Now that the legislative session is back underway, District 24 Senator Jerry Behn talks about the potential topics in each one of the committees that he serves on which include education, natural resources, ways and means and ethics.

He states that for education, he doesn’t expect there to be anything deeply important taking place this session except for figuring out the expenses with the education reform programs that were passed two years ago.

The ways and means committee deals with taxes and the ethics committee meets as needed if there are allegations that a senator has violated a rule or policy in the Senate.

He believes there will be some discussion taking place surrounding a nitrate lawsuit from the Des Moines Public Works in his natural resources committee.  In the lawsuit, Des Moines Public Works is suing Calhoun, Sac and Buena Vista counties for their high levels of nitrates in the Raccoon River that feeds into Des Moines.

Behn says he doesn’t agree with the lawsuit because it’s difficult to pinpoint what part of the nitrates are naturally occurring and what part is man made.

“They’re having a very difficult time discerning what that is coming from.  And so that makes a lawsuit, in my mind, just ludicrous.  I don’t see how they can possibly figure out where that’s coming from and what the extent of that is going to be.”

He is hoping a judge will dismiss the lawsuit due not enough evidence for it to go forward.