As the 89th Iowa General Assembly gets underway, several major bills will be under the microscope this session.

District 47 Representative Phil Thompson of Boone says last year lawmakers passed several bills relating to workforce, access to childcare and tax cuts, which he expects those to return as topics for consideration again this year. He talks about the projected revenues topping out at $9 billion, which last year’s state budget was $8.1 billion.

“I think we’re going to see another form of some kind of tax cut or at the very least finding a way to get taxpayers their money back, essentially. So our taxpayer relief fund is sitting at about $1 billion and we’re looking at an extra $1 billion of essentially overcharging Iowans. We’re going to look at ways to put money back into Iowans’ pockets.”   

Thompson also wants to ensure that rural Iowans who are currently unemployed find available jobs that need to be filled.

“We want people to make those high paying jobs. And there are a lot of jobs out there that might require a two year education or some type of trade that just a little bit of training can get you into one of those high paying jobs. So I’m focusing more on just getting Iowans into high quality jobs with benefits and making sure the opportunities are there for people to climb the next rung on that ladder.”

Thompson adds another major topic will be about school choice and giving parents the financial ability to choose where their child goes to school. Throughout the 2022 Iowa Legislative session, Raccoon Valley Radio will interview its respective legislators from Greene, Dallas and Guthrie counties from the House and Senate.