Statement by Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal

Mr. President, colleagues and staff. Welcome to the second session of the Eighty-Second General Assembly of the Iowa Senate.

We are all returning to the state capitol proud of the role our state played in choosing the next President of the United States. Regardless of the success of the candidates we individually supported—if any—Iowa and Iowans did ourselves proud on the national stage. As state legislators, we should be proud to represent the most politically important state in the union.

I’m ready to continue the work we started last year. Our focus should again be standing up for middle class families by making Iowa a great place to work and to raise a family.

In 2007, standing up for middle class families meant improving education by increasing teacher pay, expanding access to high quality pre-schools, and making college more affordable.

In 2007, standing up for middle class families meant expanding health care by bringing health insurance to uninsured Iowans and making it easier for small businesses to provide employees with health benefits.

In 2007, standing up for middle class families meant creating the Iowa Power Fund which will encourage the creation of more good jobs at good wages, and help Iowa continue to lead the nation in the development of alternative, renewable energy. It also meant raising the wage floor for all Iowa workers by increasing the minimum wage for the first time in almost ten years.

In 2008, standing up for middle class families means keeping the commitments we made in 2007 to parents, teachers, students, entrepreneurs, and others.

Too often in the past dozen years, the Legislature has failed to keep its promises. And when you fail to keep your promises, people wonder if you will ever do what you say you will do.

Naturally, there are naysayers out there who are already claiming the commitments we made last year on education, health care, and the economy—commitments approved by bipartisan majorities of Republicans and Democrats—were too bold, too ambitious.

They’ve got a solution. They think the Legislature should yet again break its promises to Iowa parents, schoolchildren, workers, teachers and other taxpayers . That is the wrong solution.

Today, as the majority leader of the Iowa Senate, I’m telling you that we will keep our commitments.

We will stay as long as we need to keep the commitments we made last year. You have my word on it.

I know it won’t be easy. And you know it won’t be easy. That was clear last year when we voted to take significant, long overdue steps to expand educational opportunity, to increase the accessibility and affordability of health care, and to build a stronger economy.

But, Senators, we didn’t make those commitments because we thought they were easy. We made those commitments—Democrats and Republicans working together—because supporting and defending Iowa’s middle class required us to make them.

And supporting and defending Iowa’s middle class requires us to work together to keep those commitments this year.

And that is exactly what we will do.

Those arguing against us wonder if the Legislature has enough money to keep our word.

What are the facts? According to the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency, the State of Iowa’s savings accounts are full at $592 million. That’s a growth of more than $400 million in the last four years.

If the Legislature can’t keep its word when we have a record amount of money in the state’s rainy day accounts, when will we?

In fact, not only are we going to keep our promises on education, health care and jobs, we are going to go a step further by continuing to eliminate more budget gimmicks used in previous years.

There will be many other issues that come before this session. The people of Iowa are energized for change as never before. For example, the recommendations of the statewide health care commission offer us a bold, comprehensive roadmap to fixing our broken health care system. The Generation Iowa Commission is giving voice to young Iowans who are eager to help move our state forward. The Time21 study committee has outlined the need for bipartisan action to repair and improve our transportation system.

This will be an interesting session. But first and foremost, this session will be remembered as the one in which we kept our commitments and stood up for middle class families.

Thank you