The legislation would establish a fine of as much as $5000 for city and county officials who would let such gun restrictions stand. Representative Matt Windschitl, a Republican from Missouri Valley, says he’s aware of at least 13 localities in Iowa that have some type of ban on firearms in public places.

“A lot of people think that if we put restrictions on firearms that all of a sudden that’s going to make our city streets safer. Really? There’s criminals out there that don’t abide by the law right now,” Windschitl says.

The bill cleared an initial, three-person panel Tuesday and now awaits action in a House committee. Kate Carlucci of the Iowa League of Cities says communities should be able to decide whether public places should be weapons-free zones, as many businesses are making that call.

“A city should have the power to exercise that same right as a private business owner,” Carlucci says.

Windschitl also would like to let gun owners bring their weapons inside the statehouse. “I’m appalled that they’re not allowed to, and that’s actually an administrative rule and I’ve looked at trying to change that for years,” Windschitl says. “But I know in the current climate there’s people that wouldn’t want to see that changed.”

After the 9/11 attacks, metal detectors and security guards were stationed at the public entrances to the statehouse……..

In the current year, Iowa’s public schools saw “status quo” support from the state, meaning no increase over last year. Senator Herman Quirmbach, a Democrat from Ames, says that’s unprecedented.

“It has never been the case prior that we have done so little to help advance education,” Quirmbach says.

The level of state aid for schools is set to increase by two percent, starting this fall. But this morning Senate Democrats approved a bill that would set aside four percent more in general state aid for schools, starting in the fall of 2013. Quirmbach says that’s $142 million more for K-12 schools.

“That is well within our ability to pay given the likely level of revenue growth over the next two years,” Quirmbach says. “Our economy is recovering.”

Republican senators rejected the idea. Senator Shawn Hamerlinck, a Republican from Dixon, ridiculed the Democrats.

“We hear all the time that, ‘We’re doing this for the kids.’ ‘Our schools are barebones.’ ‘We care about the youth,’” Hammerlinck said.

But Hammerlinck accused Democrats of promising money they may not be able to deliver.

“Right now, it’s nothing more than a sound bite or a soapbox that you stand on, to score political points,” Hammerlinck said.

Republicans in the House do not intend to bring up the Senate Democrats’ proposal for state funding of schools in the 2013/2014 school year. Republican Governor Terry Branstad has asked legislators to repeal the state law that requires lawmakers to set the level of state aid for schools two years in advance, to give administrators time to plan. The current legal deadline for taking that action for the 2013 academic year is this Thursday.

“Our hope is we’ll look at what is needed,” Cannon says.

According to Cannon’s calculations, the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa are getting 3.5 percent less state support this year compared to last year. Cannon also suggests state support of the 15 area community colleges is still less than it was in 2008 or in 2009.

“Over that same period, community college enrollment has grown from 88,000 students to over 106,000 students,” Cannon says. “So the questions we need to be asking: Are we meeting the needs or are students going to be faced with larger debt burdens as they move on to their careers?”

Governor Branstad’s spokesman says Iowa’s higher education institutions “are a priority for the governor, which is why they were one of the few institutions to receive increased funding in the governor’s recommended budget.” The governor’s aide noted the “overwhelming majority” of state agencies are seeing no increase or a reduction in funding during this time of “scarce” state resources.

Forty-year-old Daniel Valencia last week entered an Alford plea in Winneshiek County District Court, which means he didn’t admit guilt, but concedes evidence exists for a probable conviction. He was sentenced to two days in jail and then given credit for time served.

Valencia can fulfill the sentence by completing an OWI weekend program in Iowa. It includes an offenders drinking-and-driving course offered by the Iowa D.O.T.  He must also pay a fine of $1,250 and a surcharge of $437. 

Valencia was arrested by Decorah police at about 1:30 on a Saturday morning, after he ran a red light. He was off duty at the time. President Obama arrived in Decorah the following Monday.

(Reporting by Darin Swenson, KDEC, Decorah)

Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley is holding meetings this week in hopes of saving the unit. “If it is a done deal, and I don’t know that it’s a done deal, it might be more difficult than if it’s still in consideration,” Grassley says. “I hope it’s the latter. Obviously, I think we have a chance to weigh in to a greater extent than if somebody says, ‘This is the way it’s going to be and just forget it.’ I don’t know why they’d come to talk to us if it was a done deal.”

Grassley will meet this afternoon in Washington (at 3:30 P.M. Central time) with Iowa National Guard Major General Timothy Orr. Grassley says, “On Thursday afternoon, I’m also going to follow up with a meeting I put together with the Iowa Congressional delegation with the Secretary of the Air Force (Michael) Donley on the same subject.”

The budget-cutting plan calls for the retiring of the Iowa Guard’s 21 F-16 fighter jets and the decommissioning of the unit, which has nearly a thousand members, including pilots, mechanics and support staff. “My concern about the Air Force strategy of targeting the Guard for cuts is that the Guard is more cost-effective for missions, such as a fighter squadrons, than active duty,” Grassley says. “And Guard pilots tend to be more experienced since they stay in the service for a longer period of time.”

One report says the Air Force is considering replacing the piloted F-16 fighter jets with a squadron of unmanned drone aircraft, which could create as many as 500 positions. It’s unclear how many staff from the current unit, if any, would be able to transfer.

Sam Kass

The assistant White House chef who is coordinator of the first lady’s food initiatives says Michele Obama’s trip to Iowa later this week is intended as a salute, a celebration and, hopefully, an inspiration to Iowa kids. 

As you may know, the first lady launched an initiative aimed at America’s kids, to promote healthy eating habits and encourage exercise. The goal is to end childhood obesity within a generation. Over 10,000 Iowa kids are expected in Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines Thursday to see First Lady Michele Obama and participate in “Let’s Move Day” in Iowa.

Sam Kass is the first lady’s chef and chief assistant in the nationwide “Let’s Move” effort.  During a telephone interview with Radio Iowa early this morning, Kass said Iowa Governor Terry Branstad’s “Healthiest State Initiative” is the reason Obama’s coming.

“We want to celebrate the great work that’s going on there, show how the country’s really unifying around these issues: trying to ensure that our kids and our communities are as healthy as they can be,” Kass said.

Republican Terry Branstad has been a vocal critic of Obama Administration policies, but on this particular issue he’s in harmony with Mrs. Obama.

“We share the goal of a healthier nation and people taking ownership of their own health,” Branstad said.

Private companies in Iowa are participating in the governor’s “Healthiest State” iniatitive, along with hundreds of individual Iowans who’ve signed up for this winter’s “Live Healthy, Iowa” 100-day weight-loss challenge. Kass, the chef in the White House, suggests one way to live healthier is to buy local.

“In Iowa, I know there’s great work being done to try to produce more food and more vegetables for Iowans to eat and, you know, we think that’s great,” Kass said. “But every community is going to have to step back and take a look at what’s happening around them and figure out what are the best solutions.”

AUDIO of Radio Iowa’s five-minute interview of Sam Kass.

Kass helped plan and plant the White House garden. From that garden experience, Kass understands kids can play a role in improving their family’s approach to food.

“When they dug up a carrot, they ended up taking it home and saying, ‘Mom, dad, let’s have some carrots tonight.’ When a kid’s asking for that, you can’t say, ‘No,’” Kass said. “We’ve kept in touch with these kids and they telling us how they’re eating (differently) in their home…They’re baking the chicken instead of frying it. That’s the true power and essense of all that we’re doing here.”

Thursday’s “Let’s Move” party in Wells Fargo Arena will feature some notable sports figures, like skater Michele Kwan, gymnast Shawn Johnson and NASCAR driver Carl Edwards. TV star Bob Harper — one of the trainers on “The Biggest Loser” — will be there, as will Iowa State basketball coach Fred Hoiberg, a former player in the NBA. Kass hopes Thursday’s event will be a motivating experience for the more than 10,000 sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth graders who’ll participate.

“I honestly believe, and I know the first lady does as well, that kids who are stepping up and making changes and being leaders in their communities is maybe our greatest tool in overcoming some of these challenges,” Kass said.

Kass has been involved in behind-the-scenes discussions about federal strategies that could improve the health of America’s children.

“Just two weeks ago, the first lady celebrated the finalizing of the new standards for school lunch and they’ve been raised for the first time in 15 years,” Kass said. “These new standards are going to be transformative to the food that kids are being served every day. Thirty-two million kids every day eat breakfast and lunch — or some combination — in our schools, so knowing that our kids are going to school eating the best food possible is just critical.”

The new standards call for doubling the amount of fruits and vegetables served in school cafeterias and cutting in half the sodium content in school lunches. Kids can still drink chocolate milk, but it has to be skim — fat-free — milk.

Senator Jeff Danielson, a Democrat from Cedar Falls, is working on legislation to classify that 100-mile segment of the highway as part of the state’s “commercial industrial network.”

“If you look at Highway 63 in particular, it carries more truck traffic north to Minnesota and Chicago than the Avenue of the Saints (does),” Danielson says. “And so anything we can do to improve the flow of business and commerce and improve the flow of Highway 63 is a good thing.”

According to Danielson, about one in every five vehicles on Highway 63 is a truck or semi.

“Truckers kind of want the most efficient route because it’s their business and, for a lot of reasons, Highway 63 carries significantly more truck traffic than other highways,” Danielson says.

Safety improvements to the Oskaloosa-to-Waterloo segment of Highway 63, like longer turning lanes and widening the shoulders, would be higher on the DOT’s priority list if the bill passes the legislature.

“A lot of (Highway) 63, you have single-wheel/single-car off-the-road accidents, which is the highest number of accidents on our two-lane highways,” Danielson says. “Just a simple four-foot shoulder reduces those accidents significantly.”

Highway 63 crosses the Iowa/Missouri border near Bloomfield, passes through Oskaloosa and Waterloo enroute to points north in Minnesota.

If the bill becomes law, an Iowa business caught with an illegal immigrant on its payroll would be placed on probation. If caught within the next three years of employing another illegal immigrant, the state would strip that business of its license to operate in Iowa. Representative Julian Garrett, a Republican from Indianola, says federal officials aren’t “vigorously” enforcing the rules and Iowa businesses competing against firms that hire cheaper illegal immigrant labor are paying the price.

“Now obviously that’s not fair,” Garrett says. “You shouldn’t be penalized for obeying the law.”

Representative Glen Massie, a Republican from Des Moines, says the issue has been ignored for years and illegal immigrants have become a burden on the state.

“The people I work with, they resent the fact there are a lot of tax dollars that are confiscated from their paychecks and given to people who may not be here legally,” Massie says. “That’s a little difficult to swallow.”

Massie and Garrett are part of a three-person subcommittee that gave its approval to the proposal late this fternoon. The third member of the panel, Representative Mary Wolfe — a Democrat from Clinton, is a co-sponsor of the bill, but after negative feedback she’s having reservations.

“I’m wondering why we couldn’t just make it Iowa law that folks have to use the E-Verify system and leave out all this stuff about enforcement,” Wolfe said.

She refused to sign-off on the bill. Several critics spoke out during today’s subcommittee meeting. Tom Chapman of the Iowa Catholic Conference said his group is opposed to the bill for both “philosophical and practical” reasons.

“If you’re interested in small government, this is a big government bill,” Chapman said. “It gets the government at the federal level with (an E-Verify) database involved in every hiring instance in the state of Iowa and I think we ought to think twice about that.”

Eric Tabor, the top deputy in the Iowa Attorney General’s office, argued the federal government should be the enforcer of immigration policy.

“What this bill does is it imposes a substantial burden on the attorney general’s office and on county attorneys and, presumably, on police to do these investigations,” Tabor said.

The bill asks Iowa officials to be investigators of complaints about the alleged hiring of illegal immigrants. Norwalk Police Chief Eddie Kuhl was the only person in the crowd who spoke in favor of the proposal. He said it can help crack down on identity theft.

“I think it’s a good thing, anything that we can do to deter that kind of criminal activity and would eliminate the victimization of our people,” Kuhl said.

This bill is fashioned after a law in Arizona which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled is constitutional. There is another, more controversial Arizona law which requires police — when they’re enforcing other laws — to question a person’s immigration status if the police suspect that person may be in the country illegally. That law is on hold, however, pending the outcome of court appeals.

Vaudt did say the state budget for the current year is bigger than his fellow Republicans have claimed. Republicans in the House insisted their “General Fund” plan for the current budgeting year spent just under $6-billion.

According to Vaudt’s analysis, it’s actually half a billion dollars more than that. Vaudt also raised a red flag about another issue. Branstad’s budget plan did not set aside money to provide salary increases for state employees.

State agencies, therefore, would have to make budget cuts in other areas, lay off workers and enforce unpaid time off for employees. Vaudt warns this practice will “significantly impact the level of services” state agencies can provide.

Vaudt also called on the governor and legislators to come up with a long-term fix for the Iowa Public Employees Retirement System. That state pension system has an unfunded liability of more than $5.5-billion.

Branstad says he “inherited a mess” and has “tried to work diligently” to fix budget practices, like using one-time windfalls to the state treasury to pay for on-going expenses.

The latest skirmish comes over an anti-bullying conference — the Governor’s Conference on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Youth. Bob Vander Plaats, the second-place finisher in the 2010 GOP Primary, is now the CEO of a conservative Christian organization called The Family Leader. Vander Plaats issued a statement this morning (read it here) saying Governor Terry Branstad and his staff were “puppets to a far-left agenda” by refusing to take the governor’s name off that conference.

Branstad’s response?  

“I can’t help but laugh at that,” Branstad told reporters this morning, after he and his staff laughed when a reporter read Vander Plaats’ statement aloud. “I’m not a puppet to anybody. He knows better than that.”

Vander Plaats asserts that the conference will help “accelerate” a gay agenda in Iowa schools. Branstad last week said he believes in treating everyone with respect and dignity and no one should be bullied in school.

The annual Governor’s Conference on Lesbian, Gay, Transgender and Bisexual Youth is put on by the “Iowa Safe Schools” group. It was started during former Governor Tom Vilsack’s tenure and continued during Governor Chet Culver’s term in office. Both Vilsack and Culver are Democrats.