Republican House leaders reelected

The two men who led republicans in the Iowa House the past two years will continue in those roles. House Speaker Christopher Rants, a republican from Sioux City, was re-elected to his post today by the 50 other republicans who’ll be serving in the House come January. Rants says the legislature’s agenda will be “driven” by the House since republicans have a 51 to 49 vote majority in the House — compared to the down-the-middle split in the Senate which means neither republicans nor democrats have control of the agenda. Rants says republicans will have a focused agenda.Rants refers to their agenda, phonetically, as the three “shuns” — job creation, education and medication. “Medication — that is the driving factor in our Medicaid problems,” Rants says. Spending on Medicaid — government-paid health care for Iowa’s poor — is skyrocketing, and lawmakers and the governor have been trying to find ways to control costs. Chuck Gipp of Decorah was also re-elected today as House Republican Leader.