Michael Bergan
The second week of session has been shorter than usual with the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. The workload has ramped up for me with the release of the governor’s recommended budget. As a member of the Appropriations Committee and chair of the Administration and Regulation Appropriations Subcommittee, I have begun a series of meetings with department directors, commissioners and state-wide elected officials covering thirteen budgets. The committee will meet over several weeks, culminating with a budget bill in early April.
The newly-formed Federal and Other Funds Budget Subcommittee met for the first time this week. Historically, any money allocated to the state of Iowa from the federal government comes with many strings attached. The committee will look at the how these federal funds are allocated and integrated with our state funds. Another aspect will be to look at flexibility in use of the funds. Federal programs too often treat states like Iowa exactly the same as California, even though our needs are very different. The reality is that states are much better equipped to react to situations and know what is best for their citizens. We will be better prepared if there is a change in funding allocated to Iowa with the new administration in Washington.
This session, Iowa House Speaker Pat Grassley formed a new committee called the Higher Education Committee tasked with taking a comprehensive look at Iowa’s higher education system. Over the past few years, we’ve worked to focus our regent institutions on providing quality education and preparing our workforce. This week, the Higher Education Committee released 14 bills for consideration. These bills give a good idea of what’s on the table for this committee this year. These bills include ideas to make college more affordable and review academic programs’ alignment with the state’s workforce needs, among other ideas.
I received visits from a group of FFA officers and members from Central Community School in Elkader. The group had a tour of the Capitol and were part of large contingent of FFA chapters represented across the state. Economic Development and Tourism directors for Fayette and Allamakee Counties, Mallory Hanson and Val Reinke, met with me as part of the Iowa Travel Industry Partners event to focus on the growth of tourism in Iowa. I appreciate the representation from northeast Iowa in promoting our local attractions and the economic impact of tourism to our communities.
It is always an honor to meet with constituents. If you are visiting the capital, kindly notify me of your intent to through my email, michael.bergan@legis.iowa.gov. This will greatly assist me in the scheduling process.
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