Recent Articles

A packed Channel Cat Water Taxi makes its way between Moline and Davenport on Memorial Day (5/30). The perfect spring weather brought hundreds out to ride the taxi, while others enjoyed a bike ride along the riverfront recreation trails and boating on the Mississippi River.

After hours of negotiations, lawmakers and the governor this week reached an agreement over a $5 billion budget for the 2006 fiscal year that begins July 1. The final agreement is a compromise between the different spending plans approved earlier this year by the Senate and the House.

In order to work out the differences, lawmakers from both chambers met with the governor this week to find common ground on these issues. The result is a budget that funds Iowansí priorities without increasing taxes. I am disappointed that the cigarette user fee will not be increased as I truly believe that would have gone a long way in discouraging people from smoking. Although, the budget increases spending by $340 million, or 7.5 percent, over the current year, lawmakers will not raise taxes. Instead, an up tick in state revenues will help cover the additional funding.

Education I have always been very committed to keeping the high quality of Iowa schools in tact and I feel the budget that we have passed this year does just that. We owe so much to the men and women who invest their time and talents with our children and I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all of you who work in our wonderful schools!

Much of the money we have allocated will go towards improving student achievement, increasing teacher salaries and holding the line on college tuition costs. The budget includes nearly $2 billion for K-12 schools during the 2005-2006 school year; a $100 million increase over the current year. In addition, lawmakers provided $29.3 million for an initiative to improve class sizes and reading scores; $20 million for early childhood education programs; and $69 million for teacher salaries, an increase of $24 million over the current year.