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Iowa’s governor "reluctant" to support amendment banning gay marriage

April 7, 2009 By

Governor Chet Culver says he is “reluctant” to support an amendment to the state constitution which would ban gay marriage in Iowa.

Culver, who is a Democrat, issued a brief statement Friday shortly after the Iowa Supreme Court ruled same-sex marriage should be legal in the state. That statement, however, gave few clues as to how Culver would approach the issue. Because of the ruling, gay couples may begin marrying here on April 27. Opponents of gay marriage are clamoring for an amendment to the state’s constitution which would ban same-sex marriage here.

In the statement released this afternoon, Culver said he is “reluctant to support amending the Iowa Constitution to add a provision that the Iowa Supreme Court has said is unlawful and discriminatory.” In the statement, Culver said his personal belief is that marriage is between a man and a woman, but “as Governor, I must respect the authority of the Iowa Supreme Court.”

Culver urged both sides in the gay marriage debate to have a “rational discussion” about the topic and cut out the “name-calling or fear-mongering.” The governor said his energies will be focused elsewhere, on issues like the economy.

You can read Culver’s entire statement here .

Filed Under: Politics & Government Tagged With: , , , ,

Organizers of 80/35 Music Fest announce headliners

April 7, 2009 By

Amedeo Rossi One of the biggest hip-hop acts in the history of the music genre will be performing in Iowa this summer. Organizers of the 80/35 Festival in Des Moines announced that Public Enemy will headline the event on Friday, July 3. Amedeo Rossi, 80/35 project manager, unveiled a handful of the top acts Tuesday that will play the outdoor festival in downtown Des Moines. The line-up includes Ben Harper and Relentless 7, G. Love and Special Sauce, Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks and Matisyahu.

Last year’s inaugural 80/35 Fest drew an estimated 30,000 people to see 40 acts on four stages over the Independence Day weekend. Rossi says Public Enemy will certainly draw a big crowd this year. "Public Enemy rewrote the rules of hip-hop, becoming one of the most influential and controversial rap groups of all time," Rossi said. Public Enemy includes rap icons Chuck D and Flavor Flav, who has recently drawn more attention as a reality TV star.

For more information about the July 3rd and 4th festival, visit www.80-35.com .

Filed Under: Human Interest

Gay marriages in Iowa to be allowed starting April 27

April 7, 2009 By

Iowa Supreme Court administrators have set a date for the same-sex marriage ruling to take effect. The decision that struck down a state law defining marriage as a union between one man and one woman was issued last Friday. The 21-day window for the ruling to take effect would have fallen on April 24, but state court offices are closed on that date because of budget cuts.

Court administrators say the Varnum versus Brien ruling, which will allow gay couples to wed, will instead take effect on Monday, April 27. The date would only be changed if one party files for a petition of rehearing in the case, but Polk County Attorney John Sarcone – whose office represented the Polk County recorder in defending the law – has said he does not plan to seek a rehearing.

Filed Under: Crime & Courts, Politics & Government Tagged With:

Iowa CPAs work OT to finish your 1040

April 7, 2009 By

Children of certified public accountants might be wondering what’s become of their mom or dad lately. Many Iowa C-P-As are working 14-hour days with the approach of the deadlines for filing state and federal tax returns.

Jeff Strawhacker, a C-P-A in West Des Moines, says at this late date, procrastinators can forget about trying to get an appointment. “We like to see people start to gather their information in early to mid-February and go through it and get it to us as soon as possible,” Strawhacker says. “If we can get the information in before about the middle of March, we’re typically in good shape. After about the middle of March, things really do get a little tight and it’s sometimes tough to get those returns out the door.”

In recent months, there have been changes in the federal withholding, new rebates offered on vehicle purchases and for hybrid vehicles, in addition to all sorts of changes in tax law, making it challenging for even the sharpest accountants to stay current on every nuance.

“This year’s been interesting because we had a lot of late legislation in 2008 dealing with other tax changes, dealing with disaster-related tax relief acts, and then we have the new stimulus package coming through in 2009,” Strawhacker says. “It does make the reading and the comprehension level a little hard to keep up with at this time of year.”

While some see their C-P-A as a valued financial advisor, he says others equate a trip to his office with going to the dentist. Strawhacker says, “There are a lot of clients that are glad to see me because we do talk about planning opportunities and ways to help them in future years and there are others who just dread tax-filing with a passion and don’t want to face it and it’s just like pulling teeth to get the information in and get it done, so it’s a little mixture of both.”

The deadline to file federal tax returns is next Wednesday, April 15th. State returns in Iowa are due on April 30th.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With:

One more attempt to force gay marriage issue

April 7, 2009 By

Republicans are a distinct minority in the Iowa Senate, occupying just 18 of the 50 seats. Those 18 Republicans have signed a petition and are now trying to enlist the support of at least eight Democrats in calling for a senate vote that would, in turn, set in motion a statewide vote on a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage in Iowa.

Senator David Johnson, a Republican from Ocheyedan, says Iowa voters should be given a chance to express their opinion. "I want to read from the constutiton — I know I’m not a constitutional attorney; I don’t pretend to be," Johnson says. "But in Section 2 of our Bill of Rights, it says all political power is inherent in the people."

Johnson’s trying to get 26 signatures on his petition, which means he needs eight Democrats to join with the Republicans in order to attempt their parliamentary power play. "What’s interesting in some of the comments that have been made here and been made over in the House, it’s pretty clear that on both sides of the (political) aisle there are people who want to send this to the people to decide," Johnson says.

House Democrats, however, decided yesterday that they will not take a vote on the issue this year. Meanwhile Republicans in the House are going to attempt a parliamentary move of their own to force the issue.

Even if the House were to pass such a proposal, Senate Democratic Leader Mike Gronstal supports Friday’s Iowa Supreme Court decision which legalizes same-sex marriage in Iowa and, since he controls the senate’s debate agenda, it’s unlikely the senate will act this year or next — while Gronstal’s in charge.

"Last Friday night, I hugged my wife — you know I’ve been married for 37 years….I felt like our love was just a little more meaningful last Friday night because thousands of other Iowa citizens could hug each other and have the State of Iowa recognize their love for each other," Gronstal said last night on the senate floor.

 

Filed Under: Politics & Government Tagged With: , , ,

Iowa could join 49 other states with consumer fraud legislation

April 7, 2009 By

It appears consumer fraud legislation may finally be adopted at the statehouse. The Iowa Attorney General’s office has pressed for the measure for nearly a decade. The bill would make it easier for Iowans to sue if they’re victims of home improvement scams, bad car deals or predatory home loans. The Attorney General’s Director of Consumer Protection, Bill Brauch, says every other state allows this kind of lawsuit. "I think it will be the most important consumer protection bill that the members of this legislature will ever vote on…ever have or ever will," Brauch said.

Business and industry groups have long opposed giving private consumers the right to sue for fraud – saying it will subject companies to frivolous lawsuits. But, a lobbyist for the business community says an amendment that limits lawsuits to companies that "knowingly engage in fraud" has made the bill more palatable. Brauch made his comments Monday on the Iowa Public Radio program The Exchange.

Filed Under: Business Tagged With:

U-of-I seeks authority for $100 million flood recovery plan

April 7, 2009 By

(This story updated at 1:25 p.m.)

A key lawmaker says a flood recovery financing plan University of Iowa officials unveiled today will likely get the legislature’s endorsement.

Senator Bob Dvorsky, a Democrat from Coralville, is chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. "I think it’s a go because they’re not asking totally just (for) total state support. They’re asking to raise funds themselves and to reallocate university funds from university funds," Dvorsky says, "so I think it’s a balanced package."

U-of-I officials estimate the Iowa City campus suffered $743 million in damage from last year’s flooding. So far, private insurance policies have covered $80 million worth of that damage. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has pledged up to $478 million to the university, but that requires the university to come up with matching funds.

Dvorsky says the bill the university seeks would allow the tuition being paid by students to be used as backing or collateral on $100 million worth of bonds, essentially borrowed money from the investors who buy those bonds.  The $100 million would be used to meet the FEMA match requirement.

"It’s never enough for (the) flood. I mean we have in the City of Cedar Rapids alone they say it’s $10 billion (in damage) and I don’t know what the university’s is — throw in another billion or whatever," Dvorsky says. "But…this is their best estimate right now of what it costs for the match."

Keith Saunders, a lobbyist for the University of Iowa and the board which governs the university, says Hancher Auditorium and the nearby art building may have to be torn down and rebuilt on another site and that will take years.  "This will be a long term process," Saunders says. "We will have construction crews on campus for a number of years. We had over 20 buildings affected by flooding and this is a major, major undertaking."

Saunders met this morning with senators who’ve been appointed to a group that’s studying the $100 million plan. The proposal may be folded into Governor Culver’s call for the state to borrow up to $750 million to finance infrastructure projects around the state.

"We’re supportive of the governor’s bonding plan. We think flood recovery’s a big piece of that and the universities would have a role to play in that," Saunders says. "…As to where this fits, that’s for legislative leaders and the governor to decide."

Legislators like Dvorsky say they’re going to pass a bunch of bills outlining borrow plans for specific areas — like University of Iowa flood recovery — rather than one big, 750-million dollar package. Many legislators are reluctant to embrace Culver’s call for borrowing money to finance road and bridge repair, so it’s likely lawmakers will send Culver a variety of proposals that add up to something less than $750 million.

 

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters, Politics & Government, Weather Tagged With: , , , ,
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