February 12, 2010

McKinley’s Memos

Senate Republican Leader Paul McKinley

Senate GOP Attempts to Give Iowans Vote on Marriage

After last year’s April 3 ruling by the Iowa Supreme Court allowing marriage to be something other than just between one man and one woman, Iowans contacted legislators by the tens of thousands through calls, e-mails, letters and conversations demanding a vote of the people on this important matter.

Senate Republicans have listened and this week, we made yet another attempt to give the people of Iowa what they have been asking for: the opportunity to vote on the basic definition of marriage. We believe a vote of the people of Iowa is the only way to settle this issue and the conflict between the branches of government once and for all.

Last year, immediately following the ruling of the Iowa Supreme Court, Senate Republicans made five strong attempts to move the process through the Legislature so that every Iowan can have their say. However, since there are 32 Democrats and 18 Republicans in the Iowa Senate, 8 Democrats must join with all of the Republicans for this vote to move forward.

Last year all 18 Senate Republicans were in favor of giving Iowans a vote on marriage but we did not get any of the opposing party to join with us. This year we were more successful in securing the support of Senate Democrats. However, we are still several votes short of the 26 needed to move this issue forward.

Senate Republicans have made it crystal clear that we will respect the outcome of the vote of the people. After all, Iowa is a sovereign state and voters deserve to have a voice. Elected officials should never be afraid to let the citizens have their say and we must never shy away from debating difficult issues.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of the Senate Democrats and their leadership would rather continue to turn their backs on the voters and obstruct the people’s right to vote. Iowans will have an opportunity at the ballot box in November to decide if they are content with the level of inaction demonstrated by Senate Democrats.

Click HERE to watch a brief YouTube video of Senate Republicans discussing this issue on the floor of the Iowa Senate.

Anti-Jobs Agenda Rears Its Ugly Head

Valentines Day is fast approaching but for the over 110,000 jobless Iowans and the small businesses and employers in Iowa, the current legislative agenda in Des Moines is sure not providing much love.

Five weeks are now complete in this already reduced legislative session and there has yet to be any positive movement on legislation that would make it easier for private sector jobs to be created. Unfortunately, however, there has been movement on bills that would dramatically and rather negatively imperil Iowa’s job market and economy. Governor Culver and legislative Democrats have once again decided to shine the spotlight on their union boss anti-jobs agenda that would severely hinder – not help - the economic forecast for Iowa.

Two anti-jobs bills have been introduced in the past few days and they are already starting to move through the Legislature. Several others could quickly follow those two.

The first bill is an assault on Iowa’s over 60 year old Right to Work status. The bill amounts to forced unionization and mandates that hardworking Iowans pay hundreds of dollars to bank accounts controlled by union bosses. As Iowans are forced into unionization, they will have significantly less in their pocketbooks to spend on important necessities like gasoline, groceries, their children’s education and medications. Senate Republicans will fight hard to stop this anti-job bill because we know it erodes the freedoms and liberties of Iowa workers and send a chilling message to employers and entrepreneurs.

The second bill is a prevailing wage bill that will increase property taxes, kill jobs and make it extremely difficult for small contractors to compete for public projects in Iowa. If a prevailing wage is implemented in Iowa, the cost for every public project in Iowa will substantially increase meaning Iowa taxpayers will get less for their hard earned tax dollars. Democrats tried to pass a similar bill last year even after keeping the voting machine open all weekend. Yet, with help from a concerned and vocal public, Republicans with the help of a handful of Democrats, were able to stop it from passing.

We, instead, should be moving in a more positive direction. The best way to grow our communities is to remove the barriers that hinder job creation, capital investment and entrepreneurial imagination.

That’s why Senate Republicans have offered our own positive solutions. We have unveiled a bold set of fresh new job creation initiatives that would provide an immediate jolt of adrenaline to Iowa’s economy In our plan, we have also addressed the need to plan for the economic future because the economy is constantly evolving and our state needs to be prepared to adapt for the new jobs that will be coming in the years and decades ahead. Our ambitious proposal is aimed at re-establishing the principle of free market capitalism as the engine of economic growth in Iowa – not more unsustainable government spending.

The remaining time this session could go along way toward foretelling the future for Iowa’s employers, families and workers and whether they will still be able to enjoy the freedoms and opportunities that previous generations of Iowans have cherished and treasured. There is still time to lay the foundation for a brighter future for Iowa but we must set aside the anti-job agenda that only creates barriers to job growth. Let’s instead look at fresh new ways to make Iowa open to job creating business and investment. Senate Republicans are committed to growing Iowa and creating jobs and we will continue to work diligently this session to offer our common sense solutions that will accomplish that goal.

As always, I welcome hearing from you and can be reached by phone at 515-281-3560 or by e-mail at paul.mckinley@legis.state.ia.us

Paul McKinley

Senate Republican Leader