Chronicle Editorial

Budget battle reaches exhausting end
 
     Months of bickering, fruitless grandstanding and pointless partisanship finally ended last Friday when the Iowa Legislature agreed on a $7.3 billion budget for the upcoming fiscal year. The 2015 session had its ups and downs, but it will no doubt be remembered for lawmakers’ inability to compromise on one of their most important duties – funding K-12 education.
     The biggest piece of legislation to pass during this year’s General Assembly was the 10-cent gas tax hike. Lawmakers had discussed the issue for the past five years but were unable to hash out a deal. While Iowa’s drivers might bemoan the increase, new revenue generated from the additional tax will help fund infrastructure improvements across the state. Iowa’s roads and bridges have deteriorated significantly since the last time the gas tax was increased, and this seems like a step in the right director for better amenities.
     Other notable successes include broadband expansion and university tuition freezes at Iowa’s three largest state-funded institutions. The former includes property tax breaks for communication companies to expand high-speed Internet access in rural areas, while the latter freezes tuition rates at Iowa, Iowa State and Northern Iowa for a third-straight year. Both of these moves have potential to improve quality of life for Iowans and create opportunities.
     Nonetheless, it seems the 2015 General Assembly’s successes were outshone by its failures. Laws affecting eminent domain, gun rights, medicinal marijuana and many other topics either died due to lack of action or simply weren’t taken up. Obviously, not every new proposal will pass and become law, but it would be nice if lawmakers voted on these issues instead of letting them fizzle out without a vote. Many of these topics keep resurfacing year after year and lawmakers should say “yes” or “no” and move on.
     All of these hot topics pale in comparison to the definitive issue of the 2015 General Assembly. For five months lawmakers dragged their feet on funding K-12 education. Back-and-forth negotiations yielded little progress, which eventually sent the session into a month-long overtime as the House and Senate debated next year’s funding increase for Iowa’s schools.
     The inflated rhetoric and incessant bickering came to end last week when lawmakers agreed on a 1.25 percent funding increase and additional $55.7 million in one-time funds for next year. However, the House and Senate failed to reach an agreement on funding for the 2016-17 school year, which has led Gov. Terry Branstad to debate calling a special session to resolve the matter. The saga continues, and it’s unfortunate something as important as school funding has become the focal point of such polarized political vitriol.
     The 2015 General Assembly was mediocre at best. However, you can’t expect much more from a split party House and Senate. It was long, drawn out and frustrating at times, but at least it’s over. Hopefully our lawmakers learn from this year’s lessons and bridge more gaps in 2016. Iowans deserve a productive legislative branch that tackles difficult issues in a timely fashion instead of arguing over political differences.