DISSENT FROM SENATE FILE 376

Mr. Speaker:

Article III Section 10 of the Constitution of the State of provides:

Protest – record of vote – Every member of the general assembly shall have the liberty to dissent from, or protest against any act or resolution which he may think injurious to the public, or an individual, and have the reasons for his dissent entered on the journals; and the yeas and nays of the members of either house, on any question, shall, at the desire of any two members present, be entered on the journals.

I have here a written statement explaining one reason inter alia for our dissent on Senate File 376 to be placed into the journal as provided by Article III Section 10.

Article VII Section 2 of the Constitution of the State of Iowa, states “The state may contract debts to supply casual deficits or failures in revenues, or to meet expenses not otherwise provided for; but the aggregate amount of such debts, direct and contingent, whether contracted by virtue of one or more acts of the general assembly, or at different periods of time, shall never exceed the sum of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars; and the money arising from the creation of such debts, shall be applied to the purpose for which it was obtained, or to repay the debts so contracted, and to no other purpose whatever.”

On 24 April 2009, the Iowa House passed Senate File 376, which issues bond debt of $475 million. This is clearly above the $250,000 threshold set by Article VII of the Constitution. Therefore, it is our belief that the bill is unconstitutional.

For this and other reasons we, the undersigned, object to Senate File 376 being before the body and voted against passage of the bill.

Representative Dwayne Alons Representative Rich Anderson Representative Representative Representative Representative Representative Jack Drake Representative Greg Forristall Representative Representative Representative Representative Erik Helland Representative Representative Representative Jeff Kaufmann Representative Representative Steve Lukan Representative Mike May Representative Linda Miller Representative Steve Olson Representative Representative Representative Representative Representative Rod Roberts Representative Representative Representative Jason Schultz Representative Chuck Soderberg Representative Kent Sorenson Representative Doug Struyk Representative Representative Representative Jodi Tymeson Representative Representative Jim Van Englenhoven Representative Nick Wagner Representative Representative Representative