A key republican legislator says democrat Governor Tom Vilsack’s four-point-three percent across-the-board cut in the state budget probably isn’t big enough.
Senator Jeff Lamberti, a republican from Ankeny who’s chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, says a deeper, six or seven percent state budget cut would give lawmakers more room to divert money to the National Guard, public safety and schools. Lamberti says all sorts of budget-cutting ideas are on the table, even offering incentives to get older, better-paid state workers to retire early.
Lamberti says the republican priority of cutting Social Security taxes for seniors is on hold.
A democratic legislative leader agrees more cuts may be needed. Representative Steve Falck of Stanley warns the teacher pay package scheduled to grow by 40-million dollars next year may be in jeopardy. He says “we’re in some new times, things have changed.”
Falck suggests spending more money on public defense, to make sure the state’s prepared to respond to a terrorist attack.
Falck and Lamberti are guests on this weekend’s Iowa Press program on IPTV.
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