Iowa legislators advance Branstad's water quality proposal

Iowa lawmakers voted Monday to advance Gov. Terry Branstad's controversial water quality proposal with assurances from his staff that they will offer amendments to address the concerns of various stakeholders.

A three-person House subcommittee voted to 2-1 to advance the bill to a full committee. It was the first time lawmakers had a chance to publicly consider the bill.

"I’ve seen two proposals for water quality in our state over the last year. One was a lawsuit," said Rep. Peter Cownie, R-West Des Moines, referencing a suit brought by the Des Moines Water Works against three northwest Iowa counties over water quality.

He credited that action with drawing state attention to the issue, but said "I like this way of doing things better."

The governor's proposal, which he has said is his top priority for the session, would extend for another 20 years a one-cent sales tax currently earmarked for education infrastructure spending. That tax currently is set to expire in 2029.

Schools would be guaranteed everything they currently receive through the tax plus an additional $10 million annually. The proposal would capture revenue growth beyond that cap and direct it to water quality projects.

The Department of Revenue projects the plan would create $4.7 billion to support water quality over 32 years and maintain $21 billion for schools.

But so far, the proposal has been met with skepticism, with some arguing that it pits water quality against education — two high-priority issues in the state.

Many people who spoke at the subcommittee meeting said they appreciate that the governor has attempted to tackle the issue, but most said they are reserving judgment before choosing to support or oppose the legislation.

Ted Stopulos, a legislative liaison for the governor, said the bill was designed to be a starting "framework" for discussions. He said Branstad has been meeting with stakeholders in the weeks since announcing his plan and his administration plans to bring amendments to address a number of issues that have caused some concern.

He said there will be an amendment forthcoming that would allow school districts to use revenue generated by the tax to support not just infrastructure needs, but also transportation, per pupil spending and property tax relief. But it would prevent districts from using the money to build new sports stadiums.

Stopulos said there also would be an amendment to require that any school infrastructure project worth than more than $1 million would require a vote to move forward.

Finally, he said, they will support a provision promoting accountability, such as requiring some form of annual report to the Legislature.

Rep. Lee Hein, R-Monticello, who chaired the committee, said he believes this is the first step in what will likely be a long process. But he said he's glad to see the conversation continuing and believes the issue is worthy of being discussed at the committee level.