2008 Session Ends with Unprecedented Spending Increases and Loss of Local Vote on School Infrastructure Tax
May 12, 2008
Total Spending Increases Approved During First Two Years of Culver Administration Will Exceed the Entire Eight Years of Spending Increases Under Governor Vilsack.
The old line you often hear said in jest is: "Grab your wallet, the Legislature is back in town." Unfortunately, there was nothing funny about the final days of the 2008 Session of the Iowa General Assembly and Iowa taxpayers will be paying these bills for years to come.
Much of the legislation passed during the final week of the Session is still sitting on Governor Culver's desk awaiting his final decisions. He has 30 days to act on those bills he receives after the Legislature has adjourned for the year and, thus, much of the final analysis of the 2008 Session will wait until all these matters have been settled.
As such, please watch for a series of Interim Reports from The Watchdog in the coming weeks and months that provide more in depth looks at the various outcomes of the 2008 Session.
However, in the way of a quick and dirty look at the 2008 Session, here are three negatives and three positives from 2008:
2008 Session Ends with Unprecedented Spending Increases and Loss of Local Vote on School Infrastructure Tax