Jobs and fiscal responsibility are top priorities for 2010 session

On the first day of the legislative session, the senate recognized State Senator Steve Warnstadt of Sioux City for his recent promotion to the rank of Colonel in the Iowa National Guard.

As soon as the 2010 session got under way this week, Republican and Democratic legislators got right down to work on balancing the next state budget. We are focusing on protecting the priorities of Iowans and investing in moving Iowa quickly through these tough economic times.

Despite the lingering national recession, we believe Iowa can emerge with a stronger, growing economy that creates good-paying jobs. All of us—the Governor, legislators, Democrats and Republicans—agree that’s the most important thing we can do for Iowa right now.

We’ll achieve that goal by:

** Balancing the state budget without raising taxes. We won’t add to the burdens of middle-class families by raising taxes during a recession.

** Focusing state job-creation efforts to help small businesses and ensuring we get good results. We’ll also continue investing in key industries that have proven successful for Iowa, including renewable energy and other innovative technologies that have transformed our state into a major manufacturer of finished products from the crops we grow.

** Continuing to put Iowans to work making much-needed community improvements and rebuilding from the natural disasters of 2008. These investments are helping build a solid infrastructure that will support a growing economy for decades.

** Ensuring our workers have the skills and education to compete in the global economy. Every Iowa child should get a quality education, and experienced workers must be able to upgrade their skills to keep up with today’s rapid changes.

We’re also taking steps to make every dollar count for taxpayers by consolidating agencies, delivering services more efficiently, eliminating wasteful spending and creating more accountability.

This session, we’ll act on the recommendations of Iowans that were unanimously approved by the bipartisan State Government Reorganization Commission.

We’ll also conduct a thorough review of corporate tax credits. Those that aren’t creating jobs or accomplishing their goals will be fixed or eliminated.

Today, far too many working-class and middle-class Iowans are wondering if they have a future in our state. The answer is “Yes, they do!”