(DES MOINES) - Iowa Gov. Terry E. Branstad today signed the following six bills into law:

House File299: an Act prohibiting the use of agreements concerning private land owners entered into by the Loess Hills Development and conservation authority of the Loess Hills Alliance.

House File 544: an Act regarding the use of waste conversion technologies as a waste management practice.

House File 550: an Act requiring publication on the internet of contact information for elective public officers.

House File 603: an Act exempting from the sales tax the sales price for the use of self-pay washer and dryers.

House File 607: an Act expanding the definition of a public utility for purposes of provisions governing public utility crossings of railroad rights-of-ways, and including effective date provisions.

House File 616: an Act relating to property tax credits and assessment by modifying filing deadline provisions, modifying requirements relating to property assessment notices and equalization order notices, modifying provisions relating to property assessment protests and assessor informal reviews, and including effective date and applicability provisions.

House File 624: an Act increasing the number of years that a taxpayer may claim a custom farming contract tax credit under a contract executed by the holder of agricultural land and a qualified beginning farmer, and including effective date and retroactive applicability provisions.

House File 660: an Act requiring a public hearing prior to increasing the rate of a franchise fee imposed by a city.

House File 662: an Act relating to vital statistics, including access to birth records and vital statistics fees collected by the state and county registrars of vital statistics.

Senate File 494: an Act relating to and making appropriations involving state government entities involved with agriculture, natural resources, and environmental protection.

Senate File 513: an Act relating to and making appropriations for a period of short duration beginning July 1, 2015, providing for related legal and other matters, and including effective date and retroactive applicability provisions.

Twenty bills remain before the governor for action. Branstad has until July 6, 2015, to act on bills sent to his desk from the closing days of the legislative session, which concluded on June 5, 2015.

CHICAGO - Governor Bruce Rauner announced today he has appointed Michael McGlynn to serve as a judge on the Illinois Court of Claims. McGlynn has more than 30 years of experience representing individuals, non-profits and businesses in St. Clair County and throughout Illinois.

McGlynn is currently a managing partner at McGlynn & McGlynn Attorneys at Law, which is where he started his legal career as an associate attorney in 1984. His areas of practice are personal injury, business litigation and contracts, workers' compensation, banking, and estates. He is also legal counsel for the NAACP.

McGlynn earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Notre Dame and his law degree from St. Louis University. He is a member of the Illinois and Missouri bars. McGlynn lives in Belleville.

EFFECTIVE JULY 1

The Scott County Recorder's office will be suspending their Passport Services until September 1, 2015.  Due to staffing needs we are not able to provide passport acceptance services on a consistent base.  We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

(DES MOINES) - Iowa Gov. Terry E. Branstad today released a statement on the close of the 2015 legislative session. Some of the key accomplishments from the session include :

• Connecting every acre in Iowa with high-speed broadband.
• Record investment in Iowa road and bridge infrastructure - supporting $3.2 billion for roads and bridges over five years.
• Certainty for Iowa families and schools regarding school start date.
• The Iowa Safe at Home Act.

Gov. Branstad offered the following statement upon the close of the legislative session:

"The dawn of the 2015 legislative session offered hope that leaders of both parties would be able to come together to build Iowa for the future. The Battelle 2.0 study offered state leaders a roadmap for ensuring Iowa continues to move forward and is positioned to continue growing, bringing business and jobs to the state and increasing family incomes. As the study simply states, sound infrastructure is a prerequisite for economic development.

"Together, leaders acted to support the investment of $3.2 billion over five years in Iowa's roads and bridges. These key improvements will elevate the state's ability to attract economic development and job creators. Since 2011, our unemployment rate has been slashed by over 33 percent, more Iowans are working than ever before and our jobless rate is the lowest it has been in over seven years. To continue this growth, we needed to not only make strategic investments in our roads and bridges, but also in 21^st century infrastructure.

"Time and again, Lieutenant Governor Reynolds and I heard from businesses across the state that the lack of high-speed internet is slowing - or worse, preventing - growth of Iowa small businesses. With the passage of this broadband bill, Iowa can begin stretching high-speed fiber across the state to give farmers the technology they need to fully utilize modern agriculture equipment, schools access to abundant resources available online and local small businesses the ability to connect with the global marketplace.

"With progress, however, comes disappointment. On the second day of the legislative session, I presented a budget that funded Iowa's schools for two years. It provided school officials the certainty and predictability they need to budget. It would prevent the seemingly endless cycle of uncertainty for our schools due to legislative gridlock.

"After five months, the Legislature went home without reaching consensus on a two-year education budget that would provide budget certainty to our schools this year and next. Now, the only certainty that the Iowa Legislature provided to schools is that they'll be back next year having the same old, tired fight about school funding - in an election year no less. That action - or lack thereof - is par for the course in Washington, D.C., but it's a disservice to Iowans, our schools and most importantly our children.

"Perhaps more disappointing was the inability of the Legislature to come together to pass a bill that protects our children from bullying in schools. Every child deserves a safe and respectful learning environment. In 2014, both chambers passed an anti-bullying bill. Yet with nearly identical language this year, the bill to protect our children from the relentless bullying kids can face in the classroom and online through social media languished. First Lady Chris Branstad, Lieutenant Governor Reynolds and I will not stop working to end bullying in Iowa.

"Over the next thirty days, Lieutenant Governor Reynolds and I will carefully review the bills sent to my desk by the Iowa Legislature. We'll review the bills in the same lens as we always do - the budget must balance in the biennium, fit within our five-year budgeting projections, and honor the commitments we've made in the past to the Teacher Leadership and Compensation System and the property tax relief.

"With farm incomes expected to decrease by 32 percent this year, farmland values already down 15 percent and expected to continue to decline this year, commodity prices down 40-50 percent since 2012 and an avian flu virus outbreak affecting nearly 30 million birds across the state, we must adhere to our conservative budgeting principles and resist the desire of using bad budgeting practices that in the past led to reckless across the board cuts."