Open Budget Hearings

Watch archived video of the meetings, read statements and post your own comments.

Senate Democrats are hosting a weeklong series of “Open Budget Hearings”  at the Iowa Statehouse.  Informed Iowans will detail the impact of the significant points of disagreement between Senate Democratic proposals and those of Governor Branstad and House Republicans. On this page you can watch archived video of the meetings, read statements and post your own comments.

“We hope sunshine, openness, and transparency will build momentum for a budget compromise that protects the top priorities of Iowa families,” said Senator Bob Dvorsky, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee.  “Since Republicans have rejected our offer to make the negotiations themselves public, these Open Budget Hearings are the next best thing.”

“With one billion dollars in the state’s savings accounts, Republicans are needlessly insisting on an austerity budget that will hurt Iowa families, local schools, and local economic development,” said Dvorsky.  “The facts are on our side. That’s why we’ve organized these Open Budget Hearings.  By bringing more openness and transparency to the negotiations, we hope to help Iowans better understand what’s at stake and increase the pressure on Republicans to compromise by stepping away from their extreme demands.”

Please note that any ads in the videos are inserted by Ustream and the Senate Democrats neither profit from nor endorse them.

Make your voice heard

• You can share your comments and concerns with us by posting a comment on this page. Just scroll to the bottom of the page to find the comment form.

• Click here to find your legislator and their contact information.

• Call Governor Branstad at (515) 281-5211 and tell him you oppose extreme cuts to job creation efforts and educational opportunity.

Meeting schedules, documents, and video

Ways and Means Property Tax Reform Listen and Learn – Tuesday, June 14th at 10AM in room 22 of the Capitol

• Opening statement by Committee Chair Joe Bolkcom (PDF)
• Property tax fact sheet: Wall Street vs Main Street  (PDF)
• Story City city administrator Mark Jackson on how the Republican plan will devastate local economic development (Video)
• Bond attorneys explain how most bond defaults caused by the Republican plan must be repaid by residential property tax increases (Video)
• Senator Herman Quirmbach’s summation (Video)
• Archived video of property tax relief hearing: Part I
• Archived video of property tax relief hearing: Part II
• Archived video of property tax relief hearing: Part III
• Archived video of property tax relief hearing: Part IV
• Archived video of property tax relief hearing: Part V
• Archived video of property tax relief hearing: Part VI
• Archived video of property tax relief hearing: Part VII
• Click here for a tentative agenda of presenters (PDF)
• Testimony by Ben Rogers, Linn County Board of Supervisors (PDF)
• Talking points from Ben Rogers, Linn County Board of Supervisors (PDF)
• Testimony from Angela Connolly, Polk County Board of Supervisors (PDF)
• Testimony from Bill Peterson, Executive Director, Iowa State Association of Counties (PDF)
• Written testimony submitted by Grant Veeder, Black Hawk County Auditor (PDF)
• Written testimony submitted by the Scott County Board of Supervisors (PDF)

Education Budget Listen and Learn Archive- Monday, June 6th at 10AM in room 116 of the Capitol

• Archived video of Education Hearing: Part I
• Archived video of Education Hearing: Part II
• Archived video of Education Hearing: Part III
• Click here for a tentative agenda of presenters (PDF)
• Biographies of presenters (PDF)
• Education Budget Chair Brian Schoenjahn’s opening statement (PDF)
• Key budget differences handout (PDF)
• Board of Regents President David Miles’s opening statement (PDF)
• Board of Regents President David Mile’s powerpoint presentation (PDF)
• Handout from Community College Presidents Rob Denson and Barb Crittenden (PDF)
• Statement from Brent Siegrist, Executive Director, Area Education Agencies and former Republican Speaker of the House (PDF)
• Statement by Randy Nichols, Superintendent of Eldora Community Schools, and Karen Ritter, Director of private preschool that coordinates with Eldora schools (PDF)

Health and Human Services Budget Listen and Learn – Tuesday, June 7th at 9AM in room 116 of the Capitol

• Archived video of Health and Human Services Hearing
• Click here for a tentative agenda of presenters (PDF)
• Opening statement by Committee Chair Jack Hatch (PDF)
• Changes in the Omnibus bill compared with HF 649 (PDF)
• Areas of agreement and disagreement in the HHS budget (PDF)
• Fact sheet from Dr. Richard Deming on tobacco prevention and cessation (PDF)
• Testimony from Penny Dickey, Chief Operating Officer, Planned Parenthood (PDF)
• Iowa’s Care Gap factsheet from Anthony Hale, Iowa Caregivers Association (PDF)
• Bio and key points from Anthony Hale, Iowa Caregivers Association (PDF)
• Testimony from Kim Young-Kent, Executive Director, Tri-County Child and Family (PDF)
• Testimony from Jen Weidman, Hawk-I Outreach Coordinator (PDF)
• Fact sheet from Brock Wolf, President and CEO of Orchard Place (PDF)
• Testimony from Mary O’Brien, Policy Liaison, Visiting Nurse Services of Iowa (PDF)
• Testimony from Kelly Huntsman, Executive Director of Primary Health Care, Inc. (PDF)
• Grant fact sheet from Kelly Huntsman, Executive Director of Primary Health Care, Inc. (PDF)
• Testimony from Reverend Paul Shultz, Board Member of the Family Planning Council of Iowa (PDF)
• Testimony from Dennis Baugh, Executive Director of Youth Shelter Care of North Central Iowa, Inc. (PDF)
• Written testimony submitted by The Coalition for Family and Children’s Services in Iowa (PDF)

Economic Growth Budget Listen and Learn – Wednesday, June 8th at 2PM in room 116 of the Capitol

• Video of Economic Growth Hearing: Part I
• Video of Economic Growth Hearing: Part II
• Video of Economic Growth Hearing: Part III
• Video of Economic Growth Hearing: Part IV
• Video of Economic Growth Hearing: Part V
• Video of Economic Growth Hearing: Part VI
• Video of Economic Growth Hearing: Part VII
• Video of Economic Growth Hearing: Part VIII
• Click here for a tentative agenda of presenters (PDF)
• Opening statement by Committee Chair Bill Dotzler (PDF)
• Testimony by Rachel Manuel, Iowa Campus Compact (PDF)
• Testimony by Greg Lewis, Iowa Workforce Board member, AFSCME Iowa Council 61 (PDF)
• Testimony by Katie Schippers, United Way of Mahaska (PDF)
• Written testimony submitted by Dubuque Mayor Roy Buol (PDF)
• Testimony from Jason Neifert, immediate past President of the Iowa Workers’ Compensation Advisory Committee, Inc. (PDF)
• Presentation on Grow Iowa Values Fund Impact by Sharron Quisenberry, Vice President for Research and Economic Development, Iowa State University (PDF)
• Testimony from Randy Pilkington, Executive Director, Business and Community Services, University of Northern Iowa (PDF)

Administration and Regulation Budget Listen and Learn – Thursday, June 9 at 10AM in room 22 of the Capitol

• Video of Admin and Reg Budget Hearing: Part I
• Video of Admin and Reg Budget Hearing: Part II
• Video of Admin and Reg Budget Hearing: Part III
• Video of Admin and Reg Budget Hearing: Part IV
• Video of Admin and Reg Budget Hearing: Part V
• Video of Admin and Reg Budget Hearing: Part VI
• Video of Admin and Reg Budget Hearing: Part VII
• Video of Admin and Reg Budget Hearing: Part VIII
• Video of Admin and Reg Budget Hearing: Part IX
• Video of Admin and Reg Budget Hearing: Part X
• Click here for a tentative agenda of presenters (PDF)
• Opening statement by Committee Chair Pam Jochum (PDF)

Agriculture and Natural Resources Budget Listen and Learn - Friday, June 10th at 10AM in room 116 of the Capitol

• Archived video of Ag and Natural Resources Hearing
• Click here for a tentative agenda of presenters (PDF)
• Opening statement by Committee Chair Dennis Black (PDF)
• Testimony on Iowa’s Resource Enhancement and Protection Program by Mark Langgin, Iowa’s Water and Land Legacy (PDF)
• Written testimony submitted by State Police Officers Council (PDF)