Gov. Vilsack Threatens Special Session

Governor Vilsack MAY call legislators back to Des Moines for a summer-time “special session” to resolve state budget issues. Legislators hope to complete work for the year this Friday. But Vilsack accuses Republicans who control the legislature of cutting taxes too deeply and not spending enough on key areas, like the state sex offender program. This morning, Visack vetoed a bill which would have let investment counselors provide their services, without charging sales tax. The state collects hundreds of thousands of dollars in sales tax now from investment counselors. Vilsack, a democrat, accuses Republicans of failing to sit down and negotiate with him on tax cuts and state spending plans. House Republican Leader Brent Siegrist (see’-grist) of Council Bluffs conceeds relations between the G.O.P. and the democrat Governor are a bit “rough” right now, particularly on whether there’s adequate money to run the program which keeps sexual predators in a mental facility once their prison terms are up. Siegrist maintains there’s no reason for Vilsack to call legislators back in session this summer to resolve the differences. Siegrist says Republicans firmly believe the state should cut taxes by over 100-million. Vilsack says he will approve only 40-million dollars in tax cuts.