Republican leader balks at DHS request of budget increase

One Iowa legislative leader says the Department of Human Services shouldn’t expect to get a big increase in its budget in January. The D-H-S is expected to ask the legislature for a 147-million dollar budget increase. House Majority Leader Christopher Rants of Sioux City says that seems excessive.Rants says there are serious questions about the way director Jesse Rasmussen has handled the current budget and a 20-percent increase would be “over the top.” Rants, a republican, says it would be hard to justify such a big D-H-S budget increase.Rants says the D-H-S budget will undergo strict scrutiny from the legislature.D-H-S director Jesse Rasmussen has come under fire for the handling of two abuse cases and for money spent on consultants.