Keokuk, IA – The Iowa legislature's 2009 session begins at 10:00 A.M. While lawmakers plan to cut their time in Des Moines to 100 days, those days are expected to be filled with talk of budgets, flood recovery, and taxes.
State Representative Jerry Kearns says the state's financial struggles will dictate what happens in Des Moines this session. The Keokuk Democrat says the top priority and biggest challenge for lawmakers will be to pass a balanced budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1.
Kearns hopes the Governor's 1.5% budget cut to the current budget will be enough that lawmakers can focus on FY10.
He says, beyond the budget, flood recovery and some sort of transportation tax will receive a lot of discussion and debate.
Kearns also expects to see a vote on the proposed "fair-share" legislation, which he supports.
He does not know, though, if a vote will be held on the state smoking ban with the issue moving through the court system.