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Massive Iowa Legislature linkfest (post-funnel edition)

February 19, 2010 by Bleeding Heartland

Bleeding Heartland's picture
Original Author: 
desmoinesdem
The Iowa Legislature has been moving at an unusually fast pace during the shortened 2010 session. It's time to catch up on what's happened at the statehouse over the past three weeks. From here on out I will try to post a legislative roundup at the end of every week.

February 12 was the first "funnel" deadline. In order to have a chance of moving forward in 2010, all legislation except for tax and appropriations bills must have cleared at least one Iowa House or Senate committee by the end of last Friday.

After the jump I've included links on lots of bills that have passed or are still under consideration, as well as bills I took an interest in that failed to clear the funnel. I have grouped bills by subject area. This post is not an exhaustive list; way too many bills are under consideration for me to discuss them all. I recommend this funnel day roundup by Rod Boshart for the Mason City Globe-Gazette.

Note: the Iowa legislature's second funnel deadline is coming up on March 5. To remain alive after that point, all bills except tax and appropriations bills must have been approved by either the full House or Senate and by a committee in the opposite chamber. Many bills that cleared the first funnel week will die in the second.  

Lessons For Milwaukee Area: Urban Investment A Key To Regional Revival: Brookings Institution

Submitted by The Political E... on Fri, 02/12/2010 - 06:26
Original Author: 
jer45y@gmail.com (James Rowen)
A few years ago, the prestigious Brookings Institution said in a major study the Great Lakes could be revived economically with, among other initiatives, a concentrated strategy that focused on cities and older neighborhoods.

If the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission took its role more seriously, it could have produced a master plan for the region this comprehensive and coordinated - - as its enabling statutory authority allows.

Instead, we get piecemeal planning, such as a 35+years interval between housing plans, endorsement of adding 120 miles of new freeway lanes, and a water supply study, nearly five years in the drafting, that is only now, at the end, considering the socio-economic impact of moving Lake Michigan water to Waukesha and an expanded service area to the even=farther west and south of the city.

Here is the summary of Brookings report .

Executive Summary

John Norquist's Sister, Cellist, Dies In Mexico City

Submitted by The Political E... on Tue, 02/09/2010 - 15:24
Original Author: 
jer45y@gmail.com (James Rowen)
Former Milwaukee Mayor John Norquist forwards the sad news that his younger sister Margaret died suddenly in Mexico.




Here are the details:

Margaret Susan Norquist (Romo) died in Mexico City from a stroke on Feb. 3.

Patchwork Carp Control Plan Will Likely Lead To Carp Invasion

Submitted by The Political E... on Tue, 02/09/2010 - 13:45
Original Author: 
jer45y@gmail.com (James Rowen)
With the Illinois-based White House putting Chicago-area barge traffic above the overall health of the Great Lakes, we can safely predict "Carp Invasion1" headlines later this year.

Too little.

Too late.

Too bad.

State Efforts Are Fine, But Great Lakes Need National Effort To Block Asian Carp

Submitted by The Political E... on Sun, 02/07/2010 - 00:59
Original Author: 
jer45y@gmail.com (James Rowen)
If the invasive and menacing carp get above the locks at the Chicago shipping canal, we'll all look back with regret and disgust at years of regional and Illinois' half-measures and inertia.


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