Progressive Democrat Issue 103: IOWA FOCUS: The Legislative Agenda

This comes from the Democratic Party of Iowa outlining the planned legislative agenda in the new year:

Iowa democrats: teacher pay, health care will lead agenda
Thursday, January 4, 2007

(Quad City Times)Democrats who will lead the Iowa Legislature said they will push for key election priorities in the upcoming session, but they also pledged during a Wednesday stop in the Quad-Cities to work across the aisle with Republicans.

Incoming House Speaker Pat Murphy, D-Dubuque, and Senate President Mike Gronstal, D-Council Bluffs, said they will seek to boost teacher pay and expand renewable energy and health care in the state.

At the same time, the two men indicated they will push for an increase in cigarette taxes, a key issue for border areas such as the Quad-Cities.

Gov.-elect Chet Culver has already said he is likely to propose an increase as part of his budget.

“I think it’s exceedingly likely there will be a cigarette tax increase this year,” Gronstal said.
...

Gov. Tom Vilsack has proposed an increase in cigarette taxes to Republican-led legislatures, but he always was rebuffed. He has said an increase in the tax — which is below the Illinois figure — would cut back on the number of young smokers and pay for health related programs.

Flanked by local Democratic legislators, who are, for the first time in years, the majority in the Quad-City area delegation, Gronstal and Murphy also said they would move aggressively to boost teacher pay so the state achieves a rank of 25th in the nation.

Iowa currently ranks 40th.

...

Among the legislators attending a news conference at the Davenport RiverCenter were Rep. Cindy Winckler, D-Davenport, and Sen. Frank Wood, D-Eldridge, who have been appointed to key funding panels tied to education.

Rep. Jim Lykam, D-Davenport, and Rep.-elect Elesha Gayman, D-Davenport, also were on hand.

Sounds great to me! Let's encourage this excellent, pro-American agenda by writing the media and telling them you support the Democrats in their goals to boost teacher pay, healthcare, renewable energy and raise the cigarette tax (or any combination of these you support!)


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