Funnel deadline looms for Iowa lawmakers
By Dan Gearino, Journal Des Moines Bureau | Posted: Monday, March 03, 2008
DES MOINES -- Northwest Iowa legislators have one week to get their ideas through a House or Senate committee before the so-called funnel deadline, the point when most proposals will bite the dust.
Democrats, who control the House and Senate, can steer their bills through the process, while Republicans can do little more than watch the deadline pass.
"I think people want us to work together on a bipartisan basis and that's not happening," said Senate Minority Leader Ron Wieck, R-Sioux City.
The Friday cutoff is the unofficial halfway point of the session. Bills must pass a committee or be considered dead for the session. The only exceptions are tax and spending bills or measures co-sponsored by party leaders.
Sen. Steve Warnstadt, D-Sioux City, said his main goal for the week is to get a committee recommendation on his bill dealing with long-term care insurance. "We're going to take a look at providing some ways to provide additional protections to consumers to make sure they have confidence in the long-term care insurance product," he said.
Warnstadt should have little trouble meeting his goal. The bill is in the Senate Commerce Committee, which he chairs. He also hopes to get committee recommendation on a bill that would limit retailers' power to diminish the cash value of gift cards.
House Minority Christopher Rants, R-Sioux City, said he expects Democrats to make last-minute attempts to get committee votes on controversial proposals, such as "fair share," a measure that would allow public employee unions to negotiate for the right to charge a service fee for nonunion workers. "Next week will be interesting," Rants said on Friday.
One Republican who expects to beat the deadline is Sen. David Johnson, R-Ocheyedan. He is working with Democrats on a rewrite of incentives for renewable fuel retailers. The bill has many elements, including state support for blender pumps, which are gas pumps that allow the customer to select the level of ethanol. "We're working in a bipartisan manner to move that ahead," Johnson said.
Senate President Jack Kibbie, D-Emmetsburg, mentioned the renewable-fuel bill as one of his priorities for the week. "It's all a day's work here and we're moving forward," Kibbie said.
Dan Gearino can be reached at 515-243-0138 and dan.gearino@lee.net.
Democrats, who control the House and Senate, can steer their bills through the process, while Republicans can do little more than watch the deadline pass.
"I think people want us to work together on a bipartisan basis and that's not happening," said Senate Minority Leader Ron Wieck, R-Sioux City.
The Friday cutoff is the unofficial halfway point of the session. Bills must pass a committee or be considered dead for the session. The only exceptions are tax and spending bills or measures co-sponsored by party leaders.
Sen. Steve Warnstadt, D-Sioux City, said his main goal for the week is to get a committee recommendation on his bill dealing with long-term care insurance. "We're going to take a look at providing some ways to provide additional protections to consumers to make sure they have confidence in the long-term care insurance product," he said.
Warnstadt should have little trouble meeting his goal. The bill is in the Senate Commerce Committee, which he chairs. He also hopes to get committee recommendation on a bill that would limit retailers' power to diminish the cash value of gift cards.
House Minority Christopher Rants, R-Sioux City, said he expects Democrats to make last-minute attempts to get committee votes on controversial proposals, such as "fair share," a measure that would allow public employee unions to negotiate for the right to charge a service fee for nonunion workers. "Next week will be interesting," Rants said on Friday.
One Republican who expects to beat the deadline is Sen. David Johnson, R-Ocheyedan. He is working with Democrats on a rewrite of incentives for renewable fuel retailers. The bill has many elements, including state support for blender pumps, which are gas pumps that allow the customer to select the level of ethanol. "We're working in a bipartisan manner to move that ahead," Johnson said.
Senate President Jack Kibbie, D-Emmetsburg, mentioned the renewable-fuel bill as one of his priorities for the week. "It's all a day's work here and we're moving forward," Kibbie said.
Dan Gearino can be reached at 515-243-0138 and dan.gearino@lee.net.
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