Governor Tom Vilsack is considering new state spending that would give an economic boost to the state’s construction industry. Vilsack may call for diverting more state gambling taxes to the “Vision Iowa” program which hands out millions in state grants for things like sports arenas and museums. The “Vision Iowa” board has already handed out grants for projects in Dubuque, Davenport, Des Moines, Council Bluffs and Sioux City.Vilsack says those projects will be up and running soon — employing hundreds at a time when the economy needs a boost. The Rebuild Iowa Infrastructure Fund is a special account into which the state’s gambling taxes are deposited. It’s off budget, as they say, and it’s what’s financing the Vision Iowa bonds.
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