On 53-46 vote, Iowa House approves increase in state gas tax

Greg Heartsill

The state’s gas tax is likely going up soon. Early this afternoon the Iowa Senate passed a bill that would raise the tax by a dime a gallon then, shortly before two o’clock, the House passed the same bill on a 53-46 vote.

Representative Greg Heartsill, a Republican from Columbia, suggested there was something “suspiciously wrong” with the speed by which the bill passed the legislature and he openly criticized the top Republican in the legislature — House Speaker Kraig Paulsen.

“Because of the way this bill was rammed through, there is now an odiferous cloud that hangs over the legislature that will linger long after this vote. Whose best interests are being served by this legislation?” Hartsill said. “Certainly not those who are paying the bills.”

Representative Josh Byrnes, a Republican from Osage, was an unapologetic supporter of the legislation.

“I honestly feel that we’re doing the right thing today,” Byrnes said shortly before the votes were cast. “This bill is in no way a bill for the lobby. This is in no way a bill for a group. It’s in no way a bill for a party. I honestly feel that this is a bill for Iowans.”

Earlier this month Governor Branstad said he thought “the timing was right” for a gas tax increase.

“The governor will carefully review the bill in its final form before announcing a final decision,”  Branstad spokesman Jimmy Centers said today.

The governor has three days to make that call once a formal copy of the bill reaches his desk. Legislative staff say the “enrolled” bill should reach Branstad’s desk either this evening or tomorrow morning.

How did your representative vote?

The following REPRESENTATIVES voted YES
Abdul-Samad
Anderson
Bacon
Baudler
Berry
Best
Branhagen
Byrnes
Carlson
Cohoon
Deyoe
Dolecheck
Drake
Forbes
Forristall
Gassman
Hanusa
Heaton
Heddens
Hein
Hunter
Huseman
Jacoby
Jones
Kaufmann
Kearns
Lensing
Lykam
Mascher
Maxwell
Meyer
Miller, Helen
Miller, Linda
Mommsen
Moore
Oldson
Olson
Paulsen
Pettengill
Sexton
Sieck
Smith
Stanerson
Steckman
Stutsman
Taylor, Todd
Upmeyer
Wessel-Kroeschell
Wills
Winckler
Windschitl
Wolfe
Worthan

The following REPRESENTATIVES voted NO
Baxter
Bearinger
Bennett
Brown-Powers
Cownie
Dawson
Dunkel
Finkenauer
Fisher
Fry
Gaines
Gaskill
Grassley
Gustafson
Hagenow
Hall
Hanson
Heartsill
Highfill
Holt
Isenhart
Jorgensen
Kelley
Klein
Koester
Kooiker
Kressig
Landon
McConkey
Nunn
Ourth
Paustian
Pritchard
Rizer
Rogers
Ruff
Running-Marquardt
Salmon
Sands
Sheets
Soderberg
Staed
Taylor, Rob
Thede
Vander Linden
Watts

The only House member who did not vote was Representative Chip Baltimore, a Republican from Boone. “I refuse to legitimize either the bill or the process with a vote,” Baltimore told reporters this afternoon.

(This post was updated at 2:50 p.m. with additional information.)