Iowa Senate News Release For Immediate Release: June 18, 2018
A Statement from Senator Pam Jochum
“The presentation by Iowa Medicaid Director Mike Randol last week was an embarrassing disservice to Iowa taxpayers.
“The Reynolds Administration has still not provided any solid evidence that Medicaid privatization is saving Iowa taxpayers one dime. They also failed to address ongoing problems with the quality of service provided to Medicaid members and the failure to provide Iowa health care providers with adequate and timely reimbursements.
“The failure by the Reynolds Administration to come clean with Iowa taxpayers is even more reason for the State Auditor to comply with my request to conduct a comprehensive audit of Medicaid privatization that explains why it isn’t working.”
IOWA SENATE NEWS
For Immediate Release: May 29, 2018
DES MOINES – Senator Pam Jochum of Dubuque has accepted Governor Reynolds’ offer to provide the numbers behind alleged Medicaid savings of hundreds of millions dollars.
“This is not about the politics, it’s about the numbers and Iowa families,” said Jochum, a legislative leader on health care issues. “That’s why I have accepted Governor Reynolds’s offer to meet with Medicaid Director Mike Randol and go over the numbers. This meeting should, of course, be open to the public and news media. Iowans have a right to know where and how their tax money is being spent. We are talking about hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars, the financial survival of the state’s health care providers, and the lives of 600,000 Iowans and their families.”
Republican claims about the financial impact of Medicaid privatization have varied dramatically.* When the Des Moines Register filed an open records request for the facts, the Reynolds Administration released a one-page letter that was also sent to Senator Jochum. The Register was offered more information, but only on “background.”
“If money has been saved, I want to know how that happened,” said Jochum. “Did for-profit Medicaid suddenly improve the health of Iowans with serious health care challenges? My best guess is that most of the ‘savings’ came from failing to pay Iowa health care providers and forcing Iowa families to accept lower quality care.”
The Republican budget approved during the 2018 session did not include a firm estimate of the cost of Iowa Medicaid for the coming year.
“We all know for-profit Medicaid has been a disaster for Iowa families and health care providers,” said Jochum. “I believe it has also been a disaster for the state budget. Governor Reynolds, I look forward to a public review of the hundreds of millions of dollars Iowa has spent on privatized Medicaid and the reforms that will start fixing Iowa’s Medicaid mess.”
DES MOINES — Senator Pam Jochum of Dubuque has formally asked Mary Mosiman, the Auditor of the State of Iowa, to “audit the Iowa Medicaid program and the private managed care companies to document and determine the amount of ‘savings’ generated by privatizing the Iowa Medicaid program.”
“Auditor Mosiman has said her unofficial office motto is, ‘In God We Trust…Everyone Else We Audit,’ said Jochum. “That’s exactly the attitude we should all take to the suspect claims being made about Iowa’s disastrous Medicaid privatization.”
Senator Jochum said Auditor Mosiman’s office should subpoena documents from the Reynolds Administration and from private companies to determine if “Iowans are really saving money by paying out of state, for-profit insurance companies to care for our most vulnerable.”
In her letter to Mosiman, Senator Jochum noted that she had earlier asked the Reynolds Administration to provide the calculations related to Medicaid savings. She described the response–single sheet of paper claiming almost a half billion dollars in savings—as “inadequate.”
Senator Pam Jochum has represented Dubuque in the Iowa House and then the Iowa Senate by 1993. From 2013 to 2016, she served as the President of the Iowa Senate.
– End –
Text of Senator Jochum’s letter to Auditor Mosiman:
May 22, 2018
Mary Mosiman
Auditor of State
State of Iowa
Capitol Building
Des Moines, IA 50319
Auditor Mosiman,
I am writing today to officially request that you and your office audit the Iowa Medicaid program and the private managed care companies to document and determine the amount of “savings” generated by privatizing the Iowa Medicaid program.
You serve as the “Taxpayers’ Watchdog.” The amount of savings predicted and reported by the Iowa Department of Human Services has continually changed. Iowans deserve a better answer. Iowans deserve to know if their taxpayer funds are being used in the most efficient way.
Your office should subpoena the necessary documentation from the Department of Human Services and the private companies to determine if Iowans are really saving money by paying out of state, for-profit insurance companies to care for our most vulnerable.
I recently asked the Department of Human Services to show me the calculations related to Medicaid savings and I received the attached inadequate response. It is time for you and your office to open a special investigation so Iowans can be assured their taxpayer funds are being used effectively and efficiently.
Iowa Senate Democrats News Release For Immediate Release: March 20, 2018
Senator Pam Jochum named 2018 Uncommon Public Servant
by Hoover Presidential Foundation
Senator Pam Jochum and her daughter, Sarah.
On Tuesday, March 20, State Senator Pam Jochum of Dubuque received one of the highest awards given to an Iowa state legislator: the “Uncommon Public Service Award” from the Hoover Presidential Foundation. Senator Jochum is the 12th State Senator to receive the award.
The award presentation noted that “Senator Jochum has played a leading role in expanding affordable health insurance coverage to thousands of working Iowans and has stood up for citizens with disabilities to protect their health services. Her support for and commitment to education has been unwavering. She has worked to expand early childhood education and ensure affordable higher education, whether at a state university, a private college or a community college.”
Senator Jochum, who has also served as president of the Senate, was joined by her daughter, Sarah, in the Iowa Senate chamber.
REMARKS BY SENATOR DAVID JOHNSON (I)
AT THE PRESENTATION OF THE 12th ANNUAL
HERBERT HOOVER UNCOMMON PUBLIC SERVICE AWARD
It is my privilege to once again to present the Uncommon Public Service Award named in honor of a most “uncommon” American, Herbert Hoover.
The Hoover Presidential Foundation established the Uncommon Public Service Award to be presented annually to one member of the Iowa House and one from the Iowa Senate who exemplify Herbert Hoover’s humanitarian efforts and commitment with uncommon service to the people of Iowa. Moments ago, Representative Dawn Pettengill received the award in the House.
As you may recall, the 2017 Senate recipient was Senator Rob Hogg.
Recipients become honorary members of the Hoover Presidential Foundation for one year and are also honored at the Foundation’s Celebration Banquet in the fall.
President Hoover was an uncommon and extraordinary public servant. His diligent, humanitarian efforts saved the lives of millions of people suffering from the devastations or war, flood and famine, world-wide.
Born in West Branch, in a humble one room cottage in Cedar County, in August of 1874, Hoover raised himself up to accomplish many great things. He won his first bid for elected office: the Presidency of the United States, and in his lifetime, saved the lives of well over a billion people in 57 countries. That certainly made him an “uncommon” person.
Being “uncommon” is a quality of life and of service that we see often in our great state. We find uncommon people in our schools, churches, courts and hospitals, among other places. We even find them in our state government. And, that is why we are here today – to recognize an “uncommon” legislator from the Iowa State Senate.
It’s greatly satisfying to me as a trustee of the Hoover Presidential Foundation, that for the 12th consecutive year, we’ve recognized legislators from the Iowa Senate who have demonstrated uncommon and extraordinary public service to the people of this state.
I know that Mr. Hoover is here in spirit today as we present this award to State Senator Pam Jochum.
Elected to the Iowa House in 1992 and then the Iowa Senate in 2008, Sen. Jochum is respected for her ability to build coalitions that get things done for Dubuque and Iowa. She was nominated by two former Uncommon Public Service Award recipients, Senators Rob Hogg and Amanda Ragan.
They wrote, “We nominate Sen. Jochum… because of her inspirational legislative career, her passion for people and her community, and her commitment to dignity for all people.” The nomination also quoted Teri Goodmann, assistant city manager for the city of Dubuque who said, “Pam is tenacious. She doesn’t give up on people or her passion for the community.”
Among her many accomplishments, in addition to having served as president of this body, Senator Jochum has played a leading role in expanding affordable health insurance coverage to thousands of working Iowans and has stood up for citizens with disabilities to protect their health services. Her support for and commitment to education has been unwavering. She has worked to expand early childhood education and ensure affordable higher education, whether at a state university, a private college or a community college.
Let me conclude with some remarks that Mr. Hoover made on his last visit to West Branch in 1962:
“I have had every honor to which any man could aspire,” he said. “There is no place on the whole earth except here in America where all the sons of man can have this chance in life. Here alone are the open windows through which pour the sunlight of the human spirit. Here alone is human dignity not a dream, but an accomplishment. Perhaps it is not perfect, but it is more full in realization here than any other place in the world.”
Please join me once again in congratulating Senator Pam Jochum, the recipient of the Iowa Senate 2018 Herbert Hoover Uncommon Public Service Award!
“The tax plan recently released by Iowa Senate Republicans is more fiscally irresponsible than many Iowans imagined, according to a nonpartisan analysis released today.
“Contrary to the claims of Senate Republicans, their tax plan is NOT fair to many Iowans, it does NOT make Iowa more competitive with other states, and it certainly does NOT take into account the ongoing budget crisis.
“Iowans understand that the tax plan offered by Senate Republicans must be viewed in light of disastrous tax-cut plans approved in Kansas and Oklahoma, which have resulted in massive cuts to education, public safety and other vital services.
“Iowans also see that the plan by Iowa Senate Republicans will further hamper efforts to train more Iowans for the jobs of tomorrow, to increase family incomes and to help create more opportunities for our children and grandchildren.”
Last week, Republicans who control the Iowa Senate came out with a 130-page, $1 billion tax plan. Much like what happens in Washington D.C., we’ve seen no spreadsheets to give us a sense of the financial impact the proposal will have on Iowans and our state.
In addition, most Iowans have no idea what’s in SF 2383 because it’s being rushed through before taxpayers can get up to speed and have their say.
This proposal could wreck Iowa’s economy the way a similar plan wrecked Kansas. Forbes describes the ongoing crisis Kansas has faced in recent years because of fiscal mismanagement.
WATCH – Democratic state senators speak out on the extreme Kansas-style tax plan being proposed for Iowa.
Democrats in the Iowa Senate are willing to work on a bipartisan tax plan that:
Is fair to all Iowans.
Takes into account our current budget situation.
Reins in corporate tax credits that don’t work or are too expensive.
Makes Iowa’s tax laws easier to understand.
SF 2383 is expected to come up for a vote by the full Senate this week.
If you’re concerned, please contact your state senator. Call the Senate switchboard at 515-281-3371 or get your senator’s email and phone number at www.legis.iowa.gov/legislators/find.
Iowa Senate News Release For Immediate Release: February 21, 2018
DES MOINES — Senator Pam Jochum of Dubuque, the lead Democrat in the Iowa Senate on tax issues, responded to a tax plan released today by Senate Republicans.
Although the proposal from the Senate Republicans leaves many unanswered questions, Jochum provided this initial response:
“The tax plan offered by Senate Republicans today must be viewed in light of disastrous tax-cut plans approved in Kansas and Oklahoma, which have resulted in massive cuts to education, public safety and other vital services. In fact, Kansas abandoned failed trickle-down tax cuts and Oklahoma’s Republican Governor is actually proposing higher taxes to dig her state out a fiscal mess.”
Today, Jochum renewed her offer to work in a bipartisan manner on a tax plan that meets these principles:
Tax reform must be fair. Iowa’s tax system has a number of tax brackets in an attempt make the income tax system progressive so that those with lower incomes pay at lower rates. However, according to the Iowa Policy Project, when all state and local taxes are accounted for, Iowa’s lowest income earners pay the largest portion of their income in taxes. Changes to Iowa’s tax system should address this situation and not make this problem worse.
Tax reform must make Iowa’s tax code more transparent so Iowa can show its true competitiveness to the nation. Iowa’s tax code has become a confusing collection of credits, deductions and exemptions that has left the state with high tax rates that do not accurately reflect the cost of living and doing business in Iowa. Our tax rates appear to be among the highest in the nation — but according to the Tax Foundation, the amount paid by Iowans through our tax system ranks Iowa in the middle of the pack.
Tax reform needs to take into account our current budget situation. We just completed a legislative session where funding was slashed for nearly every part of state government, and there is no sign the situation will be improving next year. We must not repeat the mistakes of Kansas, which passed massive tax cuts that have resulted in a continual budget crisis where schools are underfunded and has forced the state to balance the budget by stealing from road funds and raising other taxes.
Tax reform needs to examine corporate tax credits. We have cut state funding for vital state programs that serve some of our youngest and most vulnerable Iowans. So far corporate tax credits have been exempt from these cuts. We must determine if these corporate tax credits a good return on the investment and benefit Iowans, not just those few businesses.
Iowa Senate News Release For Immediate Release: February 13, 2018
DES MOINES — Senator Pam Jochum of Dubuque, the lead Democrat in the Iowa Senate on tax issues, responded to Governor Kim Reynolds’s tax plan.
Although the news release from the Governor’s office leaves many unanswered questions, Jochum raised two red flags about the plan:
“This plan does not touch corporate tax credits, which is the fastest-growing part of the state budget. That’s a big, big mistake and it’s unfair to working families.”
“Any tax cut plan for Iowa must be viewed in light of disastrous tax-cut plans approved in Kansas and Oklahoma, which have resulted in massive cuts to education, public safety, health care and other vital services. In fact, Kansas abandoned failed trickle-down tax cuts and Oklahoma’s Republican Governor is actually proposing higher taxes to dig her state out a fiscal mess in the wake of massive tax cuts.”
“During your inaugural speech, you signaled that you planned to build on your experiences in the Iowa Senate and how you want to work together to make Iowa a better place. After a session marked by extreme legislation pushed through in a partisan manner, that will be a welcome change,” Jochum wrote to the Governor.
Even though the Governor never responded to the letter or reached out to Senate Democrats for their ideas, Jochum renewed her offer today to work in a bipartisan manner on a tax plan that meets these principles:
Tax reform must be fair. Iowa’s tax system has a number of tax brackets in an attempt make the income tax system progressive so that those with lower incomes pay at lower rates. However, according to the Iowa Policy Project, when all state and local taxes are accounted for, Iowa’s lowest income earners pay the largest portion of their income in taxes. Changes to Iowa’s tax system should address this situation and not make this problem worse.
Tax reform must make Iowa’s tax code more transparent so Iowa can show its true competitiveness to the nation. Iowa’s tax code has become a confusing collection of credits, deductions and exemptions that has left the state with high tax rates that do not accurately reflect the cost of living and doing business in Iowa. Our tax rates appear to be among the highest in the nation — but according to the Tax Foundation, the amount paid by Iowans through our tax system ranks Iowa in the middle of the pack.
Tax reform needs to take into account our current budget situation. We just completed a legislative session where funding was slashed for nearly every part of state government, and there is no sign the situation will be improving next year. We must not repeat the mistakes of Kansas, which passed massive tax cuts that have resulted in a continual budget crisis where schools are underfunded and has forced the state to balance the budget by stealing from road funds and raising other taxes.
Tax reform needs to examine corporate tax credits. We have cut state funding for vital state programs that serve some of our youngest and most vulnerable Iowans. So far corporate tax credits have been exempt from these cuts. We must determine if these corporate tax credits a good return on the investment and benefit Iowans, not just those few businesses.
DES MOINES – Democratic lawmakers outlined their new plan today called Putting Iowans First. The plan was developed by lawmakers to keep the 2018 session focused on improving the lives of everyday Iowans.
“Iowans don’t ask for much. They just want a decent paying job and the chance to lead a happy, healthy life. But we know today that too many Iowans who are working hard are just struggling to get by. Stagnant wages, rising health care costs, and fewer dollars going to job training and public education are hurting Iowa families,” said House Democratic Leader Mark Smith.
“Democrats believe it’s time to get back to the basics—to help improve Iowans’ everyday lives and give each of us opportunities to get ahead. Our Putting Iowans First plan focuses on better paying jobs, a great education, and affordable health care. Democrats believe that Iowa values include investing in Iowans. It’s a mistake to believe that the state can cut its way to prosperity,” said Senate Democratic Leader Janet Petersen.
The Putting Iowans First plan has four parts:
Better-Paying Jobs
A Revitalization of Small Towns and Rural Areas
The Best Education in the Country
A Quality of Life that Makes Iowa the #1 Best Place to Live
“It’s time to say goodbye to the back room deals and corporate tax giveaways. Our Putting Iowans First plan will bring the focus of our government back to improving the lives of everyday Iowans,” added Smith. “That means affordable job training and new recreational opportunities in rural areas. It means increasing the use of renewable fuels and investing in our public schools again to produce a highly skilled workforce. It also means expanding access to affordable health care.”
Iowa Senate News Release
For Immediate Release: January 24, 2018
DES MOINES — A group of Senators introduced legislation today to ensure that state employees – not all Iowa taxpayers – would be financially responsible for egregious and illegal workplace behavior.
“Iowans are disgusted by the harassment, discrimination and retaliation against Kirsten Anderson and other legislative staff by some Republican Senators and staff members,” said Senator Tod Bowman of Maquoketa, the legislation’s main sponsor. “Most Iowans can’t believe they’re on the hook for $1.75 million because of the misconduct and mismanagement of some Republican Senators. Especially in a tight budget year, this money should be put towards our kids’ education, job training programs or mental health care. Taxpayers expect more from their leaders.”
The legislation is proposed in the wake of a jury decision last year to award $2.25 million to former Senate Republican staffer Kirsten Anderson in a sexual harassment lawsuit she brought against Iowa Senate Republicans. Anderson was fired in May 2013, just seven hours after filing a complaint alleging a sexually hostile work environment. Subsequently, Anderson agreed to a reduced award of $1.75 million to avoid a lengthy appeal process.
Under current law, Iowa taxpayers must pay for such awards, and there’s no recourse for state officials to recoup that money from offending state employees.
The legislation introduced today – which is sponsored by all 20 Democratic State Senators and independent Senator David Johnson – would allow the plaintiff to receive an award from the state but would require the Iowa Attorney General to recover the amount of the award from offending state employees.
The legislation applies to state employment cases, which includes hostile work environment cases involving sexual harassment, race, religion, age or disability.
“This proposed legislation is part of the national conversation about preventing sexual harassment in the workplace,” Bowman said. “We must send a message to legislators and other state employees who harass their co-workers or subordinates that their conduct will not be tolerated and that they will be held responsible for their illegal behavior.”
“This legislation is another important step in our efforts to improve the workplace culture in the Iowa Senate and our commitment to making sure the Statehouse is a safe and healthy environment.”
