Governor will call Legislators back Monday to rework budget

Governor Tom Vilsack is calling lawmakers back to Des Moines on Monday for a “special session”. Lawmakers completed their regular session on Friday night, but Governor Vilsack says the republican budget plan is — in his words — “simply inadequate.” Vilsack says more must be spent on teacher training programs, higher education, prisons and state troopers. Vilsack’s asking legislative leaders to meet privately with him on Thursday and Friday to hammer out a compromise, but Senate Republican Leader Stewart Iverson of Dows spoke with the Governor earlier today. Iverson says legislators added more money to their budget in the last weeks to meet the governor’s concerns. He says republicans don’t want to come back and spend more money.Iverson says a special session will be fruitless, as republicans will refuse to borrow more from the state’s economic emergency fund, or redirect tax dollars earmarked for road construction.Iverson says he is not optimistic about the upcoming special session.Iverson says in a tight economy, state government has to tighten its belt, too. Iverson says republican legislators have “no desire to spend more money.”