The 2018 Iowa legislative session finished earlier this month, and since then those on boths sides of the aisle have had the opportunity to reflect on the year that was.

For Republican lawmakers, it was a busy session that included high profile bills passing into law, including the fetal heartbeat, sanctuary cities, associated health plans, tax reform, and utility bills. State Senator Jake Chapman (R – District 10) believes each of those bills, and many passed in 2017, have been key moments for the legacy of the Republican Party of Iowa. “There’s no question, we have done more in the last two years than many legislatures before us. And we did some things that folks have been dreaming of for literally decades. And so I thought it was a very historic legislative session, between last year and this year. And so I’m very proud of the last two years, and look forward to next year as well.”

On the other side of the aisle, Democrats felt the controversial bills passed were huge blows to Iowa residents. Dallas County Democratic Party Chairperson Bryce Smith believes the legislature missed a lot of opportunities to do some good, particularly in regards to public school funding, which only saw a 1% increase. He adds, education wasn’t the only area he feels the legislature’s focus was askew. “The other thing that I think this legislative session really dropped the ball on is mental health. And we see, whether it is school shootings or drug overdoses, this really revolves around that. And I think that’s a very important topic that this legislature and our governor really just kind of kicked the can down the road on. And it impacts every Iowan.”

One area the legislature decided not to touch this session was the replacement claims to cities, counties, and schools, commonly referred to as “the backfill.” While that comes as a relief to many, there’s still a fear that the respite could be temporary, as representatives have pegged it as a likely focus for budgeting changes in 2019. To learn more about the recent Iowa legislative session, listen to the recent Perry Fareway Let’s Talk Dallas County programs with Chapman and Smith by clicking the links below.

https://raccoonvalleyradio.com/2018/05/lets-talk-dallas-county-5212018-jake-chapman/
https://raccoonvalleyradio.com/2018/05/lets-talk-dallas-county-5142018-bryce-smith/