Closing budget gap is priority

DES MOINES (AP) — A plan to reorganize and streamline state government to help close a big budget shortfall again looms in the Legislature this week, but lawmakers also are scheduled to devote time to a hearing on union rights.

The restructuring package will most likely be the centerpiece of this year’s session as lawmakers struggle to trim $341 million from state spending. Gov. Chet Culver has said that he will make $140 million cuts on his own, but an additional $200 million in savings needs the approval from lawmakers.

The Legislature already has made good on some of that, approving a package of early retirement incentives for state workers that supporters say will save $60 million.

The Senate has approved a restructuring plan that would trim about $118 million, and a measure crafted in the House would save a projected $107 million. The two versions will need to be reconciled in a House-Senate conference committee.

However they resolve the differences, though, lawmakers will need to find more savings because the combination of the reorganization package and the retirement incentives doesn’t equal $200 million.

“We obviously don’t think the bill goes far enough,” said House Minority Leader Kraig Paulsen, R-Hiawatha. “We’ll be offering up what we think are good ideas.”

Once legislative leaders determine how much they can save through the efficiency measure, they will set spending targets for various state agencies.

“We’re fairly confident we’ll have enough of an outline by the end of the week to set those targets,” said Senate Majority Leader Michael Gronstal, D-Council Bluffs.

Although top leaders agree on the overall spending level, they let budget committees craft the details of a new budget.

That work will start this week, but it won’t be until March 11 that a panel of budget forecasters issues new projections on how much money the state will collect in taxes.

Legislators are required to use those figures as the basis for the state budget, and lawmakers are expected to begin pressing toward adjournment once those numbers have been released. Legislative leaders have targeted March 31 as the date they would like to end their session.

Also this week, lawmakers have scheduled a public hearing on legislation backed by organized labor. The House Labor Committee has approved a “fair share” measure that would allow unions to collect a fee from workers in a bargaining unit they represent who don’t belong to the union.

Backers say the unions provide a service to all members they represent and deserve a fee. Critics argue that it would violate the spirit of Iowa’s Right to Work laws, which prohibit requiring union membership as a condition of employment.

Another labor-backed measure that will probably be a topic at the hearing is a proposal that would require contractors on state government projects to pay workers the prevailing wage.

Both measures fell short last year, and leaders said they weren’t sure they had the votes this year.

“We haven’t reached a consensus yet,” said House Speaker Pat Murphy, D-Dubuque.

Other issues also are percolating, including a so-called “puppy mill” measure that is scheduled for debate in the House. The bill would tighten regulations on dog breeders, a move that backers say is needed to oversee breeders who don’t offer quality care to the animals they raise.

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