Nearly a thousand former state workers are barred from working again in state government, their names flagged with a code in a state database so they cannot be rehired.
Senate Democratic Leader Mike Gronstal of Council Bluffs says the governor’s top staff needs to appear before the Legislature’s Oversight Committee and answer questions about what Democrats consider a “black list.”
“We have no limit on the time we’re going to spend to get to the truth,” Gronstal says.
House Speaker Kraig Paulsen of Hiawatha says he and his fellow Republicans also want answers about operations in the Department of Administrative Services, but Paulsen accuses Senate Democrats of using the legislature’s fact-finding process as a “platform” for the campaign against Governor Branstad’s reelection.
“I mean, holy cow,” Paulsen says. “The Jack Hatch (for governor) campaign brings in video cameras to some of the meetings. I mean, it’s pretty obvious what’s going on there.”
Hatch’s campaign manager says no one from his campaign staff has videotaped any Legislative Oversight Committee meeting. The Associated Press obtained the names of 975 former state workers who are flagged with a “do not hire” code if their names pop up on an application for a state job.