Last week, state lawmakers had to try and push the bills they were working on past standing committees in order for them to survive the first funnel week of the session.

District 10 State Senator Jake Chapman says it can be a heartbreaker of a deadline for those who are unable to get their bills to move forward.  He was a co-sponsor on a few bills that have been deemed “dead” this session, including one in regards to spending.

“One of those was a Senate joint resolution that would have proposed an amendment to the Iowa constitution to put our current 99 percent spending, expenditure limitation into the constitution.  The problem is right now, legislators can use a word called ‘not withstanding’.  So in other words we know what the law is but we’re not going to follow it.  We’re going to not withstand that language and we’re going to spend more than we take in, or whatever it may be.”

Ultimately, the bill did not make it out of committee this year but Chapman says he plans to continue to propose such legislation year after year, until it is passed.

Exceptions to the funnel week deadlines are bills that have to go through the Ways and Means Committee, typically having to do with tax policy, and Appropriations or budgetary items.