learners. 1st Day MONDAY, JANUARY 12, 2015 3 While we can’t predict which industries will produce the best jobs of the future, it is obvious that those industries will need innovative, educated workers who can solve problems and adapt to changing conditions. That’s why the Iowa Legislature voted 40 years ago to put students first when writing the state budget. That’s why state law REQUIRES us to set school funding 18 months in advance. In recent years, that law has been ignored and that hurts our kids. That’s why our state now invests $1700 LESS per student than the national average. It is easy to fix this problem. All we have to do is follow the law. Let’s open the school door wider for our youngest children and focus our investment where and when it counts most, from birth to five years old. It is in those first five years when the foundation for learning is laid. The best research suggests that early childhood education provides more than eight and a half dollars for every dollar invested. It helps narrow the achievement gap and results in lifelong benefits, like a boost in earnings later in life. That was the conclusion of Governor Branstad’s 2011 education summit. It is time that early childhood education be available to every four year old. And finally, quality, affordable childcare is still lagging in most of our communities as is the successful First Five initiative that helps detect and help prevent mental health and developmental problems among young children. These are not partisan issues. These are the kids growing up in our communities right now. The young boys and girls who will become Iowa’s future workers, parents, and civic leaders. If we believe in the words of Iowa’s native son, President Hoover, when he said, “children are our most precious resource;” if we believe that there are extraordinary possibilities in ordinary people, then what are we waiting for? Let’s unleash the extraordinary possibilities in our most precious resource--our children. Thank you. REMARKS BY THE MINORITY LEADER Senator Dix addressed the Senate with the following remarks: Madam President, I am proud and honored to stand here today to speak with my fellow legislators and to Iowans. A few weeks ago many of us began making plans for 2015. Speaking with friends, they began sharing their New Year’s resolutions. Some spoke of cutting back on sweets, exercising more, spending more time with family, and saving up for a family trip. There was not a bad idea mentioned, and I thought about how to apply those ideas to myself and my family. I have to admit, it probably would not hurt to exercise more, and I enjoy the time I spend with Gerri and the kids—and I know I should set aside more time to do exactly that. As I thought more about it, my family and friends are much like yours in this chamber. They are working hard to meet their financial obligations, provide a good home for their children, while trying to save for a family trip or rainy day. Shortly after Christmas, having my morning coffee I kept thinking about these New Year’s resolutions. I shared with Gerri my plans to get into better shape, spend time with her and the kids and come to the Capitol and fight for families like mine, yours and our neighbors and friends across the state to create a legacy of opportunity for every Iowan. 4 JOURNAL OF THE SENATE 1st Day Speaking with my fellow Senate Republicans, we resolve again this year to be fiscally responsible with the taxpayers’ money, ensure every child has access to a world class education, honor the commitments we have passed in this chamber, and lift up those with middle incomes. But even as I say that, I realize that some resolutions are simply more important than others. The treadmill may begin collecting dust in February, and the Kit Kat could return to the morning routine in March.