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From the Capitol to You:

An important priority of mine this week was chairing the subcommittee that worked on HF 2040, a bill which will open up funding options to allow school districts to be more flexible in their budgeting. The beauty of this bill was that there were three versions: one sponsored by me; one sponsored by Representative Mike May (R); and one sponsored in the Senate. We all worked together to iron out the wrinkles, getting input from administrators, teachers, school boards, and other interested parties across the state. It was a powerful experience and an example of how government should work.

Next week is “Funnel Week”, which means that all non-appropriations bills must be reported out of the various committees by the end of the week. Therefore, committees will meet even more often and for longer periods of time until their work is completed. If you are planning to travel to the Capitol next week, please keep in mind that I may not be able to spend time with you. I ask for your understanding and your patience.

I will be available at the following venues over the next few weeks:
February 6 – Meet and Greet @ Borealis – 10:00 a.m.
February 13 - Meet and Greet - Location & time to be announced
February 20 - Mason City Chamber Legislative Forum - 9:00-13:30 a.m. 25 W. State St.



I visited with Ivy Hayward, Jonna Smith and Haley Minear, a Mason City High School graduate, when they visited the Capitol on Monday, February 1 on behalf of the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing



I met with Wendy Taylor, child care nurse consultant at North Iowa Community Action and Peggy Funk, oral health coordinator at North Iowa Community Action Organization.



Audrey Cumming, a NIACC student, and Kevin Geike came on Wednesday to visit with me.



I always look forward to visiting with Dr. Anita Micich, Superintendant of Mason City Schools, when she comes to the Statehouse.



Correction; the photo of Wendy Hippen and Pam Erickson was incorrectly identified, they work for Family Planning.

Thank you for allowing me to serve you!





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State to Save $60 Million in First Step of Reorganization

To help keep the state budget balanced, while maintaining key priorities in education and job creation, the House approved an early retirement plan that is estimated to save the state $60 million next year.

Under the Early Retirement Incentive program, a state employee who is at least 55 years old and files an application by April 15, 2010, is eligible to participate in the program. The employee must leave state employment by June 24, 2010. The employee cannot return to state employment if they leave under this plan. Read More

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Guaranteed Holiday for Veterans

The House Veterans Affairs Committee believes every veteran should be honored for their service. In an unanimous, bi-partisan vote, the committee approved a bill that will give Iowa veterans Veteran’s Day off.

House File 2197 requires that a veteran, at least one month in advance, can request Veteran’s Day off with their employer. In addition, the veteran must show proof of service. Read More

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House Passes WARN Notice to Employees

In an effort to give middle class families more stability, the Iowa House approved a bill that will give workers more notice before layoffs occur.

Similar to federal law, House File 681 requires employers of 25 or more full-time people to notify employees, or their representatives, and the department of workforce development of business closings that result in a layoff of 25 or more full-time employees in a 30-day period. Read More

Winter Officially a Disaster for 28 Counties

Protecting Iowans from Dishonest Auto Repair Shops

Care of Animals Legislation Passes Committee

Iowa Rails Receive Two Federal Grants

Protecting Iowa’s Children

Homelessness Study Released