Iowa Senate Democrats

Fighting for a Better Deal for Iowans.

  • Dem Leaders: Labor Center will close because of misplaced GOP priorities

    Iowa Legislative News Release
    For Immediate Release: July 10, 2018   

    Statement from Senate Democratic Leader Janet Petersen and House Democratic Leader Mark Smith
    on plans to close Labor Center and other centers at University of Iowa because of GOP budget cuts and priorities

    “This afternoon, we sent separate letters to (a) Governor Reynolds, Leader Whitver and Speaker Upmeyer and (b) University of Iowa President Harreld and Board of Regent President Richards to object to plans to close the Labor Center and other centers at the University of Iowa.

    “We encouraged Republican leaders to contact University officials and the Board of Regents to encourage them to reverse course.

    “Our letter stated: ‘This is not the first negative consequence of your fiscal mismanagement and Iowans know it won’t be the last. The budgets you have approved for our three universities have already raised tuition on working families and this decision to close the Labor Center is another attack on Iowa workers.’

    “We added: ‘At a time when Iowa’s income growth and job creation efforts have failed to meet expectations, the Labor Center has the potential to provide policymakers with timely information about today’s rapidly changing economic and legal environment, about how best to create and preserve quality jobs, and about how to strengthen workers’ rights.’

    -end-

  • Democrats call on Statehouse Republicans to ‘put Iowans back in control of Medicaid’

    Iowa Senate News Release
    For Immediate Release: December 15, 2017

     

    DES MOINES — Iowa’s Democratic state legislators are asking Governor Kim Reynolds and Republican lawmakers to work together during the 2018 session to end Iowa’s failed Medicaid privatization experiment.

    “We do our best work when we work in a bipartisan fashion” to expand access to affordable health care for many Iowans, Democratic legislators wrote in a letter emailed today to the Governor and every Republican lawmaker.

    “For the past 20 months, constituents of all ages have been bombarding Governor Reynolds and Republican and Democratic legislators with real problems caused by Medicaid privatization,” Democrats wrote. “There is clear evidence that Iowans have died as a result of life-sustaining services being cut off to extremely vulnerable individuals.”

    The letter also stresses the “financial jeopardy” that Medicaid privatization has imposed on hospitals, nursing homes and other Iowa health care providers, especially in Iowa’s small towns and rural areas.

    Democratic lawmakers noted that “privatization is not saving money for Iowa’s taxpayers, and it is not resulting in healthier Iowans. Under Medicaid privatization, the state of Iowa keeps giving the private, out-of-state companies more and more money, while giving Iowa taxpayers less and less.”

    Medicaid is a health care safety net that is administered by the states and funded through a federal-state partnership. Roughly 70 percent of Medicaid expenses are for the care of our very poor elderly and severely disabled Iowans. In 2015, the Branstad/Reynolds Administration announced that the state employees running the program would be replaced by for-profit Medicaid managers.

    Despite widespread opposition and repeated delays, large, out-of-state companies took over care of the majority of Iowans receiving Medicaid services on April 1, 2016. As of today, three of the four companies initially hired to manage the program have abandoned the project. When AmeriHealth Caritas quit the state last month, the health care of 215,000 Iowans was disrupted.

    Governor Reynolds has promised that more managed care organizations are being recruited to replace those that left.

    In today’s letter, Democratic lawmakers propose a different approach: “When Connecticut realized its privatized Medicaid was not working, state leaders made the decision to go back to a publicly managed Medicaid system. Connecticut is now seeing much better results with their new model. They are saving money and improving care.”

    The letter concludes with this plea:

    “More than ever before, we all know that privatized Medicaid is not working for Iowa. For the health and safety of so many, will you work with us to put Iowans back in control of Medicaid? We can and should do better for Iowans. Watching our health care system collapse is not an option.”

     

    -end-

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  • Seven weeks into legislative session, Republicans still breaking promises to create jobs, grow incomes

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 23, 2017
    CONTACT:
    Senate Democratic Leader Rob Hogg: (515)  281-4610
    House Democratic Leader Mark Smith: (515) 281-0817

     

    (Des Moines) Today House and Senate Democratic Leaders pointed out that the Republicans in charge of state government continue to break promises to create jobs and increase family incomes.

    “In 2009, Governor Branstad and Lt. Governor Reynolds promised to create 200,000 jobs in five years,” said Senate Democratic Leader Rob Hogg of Cedar Rapids.  “After more than six years, Iowa has gained fewer than 126,000 jobs, which is slower than the rate of job growth in the country as a whole.  Instead of working on legislation to create jobs, Republicans are pursuing a partisan agenda that ignores the best interests of hard-working Iowans.”

    “Instead of increasing wages and incomes for Iowa families like they promised, Republicans are planning to pass a bill that actually lowers wages for 65,000 Iowans. Far from increasing Iowa incomes, Republicans are casting vote after vote that will lead to job losses and lower incomes for Iowa families,” said House Democratic Leader Mark Smith.  “Democrats believe we should work together to raise wages and increase incomes for Iowa families, not lower them.”

    Republicans have:

    • Refused to help small businesses and farmers who would benefit from coupling with federal tax code changes.
    • Rushed through a collective bargaining bill (SF 213) that directly hurts 185,000 family budgets and will undermine the economies of the communities where they live and shop.
    • Approved a miserly 1.11% increase in aid to local schools (SF 166), even though 61% of superintendents warn this will cause teacher layoffs.
    • Approved deep mid-year budget cuts to community colleges and public services (SF 130) that has resulted in job losses, higher tuition at community colleges, and the loss of 2,440 scholarships for Iowa students.
    • Continue to support the Medicaid privatization mess that has already forced businesses to close and will drive others out of business due to late and non-existent payments by the MCOs.
    • Instead of increasing the minimum wage, Republican lawmakers are working on legislation that will directly cut the wages of 65,000 Iowans.
    • Republican lawmakers are pushing legislation (SF 184) that will drive down construction wages in rural areas, bring in out-of-state workers to do Iowa jobs, and open the door to building Iowa roads and bridges with materials imported from China and other countries.
    • Republican lawmakers are pushing legislation (SSB 1145) that will stop local governments from voluntarily entering into agreements with local contractors—agreements that ensure good-paying jobs, quality work, and cost-effective projects.

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  • Legislative Leaders: It’s time to ‘slow down’ on major overhaul of workers’ rights and start listening to Iowans

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, February 13, 2017
    CONTACT: Dean Fiihr, 515-281-0817

     

    DES MOINES – Responding to record turnout at legislative forums over the weekends and an outpouring of opposition to legislation that would significantly reduce workers’ rights across Iowa, Democratic leaders today called on Republican legislative leaders to “slow down” and to listen to the concerns of Iowans.

    “Iowans are angry. Iowans are confused. Iowans are concerned,” said House Democratic Leader Mark Smith of Marshalltown. “We are calling today on Republican legislative leaders to slow down their efforts to shove this legislation down the throats of Iowa workers. Firefighters, police officers, teachers, nurses, and other dedicated public servants deserve to be heard.”

    Smith pointed to forums over the weekend that attracted large and even overflow crowds across the state, including Ankeny, Council Bluffs, Davenport, Waukee, Cedar Falls, Elkader, Postville, Mason City and Independence. In addition, thousands of Iowans attended a pro-teacher rally on the grounds of the Iowa Capitol on Sunday.

    “When the state’s collective bargaining law was passed in the early 1970s, it took two years of discussion by legislators and their constituents, as well as days of debate before the legislation was adopted in a bipartisan manner,” said Senate Democratic Leader Rob Hogg of Cedar Rapids. “Iowans deserve more time to ask questions, to get straight answers and to better understand a major policy change that affects almost 200,000 hard-working Iowans. It’s time for all legislators – Republican and Democratic – to listen to the concerns of Iowans and to respond to those concerns.”

  • Iowa Legislative Leaders, Governor Branstad Pre-Session Interviews with Iowa Reporters (Video)

    On January 13, 2017, the Associated Press organized a pre-session news conference with with the leaders of the Iowa Legislature.  From left to right: Senate Democratic Leader Rob Hogg, House Democratic Leader Mark Smith, Republican House Speaker Linda Upmeyer and Senate Republican Leader Bill Dix.

    After their meeting, Governor Branstad also met with reporters.

    The meetings were livestreamed on the Iowa Senate Democrats’ Facebook Page.  The links below will take you to the videos.  News coverage is below the videos.

     

     

    https://www.facebook.com/IowaSenateDemocrats/videos/10154180349601778/

     

    https://www.facebook.com/IowaSenateDemocrats/videos/10154180479871778/

     

    Des Moines Register:

    http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/2017/01/04/gop-exercise-muscle-2017-iowa-legislature/96160734/

    http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/politics/2017/01/04/branstad-wont-recommend-tax-cuts-lieu-budget-woes/96160506/

     

     

    CR Gazette:

    http://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/government/budget-constraints-may-limit-iowa-lawmakers-water-quality-actions-20170104

    http://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/government/k-12-schools-medicaid-should-be-spared-from-budget-cuts-branstad-says-20170104

     

    Radio Iowa:

    http://www.radioiowa.com/2017/01/05/first-four-priorities-for-action-in-gop-led-iowa-senate/

    https://www.radioiowa.com/2017/01/04/branstad-state-isnt-in-a-position-to-cut-income-taxes-now/