Legislators meet, but still working on plans

Iowa Legislators met yesterday in “special” session, but today just a “skeleton crew” remains in Des Moines to try to strike compromises on key issues. A couple of “working groups” of Republicans from the House and Senate will meet privately through the weekend to work out the details of a new state economic development fund and put the finishing touches on a 310-million dollar income tax cut, property tax reform and changes in business regulations. House Speaker Christopher Rants, a Republican from Sioux City, says it makes no sense to keep all 150 legislators at the capitol, waiting. Rants says House and Senate Republicans are “very close” to an agreement but Rants says it would be a mistake to keep lawmakers around ’til three o’clock in the morning when they’d be too bleary-eyed to know what they’re voting on.Rants says lawmakers will convene again on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, and all 150 legislators will by then have an opportunity to read through the compromise and know what they’re voting on. Democrats, including the Governor, complain they’re not allowed into the closed-door sessions where a few Republicans are hammering out the details. At a 10 o’clock news conference last night, Governor Tom Vilsack lashed out at Republicans for once again failing to pass the “Iowa Values” state economic development fund. Vilsack says it has been discussed for weeks and months, and the Legislature again went home. Vilsack says the people of Iowa paid 38-thousand dollars for the legislature to meet yesterday to “get the job done and it still isn’t done.” Vilsack says he’s “been like the Energizer bunny during this whole process” and he says “even the Energizer bunny’s batteries would wear out waiting for this group.” A half hour later, Senate Republican Leader Stewart Iverson of Dows bristled when told of the Governor’s outburst. Iverson says the “Governor’s entitled to say what he wants,” but Iverson expects a deal sometime next week. Iverson says legislators are “pretty close on a lot of things. Iverson says when dealing with such a broad array of subjects, it’s not unusual to “have some difference of opinion.”