The issue of housing accused terrorists in the Midwest was at the forefront this week as Thomson Correctional Center, in Illinois just over the Mississippi River from Iowa, is considered as a potential landing spot for Guantanamo Bay detainees after they leave Cuba.
Iowa Republicans spoke out against the possible transfer, while Democrats said they'd be open to the option.
Governor Chet Culver said that the transfer could create much-needed jobs.
The governor said in an interview with reporters that he spoke with U.S. Representative Bruce Braley (D-Waterloo), whose district is just across the river from Thomson, about the issue.
"We both are interested in getting more information out to our citizens, out to our constituents, that will be impacted," Culver said. "But we also understand that during these tough economic times, jobs are critically important. So it's really up to the local leadership, the residents in eastern Iowa there that could benefit from this prison, to weigh in on the decision and decide for themselves whether or not it will be an overall benefit or not."
Culver said the key is to get citizen input. "I've encouraged the federal government to do all they can inform the local residents, especially there in Clinton and Jackson counties, and to weigh the pros and the cons," he said. "I'll be part of that review."
Meanwhile U.S. Representative Tom Latham (R-Ames) announced legislation to block the transfer of Guantanamo Bay detainees to Iowa and 10 other Midwestern states.
"Iowa families deserve the guarantee of the federal government that some of the world's most dangerous terrorists, many of whom helped plan the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, will not be housed or tried just minutes from the neighborhoods where they live and work," Latham said.
Republican Party of Iowa Chair Matt Strawn quickly voiced support for Latham's legislation, while Braley accused Republicans of fear mongering on the issue.
"We already hold 400 international people in our federal prison system," Braley said, "including some who participated in the first bombing attempt of the World Trade Center, those who participated in the bombing of our embassies in Kenya, and some of them are housed in federal prisons right now in Marion. So I don't want to escalate this into a political chess match; that's not what this is about. This is about making sure that the safety and security of Americans is protected."
Braley, who toured the facility in Thomson this week, said additional security measures would be taken "to make sure that it was on par with if not more secure than the super-max facility in Florence, Colorado," should the detainees be brought here.
The state Republican Party and U.S. Representative Steve King (R-Kiron) have both pushed for Braley to oppose housing the prisoners in the Thomson Correctional Facility.
"Congressional reaction will be a key factor in whether or not terrorist detainees are moved to the Thomson Correctional Center," King said. "I am asking Bruce Braley to break with the president and Nancy Pelosi and join me to keep the worst of the worst Al-Qaeda terrorists off of U.S. soil."
School Leaders Say Using Reserves Won't Work
Culver faced a crowd of more than 1,000 Iowa school-board members and administrators and explained why he had to cut their budgets by $360 million, but several educators said they don't like his solution of forcing districts to use their cash reserves and said that property taxes will ultimately increase.
"I think it needs to be left up to each district," said Rob Cordes, superintendent of the Carroll Community School District. He said Carroll has an extremely low property-tax rate that he believes could sustain an increase. "I don't think that they need to continue to make laws in Des Moines that are going to continue to tie our hands that much tighter. I think the local school board and local superintendent know whether or not that can happen."
Culver prefaced his speech at the Iowa Association of School Boards annual convention in Des Moines by touting his education credentials, saying he's a former teacher and coach. "Education is my passion," he said. "Teaching is in my blood." He then launched into a description of the "economic storm" that hit Iowa two months ago, and how he was forced to order a 10-percent cut in state government.
"I understand the consequences of this across-the-board cut. No one here likes these cuts, including me," Culver told educators. "This is not a decision that I wanted to make, but as governor, this was a decision that I felt I had to make. I recognize this decision will have far-reaching consequences for each and every school district."
Culver then asked educators to support his legislative proposal that would require certain school districts to spend down a portion of their cash reserves to offset the 10-percent budget cut before increasing property taxes. "I'm doing this because I want to do all I can to avoid a tax increase on hard-working Iowans," he said.
Alta school-board member Ila Galvin, whose district has about 500 students, said there's no question that property taxes will increase in her district despite what Culver said.
"I can't agree with him on not having to raise property taxes because I don't see any other solution," she said. "We don't all have the cash reserves he's talking about. Property taxes definitely will have to be increased."
Culver said he will use every tool at his disposal to keep schools strong, include competing for about $175 million from the $4.35-billion federal Race to the Top fund. The competitive grants are intended to support education reform and innovation in classrooms.
When asked if school consolidation will be part of the reform, Culver maintained that's a local decision. "What we have seen in the last couple of years are more and more districts ... looking at that option," he said. "But certainly with reduced funds coming from the state, in some cases, we will not have enough money to even move the buses."
Budget Cuts Hit Judicial Branch
The judicial branch is dealing with budget cuts by ordering layoffs, court closures, and office-hour reductions.
The judicial branch plans to lay off 105 employees, eliminate 100 vacant positions, and reduce the hours of 58 employees, resulting in a 9.3-percent reduction in workforce.
That's on top of 10 days of court closures and mandatory furloughs for all judges, magistrates, and court employees. All judicial officers and court staff will take unpaid leave on December 4, 24, and 31; January 15; February 15; March 12 and 26; April 2; May 28; and June 18.
State Court Administrator David Boyd said the closure schedule was designed to minimize the impact, with the dates chosen based on typical levels of business for those days.
"Regrettably, the closures will disrupt and reduce public access to the courts," Boyd said. "There will be gaps in services and more delays and backlogs will grow. But under the circumstances these problems are unavoidable. The state's budget crisis demands drastic action."
These cuts will reduce the budget by $11.4 million, or 7.1 percent, in the 2010 fiscal year. That 7.1 percent equals the state-revenue shortfall the Revenue Estimating Conference last month projected.
While executive-branch agencies were ordered by Culver to cut 10 percent from their budgets, the Iowa Supreme Court determined 7.1 percent "was a more prudent option given the vital nature of court services," a release said. The judicial branch is not subject to Culver's budget-cutting order.
Chief Justice Marsha Ternus said the 7.1-percent cut "requires draconian measures that will result in long delays, gaps in service, and reduced public access to the courts." She also said the cuts have a disproportionate effect on the judicial branch, and they are concerned what impact the cuts will have on juveniles and children.
The court has also issued an order reducing the hours for all state clerk-of-court offices.
Twenty-three of the state's clerk-of-court offices (nearly a quarter of the total) will now operate on a part-time basis. The remaining offices will be closed to the public from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays to work on backlogs caused by 10 furlough days and the 9.3-percent statewide workforce reduction.
Leaders from Two Unions Agree to Furloughs to Save Jobs
About 640 state employees who are covered by the State Police Officers Council (SPOC) will take five mandatory unpaid days off before June 30 to save $847,435 and prevent 43 layoffs stemming from the 10-percent across-the-board state-budget cut.
The governor's office announced that the state and SPOC had reached the understanding, which must still be approved by a majority vote of SPOC membership. Upon approval, no SPOC state employee will be laid off between now and June 30.
The 43 positions include 20 state troopers, 20 gaming-enforcement officers, one fire inspector, and two special agents in the Division of Narcotics Enforcement. The state will also suspend its contribution to employees' deferred-compensation program through June 30, to save about $226,232.
The agreement is similar to one reached earlier with AFSCME Iowa Council 61 to also take five days of unpaid leave and prevent 479 layoffs. However, about 55 state workers with Iowa United Professionals will be laid off after negotiations with that union failed. The three unions represent the majority of state workers.
More than 9,000 members of AFSCME Iowa Council 61 are voting on whether to accept the plan. Voting will run through November 25.
Judge Rules Against State in Film-Tax-Credit Dispute
A Polk County judge has ruled in favor of film production company Iowa Eye Entertainment, which was promised $6.5 million as part of the state's suspended film-tax-credit program.
District Judge Glenn Pille ordered the Iowa Department of Economic Development (IDED) to "promptly prepare, execute, and provide to the petitioner ... a written requirement" that will require the department to issue tax credits to the company for up to $6.5 million.
"As an initial matter, the court agrees with Iowa Eye that Governor Culver's request of September 18, 2009, does not provide authority to suspend the action requested here," Pille wrote. "The public interest also favors IDED honoring the commitments it made under the rules that existed at the time of such action."
The order went on to say: "IDED's continuing inaction has cast doubt not only on the status of the tax credits awarded under the program for Clean Out and other film projects, but also on the state's willingness to honor its obligations with respect to all tax-credit programs."
The state had argued that a letter it sent on August 21 was not a contract but simply a statement that DeWalt was eligible to receive credits.
Kevin DeWalt with Iowa Eye Entertainment had said in Polk County District Court that his career as a film producer was at stake unless his project received the tax credits.
"I've got unpaid bills at this point on this film," DeWalt said. "Once this project goes down, if I can't pay these bills, I'm in trouble."
DeWalt, who said about $3 million has already been spent worldwide on pre-production for Clean Out, also said Culver's September 18 announcement that the program would be suspended hit him "like a bombshell."
The state may appeal the judge's decision to the Iowa Supreme Court.
"Too Early" for 2012 Presidential Talk, Paul Says
U.S. Representative Ron Paul, a Texas Republican who ran for president in 1988 and 2008, said before speaking to a crowd of about 1,000 in Ames that he is not considering another run at this time.
"It's not on my mind, it's too early, and I will be filing for my congressional seat," Paul said. "I don't have any plans made."
Paul did have plenty of other issues on his mind, though, including health-care reform, the war in Afghanistan, and the future of the Republican Party.
The physician and lawmaker -- known as "Dr. No" for his opposition to any legislation that isn't explicitly authorized in the Constitution, including the health-care bill that narrowly passed the U.S. House -- said the whole health-care system is sick, and "what they're doing now is making it much sicker.
"We're turning the whole thing over to the government," Paul said. "It doesn't make any sense. It's going to cost a lot more money than they say and we don't have any money and it's, to me, the most foolish thing in the world, what they're doing."
Paul said the solution would be "to get government out of the way" and increase competition with the delivery of medicine and in insurance companies.
Foreign policy is an area where Paul admits he breaks with many of his Republican counterparts. He is against sending more troops to Afghanistan, and instead advocates bringing all the troops home, not just from Iraq and Afghanistan, but from every country where U.S. troops are stationed.
"We should have a strong national defense, we should obey the Constitution, we should mind our own business, and we can start by bringing all our troops home from around the world," Paul said.
Paul said his greatest foreign-policy fear is some event drawing the country into another war and forcing a reinstatement of the draft. Paul, who served in the Air Force and the Air National Guard, was drafted himself in 1962.
"Afghanistan has nothing to do with our national security except it exposes us to greater danger," Paul said.
Finally, Paul said the Republican Party struggled in 2008 because "they've lost all credibility," and they'll have to "fulfill their promises" to regain seats in the U.S. Congress.
"They talked about limited government for all those years, 'just let us get in charge and we'll shrink the size of government and balance the government,'" Paul said. "They finally get in charge ... and everything got worse. They spent more money, they got us involved in wars we shouldn't be involved in, the deficits exploded, they doubled the size of the Department of Education."
Paul said what brought him to the state that hosts the first-in-the-nation caucuses was an invitation by Iowa State University students to talk to them about the issues he considers important: individual freedom and the Constitution.
The Iowa Campaign For Liberty and the ISU chapter of Young Americans For Liberty hosted the event.
Paul also attended a Des Moines fundraiser for Reprseentative Kent Sorenson (R-Indianola) as he prepares for a run for Iowa Senate.
This weekly summary comes from IowaPolitics.com, an online government and politics news service. Reporter Andrew Duffelmeyer and other correspondents contributed to this report.
