Kingsley man reflects on service as Speaker of OIL
Posted: Monday, October 29, 2007
KINGSLEY, Iowa -- As Speaker of the House for the Older Iowans Legislature for the first time, Blaine Donaldson of Kingsley experienced a mix of emotions, ranging from accomplishment to disappointment.
"It was a tremendous honor and a major responsibility being elected Speaker of the House," Donaldson said. "The Speaker must assign bills to committees, appoint chairpersons, name caucus moderators, establish the daily agenda, determine if an issue is germane and act as chairperson of the Committee of the Whole."
Donaldson explained that committee work is done during the opening day of the session. The 27 bills and two resolutions submitted this year were reviewed by the executive committee and reduced to six bills for each committee.
By carefully selecting the individuals who have basic knowledge of the bills, it is possible to have adequate discussion of the bills and adoption of any necessary amendments. If passed, the bills are ready for debate by the whole committee on the second day.
"It would allow for more discussion if the session would be extended for another day," Donaldson said. "But," he added, "with all representatives being responsible for their own expenses, it would become cost prohibitive.
"Quite a few people who are representatives are not wealthy people and the extra money for a third day would make a big difference. Now, one spends $250 to $400 for the two plus days."
That lack of financial support from the state or state agencies is one frustration for Donaldson.
"It’s not a major thing; a $30,000 annual appropriation would fund the whole session," Donaldson said.
In Arizona, where Donaldson served on the senior legislature when he and his wife, Dorothea, first retired, the legislature underwrote some of the expenses.
Donaldson, representing northwest Iowa along with John and Sandra Graser of Sioux City, Mabel Mantel of Orange City, Ruth Caswell of Rock Rapids and Cynthia Beaumann of Spencer, also experienced several disappointments.
One disappointment dealt with funding for completing the project to make Highway 20 four lanes. The proposed funding would come from three sources--an increase in pickup licensing fees (currently only 18 percent of pickups licensed in Iowa are used by farmers), a slight increase in the gasoline tax and an increase in chauffer and driver's license fees. An estimated $81 million would be raised yearly. Upon completion of the Highway 20 project, the funds could then be used for projects throughout the state.
The Older Iowans Legislature concluded last month's meeting by adopting five bills for the Iowa General Assembly and Gov. Chet Culver to consider.
Bills and resolutions, submitted at least four weeks before September, were submitted by the 60 representatives elected at senior citizen centers from Area Agencies on Aging. Each representative serves on one of the four standing committees: health and human services, state government, ways and means or appropriations. Donaldson, as speaker, was an ex officio member of all four committees.
Five priority bills were adopted. One requires insurance companies to standardize benefits in long-term care packages, making them easier to understand and enforce. Another requires the state legislature to restore funds borrowed from the Senior Living Trust Fund, approximately $368 million from 2003 through 2006. The state has ignored the federal requirement that those funds be used for the elderly and instead used the monies for general fund expenses.
The third bill establishes parity of reimbursement through a formula that requires the same annual percentage increase for home health care as institutional care. Another deals with the expansion of the present pilot elder abuse initiative program.
The final bill provides that vendors of products and services on the Internet be required to collect taxes to be submitted to the State of Iowa. The tax monies--approximately $53 million per year--would be earmarked for senior health care programs.
Donaldson believes the Older Iowans Legislature "works very well in conjunction with the General Assembly to represent issues either of interest to or directly affecting the senior population.
It is very formal with various officers of the Assembly -- the chief clerk, sergeant at arms, the assistant sergeant at arms and nine pages from the Norwalk School District --serving the older Iowans Legislature."
"It was a tremendous honor and a major responsibility being elected Speaker of the House," Donaldson said. "The Speaker must assign bills to committees, appoint chairpersons, name caucus moderators, establish the daily agenda, determine if an issue is germane and act as chairperson of the Committee of the Whole."
Donaldson explained that committee work is done during the opening day of the session. The 27 bills and two resolutions submitted this year were reviewed by the executive committee and reduced to six bills for each committee.
By carefully selecting the individuals who have basic knowledge of the bills, it is possible to have adequate discussion of the bills and adoption of any necessary amendments. If passed, the bills are ready for debate by the whole committee on the second day.
"It would allow for more discussion if the session would be extended for another day," Donaldson said. "But," he added, "with all representatives being responsible for their own expenses, it would become cost prohibitive.
"Quite a few people who are representatives are not wealthy people and the extra money for a third day would make a big difference. Now, one spends $250 to $400 for the two plus days."
That lack of financial support from the state or state agencies is one frustration for Donaldson.
"It’s not a major thing; a $30,000 annual appropriation would fund the whole session," Donaldson said.
In Arizona, where Donaldson served on the senior legislature when he and his wife, Dorothea, first retired, the legislature underwrote some of the expenses.
Donaldson, representing northwest Iowa along with John and Sandra Graser of Sioux City, Mabel Mantel of Orange City, Ruth Caswell of Rock Rapids and Cynthia Beaumann of Spencer, also experienced several disappointments.
One disappointment dealt with funding for completing the project to make Highway 20 four lanes. The proposed funding would come from three sources--an increase in pickup licensing fees (currently only 18 percent of pickups licensed in Iowa are used by farmers), a slight increase in the gasoline tax and an increase in chauffer and driver's license fees. An estimated $81 million would be raised yearly. Upon completion of the Highway 20 project, the funds could then be used for projects throughout the state.
The Older Iowans Legislature concluded last month's meeting by adopting five bills for the Iowa General Assembly and Gov. Chet Culver to consider.
Bills and resolutions, submitted at least four weeks before September, were submitted by the 60 representatives elected at senior citizen centers from Area Agencies on Aging. Each representative serves on one of the four standing committees: health and human services, state government, ways and means or appropriations. Donaldson, as speaker, was an ex officio member of all four committees.
Five priority bills were adopted. One requires insurance companies to standardize benefits in long-term care packages, making them easier to understand and enforce. Another requires the state legislature to restore funds borrowed from the Senior Living Trust Fund, approximately $368 million from 2003 through 2006. The state has ignored the federal requirement that those funds be used for the elderly and instead used the monies for general fund expenses.
The third bill establishes parity of reimbursement through a formula that requires the same annual percentage increase for home health care as institutional care. Another deals with the expansion of the present pilot elder abuse initiative program.
The final bill provides that vendors of products and services on the Internet be required to collect taxes to be submitted to the State of Iowa. The tax monies--approximately $53 million per year--would be earmarked for senior health care programs.
Donaldson believes the Older Iowans Legislature "works very well in conjunction with the General Assembly to represent issues either of interest to or directly affecting the senior population.
It is very formal with various officers of the Assembly -- the chief clerk, sergeant at arms, the assistant sergeant at arms and nine pages from the Norwalk School District --serving the older Iowans Legislature."
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