Garrett: Iowa budget builds in responsible cushion

We now have an agreement between the Senate and House on the final budget numbers for the fiscal year beginning July 1.

We will be spending $7,643,653,860. That compares to about $7,619,000 for the current budget. It is estimates that we will have $7.8 billion in revenue next year so we have a comfortable cushion in case revenues do not come in as expected.

We will have more money that it would appear because we will not have to replace money to the rainy day fund as we did this year. In 2017 we had to borrow money when we did not have the money to fund all the appropriations that had been passed in the 2016 session. That was because revenue did not come in at the estimated level.

I believe this is a responsible budget. As I have advocated for years, not always successfully, we do not spend right up to the legal limit. 

The agreed amount for my budget subcommittee, the Justice System budget subcommittee, is $768,017,983. This compares to $748,700,000 for the current fiscal year. As you can see this is about 10% of the total general fund budget. I am now working with my House counterpart to work out the details of how to allocate the money among all the agencies that we fund in our subcommittee.

The other budget subcommittee chairs are working out the details of their budgets also. Usually we adjourn when we can pass all our budget bills.     

Election bill would close polls at 8 p.m.

Polls in Iowa would close at 8 p.m. under a bill that we passed in the Senate. Among other things, the bill also requires intelligent bar codes to verify the date on which an absentee ballot was mailed. It goes to the House for consideration, where I understand it may be changed.            

Sports betting bill passes Senate

The Senate passed the sports betting bill. It now goes to the House. I expect it to pass. I voted no on the bill. I believe we have enough gambling now. I fear that too many people, especially young people, will become addicted to this kind of gambling.

The gambling will be regulated by the Racing and Gambling Commission. Betting on high school games is prohibited. The revenue will be taxed. Legalizing betting is supposed to reduce illegal gambling. It will be interesting to see if it does, although I don’t know if we can accurately measure illegal betting.  

Don’t forget that bills that did not pass this session will be eligible to be considered when we convene next January.

STATE SEN. JULIAN GARRETT, R-rural Indianola, represents District 13, which includes Madison and Warren counties, including the cities of Indianola, Norwalk and Winterset. He can be reached at 515-971-0883 or julian.garrett@legis.iowa.gov.