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Apr 24, 2017 at 6:00 am | Print View

DES MOINES What will Iowa Republicans do for an encore?

Given complete state lawmaking control by voters in the 2016 election, Republicans used the recently completed 2017 session of the Iowa Legislature to enact several significant, conservative laws.

Over the course of roughly four months, Republicans enacted measures that dramatically reshaped laws regarding gun and abortion regulations, distracted driving enforcement, the amount of compensation workers can receive from lawsuits and the way public employees bargain for wages and benefits, just to name a few.

But Republicans arent done yet.

They will return in 2018 with more on their agenda and at least one more year of that same unfettered lawmaking control, albeit likely with a new governor.

Statehouse Republicans seem to agree the top priority will be to lower taxes, most likely on working Iowans incomes.

I think probably, realistically, the next step to continue to make Iowa competitive is comprehensive tax reform, said Kim Reynolds, who is Iowas lieutenant governor but soon will step into the chief executives role when Gov. Terry Branstad resigns to become U.S. ambassador to China.

You look at a lot of states, thats where theyre really focusing on, Reynolds said. So I think that really needs to be the next thing that we need to look at to keep Iowa competitive.

Republicans wanted to tackle tax reform immediately under their newfound authority with a GOP governor and majorities in the House and Senate, they have complete lawmaking control for the first time in two decades.

Tax reform hopes

But the state budget did not cooperate. Lawmakers were forced to cut from the current fiscal years spending and wound up with less state money than they expected to be available for the coming fiscal year, which starts July 1. Any tax cut would have removed revenue from an already-shrinking budget pie.

In other words, Republicans hoped to cut taxes this year, but they couldnt afford it.

To me, the biggest disappointment is we werent able to do major tax reform, said Senate President Jack Whitver, R-Ankeny. Thats something weve been talking about for six or seven years. ... Im disappointed that didnt happen, but Im hopeful that we can put forward a really good plan and come back next session and really make a big difference on taxes in this state.

One of Whitvers colleagues in the Senate already has introduced such a plan.

Sen. Randy Feenstra, R-Hull, chairman of the Senates tax policy committee, has unveiled a reform plan that would cut taxes to the tune of $500 million over the next five years, reduce the number of income brackets and phase out federal deductibility.

Feenstra acknowledged the money is too tight to implement his proposal now, but he hopes it gets a chance next year.

We believe that how you grow the economy is to lower rates. Once you lower rates, that should drive an economy, injecting more revenue coming into the state, Feenstra said. So, that is the whole goal. I fully believe that next year is the best opportunity to go down that path of comprehensive tax reform.

Budget spoiler again?

But just as a tight budget spoiled any hope of significant tax reform this year, the same could happen next year.

Everything is going to depend on the revenue picture, and that is totally unpredictable at this point, said Rep. Guy Vander Linden, R-Oskaloosa, chairman of the Houses tax policy committee.

The tax reform conversation also might include a debate about tax credits and incentives. Democrats accuse tax relief programs of causing most of the states budget problems. Although Republicans do not necessarily agree, they have indicated a willingness to re-examine those programs.

School choice

Republicans say they also will try in 2018 to tackle another conservative agenda item that was thwarted this year by the tight budget: school choice programs.

Rep. Walt Rogers, R-Cedar Falls, chairman of the House education committee, said he plans to study school choice programs which generally allow parents to use taxpayer funds in some fashion to help their children enroll at a nonpublic school and will present his findings and recommendations during next years session.

Over the interim, thats one of the things I want to do, is dig down deeper into educational savings accounts: Is it really a beneficial thing for states to try? Rogers said. That will guide me on how much I come back next year with a will to do something.

Democrats worry that any funding to such programs takes money from public schools.

Sen. Rick Bertrand, R-Sioux City, nonetheless said he thinks it is time Iowa expands its school choice programs.

This will create mobility and portability for Iowa students. Its good for Iowa, Bertrand said. If we dont set up the funding next year, at the least, we need to set up the infrastructure that puts Iowa on course for education spending accounts.

School Funding

Just as with tax reform, most any new school choice program will require new funding. And that means legislators will need a healthier state budget to work with.

Another potentially costly solution that was put on the shelf this year was the states complicated formula for funding K-12 public schools. For years, various school districts have complained the formula is antiquated and in need of an update. Some rural districts say they are devoting a larger percentage of their funding to transportation, leaving less money for the classroom. Other districts are frustrated with an inability to spend as much per pupil as neighboring districts because of restrictions in the funding formula.

The Senate this year passed what would have been a solution, but the proposal was not considered by the House in large part because of the funding it required.

Rogers said the school funding formula is another issue legislators will attempt to address next year.

All of those things are going to be on the table, Rogers said, if theres any revenue to play with.

abortion restrictions

Republicans this year landed a big conservative victory in passing legislation that bans abortions after 20 weeks and requires an ultrasound and three-day waiting period before an abortion is performed.

But some Republicans say they hope next year to pass even stronger anti-abortion regulations.

Bertrand said he will encourage Republicans to support a proposal to either define life as beginning at fertilization known as a personhood measure or a ban on abortions just one week after fertilization.

Bertrand said the latter would make exceptions for artificial fertilization techniques, life-threatening issues for the mother and pregnancies that are the result of incest or rape.

Bertrand acknowledged opponents likely would challenge such a law in the courts but said he is ready to see that legal debate play out.

We are in a position that we can challenge the courts, Bertrand said. No doubt about it, this one-week (proposal) is about saving babies, but its also about sending this back to the (U.S.) Supreme Court where this horrific thing started.

Other Issues

Other issues that may return to Republicans legislative plate in 2018:

l Traffic enforcement cameras: The Senate passed a package of new restrictions, but the House did not take up the bill in part because some Republicans there say they will be satisfied only with a total ban on traffic cameras.

l Constitutional carry: Gun rights advocates scored a huge victory this year with passage of sweeping legislation that loosened gun restrictions and implemented a stand your ground measure in Iowa.

Now Rep. Matt Windschitl, R-Missouri Valley, says he will explore the possibility of eliminating the requirement that gun owners possess a permit.

Rod Boshart of The Gazette contributed to this report.

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Top of Iowa Republicans' 2018 agenda: Tax reform - The Gazette: Eastern Iowa Breaking News and Headlines

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) A suburban Pittsburgh health care systems consultant and political newcomer is expected to announce he's running for the Republican nomination for Pennsylvania governor in 2018.

Party officials say they've heard in recent days from Paul Mango and his campaign that he'll make an official announcement May. A Mango spokesman isn't confirming Mango's decision to run, but says Mango is planning an announcement in mid-May about the governor's race.

Mango has hired veteran campaign staff and is touring the state, meeting with GOP activists and others.

Story continues below video

Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf is running for a second four-year term.

Republican state Sen. Scott Wagner of York County is also seeking the GOP nomination to challenge Wolf's re-election bid. State House Speaker Mike Turzai has told Republican Party officials that he's considering running.

Read more here:
Mango tells Republicans he'll seek gubernatorial nomination - New Castle News

Key Points

Read the full PDF.

Introduction

Whatever else he may be, President Donald Trump has proved to be a remarkably polarizing figure. Thus far, he has shown little inclination or ability to sway centrists. In particular, the support for his domestic agenda, ranging from health care to his proposed budget, has mostly amounted to a subset of the Republican coalition.

Therefore, assessing baseline trust in Republican and Democratic leadership is useful when contemplating the prospects for Trump proposals. This is certainly true when it comes to education, as Trump has boldly declared his support for federal school choice legislation and named Betsy DeVos, an impassioned school choice advocate, to serve as US secretary of education.

During the nomination process, DeVos was harshly critiqued by Democrats, teacher union leaders, journalists, and even late-night comics. DeVos ultimately edged into office on a 50-50 vote, when Vice President Mike Pence tipped the tie in her favor, but this was just an early look at how heated the debate became around Trumps education efforts.

Trumps proposed skinny budget, which called for cutting $9.2 billion in federal education spending, encountered fierce criticism. The New York Times editorial board stated the budget would impose pain for pains sake,1 and Senator Bernie Sanders decried it as morally repugnant.2 The debate is hardly surprising given that Trump has already sketched out some controversial changes to federal education policy. These include plans to promote school choice, sharply reduce federal education spending, alter Washingtons approach to regulating for-profit colleges, and revamp Obama-era directives on civil rights enforcement.

All of this raises timely questions: How does the public feel about Republicans and Democrats when it comes to education? Which party has the upper hand in the publics mind, and how has that evolved over the past two decades?

As Republicans pursue Trumps exceptionally sharp-edged education agenda, just how deep a reservoir of public support are they drawing on? Especially given the backlash against many Obama-era education initiatives (most famously, the Common Core) and steady support for school choice, is public sentiment on education perhaps more favorable to Republicans than it may have once been?

Read the full report.

Notes

Excerpt from:
Republicans, Democrats, and Schooling: What the Public Thinks - American Enterprise Institute

WASHINGTON (AP) U.S. consumers filed nearly 300,000 complaints last year about their dealings with banks, credit card issuers and other financial services companies. Most of those complaints were compiled and made available for anyone to see as part of a database administered by the federal government.

But Republicans working to overhaul the financial regulation law known as Dodd-Frank want to bar publication of information from that database, which industry groups have long criticized as potentially misleading and incomplete.

Is the purpose of the database just to name and shame companies? Or should they have a disclaimer on there that says its a fact-free zone, or this is fake news? Thats really what I see happening here, Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga., said at a congressional hearing this month.

Once the damage is done to a company, its hard to get your reputation back, responded Bill Himpler, executive vice president of the American Financial Services Association, a trade group representing banks and other lenders. Something needs to be done.

The exchange reflects what House Republicans are thinking as they try to make changes to Dodd-Frank, the law passed in the aftermath of the 2008-2009 financial crisis. Initially, GOP lawmakers wanted to require that consumer complaints be verified as accurate before they were published. Now, members of Congress want to prohibit publishing the complaints entirely.

Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, has scheduled a hearing for Wednesday to begin discussing the Dodd-Frank replacement. The legislation would relax some of the laws financial rules and give Congress and the White House more control over the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which runs the complaints database.

That agency has published more than 730,000 complaints since launching the database nearly five years ago. Complaints are streaming in at a rate of more than 20,000 a month, but not all make it into the database. Some people dont fill out all the required information. Also, many complaints are referred to other government agencies for jurisdictional reasons.

The information published includes the date, the consumers ZIP code and the company involved. It includes how the company responded, whether it did so in a timely way and whether the consumer disputed the companys response.

The database has more than 130,000 complaints in which consumers shared a narrative of their experience. Companies select from among nine responses, such as Company disputes the facts presented in the complaint or Company believes complaint is the result of an isolated error.

The bureau does not verify whether the complaint is valid before making it public. Complaints are added to the database after the company responds or after the company has had the complaint for 15 days, whichever comes first.

Some groups are alarmed at the potential changes. Consumers Union said the database is a vital tool that can help consumers make informed decisions.

Its not as if the CFPB is taking information and putting it on the database without some due diligence, said Pamela Banks, senior policy counsel for Consumers Union. Everything is transparent. Everything is out in the open. People can reach their own conclusions.

She said consumers should not be kept in the blind about trends that can emerge from listing the complaints, and that companies concerned about serving the public should find the information of great use. In my mind, if youre treating consumers fairly, you would be eager to see if there is a problem, Banks said.

Detractors note that the Federal Trade Commission maintains a database of consumer complaints regarding data security, deceptive advertising and identity theft. The FTC does not publish those individual complaints but makes them available to law enforcement to assist in fraud investigations. It publishes an annual summary of top complaints without getting into their details.

Kate Larson, director of the Center for Capital Markets Competitiveness at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said it was a bit of a departure from other regulatory agencies for the bureau to publish the complaints and consumer narratives. She said the Chamber has asked the bureau on occasion to take down complaints the Chamber considers inaccurate and to provide an appeals process, but that didnt happen.

It shouldnt be kind of a gotcha game, Larson said.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau views the database as a tool to bring consumers and companies together, not to arbitrate their disputes.

For the first time, individuals now have a place to turn to get the timely responses they deserve and the database gives consumers an important voice in the marketplace that they otherwise might not have, said Darian Dorsey, a deputy assistant director at the agency. Complaints help us identify and prioritize problems, and we are seeing this valuable information being used by companies to identify pain points and inform the marketplace more broadly.

____

Online:

Complaint database: https://tinyurl.com/zrvpc9p

____

On Twitter, reach Kevin Freking at https://twitter.com/APkfreking

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Republicans want to muzzle database of consumer complaints - The Seattle Times

Republicans have more seats to defend in special elections after a close shave in a dependably GOP Kansas district.

A higher-profile election April 18 in Georgia produced no majority-vote winner and is going to a second round in June. DemocratJon Ossoff, a former congressional aide, and RepublicanKaren Handel, a former Georgia secretary of state, were the top two finishers in an 18-candidate scrum.

Special elections are on tap in Montana next month and in California and South Carolina in June. There probably will be one more, in a Pennsylvania district, and were keeping our eye on two possible additions, in Oklahoma and Utah.

Republicans would be the defending party in every district except in California.

Alabama this year will have an unusual, odd-year Senate special election, scheduled by the states brand-new governor.

As of April 25, whenRon Estesof Kansas is sworn in, the House will have 238 Republicans and 193 Democrats.

Heres what you need to know about the upcoming contests:

After the close races in Kansas and Georgia, watch to see how much national party organizations and activist groups intervene in the contest between Republican businessmanGreg Gianforteand Democratic musician Rob Quist. Theyre seeking the statewide congressional district RepublicanRyan Zinke vacated to become Interior Secretary.

Montana votes Republican in presidential elections but can split its tickets. It backed Donald Trump by more than 20 percentage points in the 2016 election while also re-electing Democratic GovernorSteve Bullockover Gianforte by four points.

Vermont SenatorBernie Sanders, an independent who sought the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, will campaign with Quist next month. Gianforte raised $1.6 million compared with $904,000 for Quist through the end of March, according to Federal Election Commission reports.

In an all-Democratic runoff, state Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez and lawyer Robert Lee Ahn are seeking a Hispanic-majority, downtown Los Angeles district thats one of the most strongly Democratic areas in the nation.

In the first-round election on April 4, Gomez had 25 percent and Ahn had 22 percent to lead the 23-candidate field and advance to the runoff. The winner will succeed DemocratXavier Becerra, who resigned in January to become Californias attorney general.

Gomez is the preferred candidate of California Democratic leaders, including Becerra and Los Angeles MayorEric Garcetti. Ahn, who was born to South Korean immigrants, advanced to the runoff with strong support from Korean-American voters and donors. Californias 34th includes more Korean-Americans than any other congressional district.

Ossoff and Democrats almost succeeded in their campaign to win without a runoff and "flip the 6th," a Republican-leaning area north of Atlanta packed with highly educated suburbanites. Ossoff took 48 percent of the vote in the first-round election, more than Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama won in the district when they were the Democratic presidential nominees.

Though Georgias 6th is an atypical host for a competitive and consequential House election, its electorate barely opted for Trump in the 2016 election after decades of domination by other GOP candidates includingTom Price, who left to become Trumps health and human services secretary.

Handel, who won 20 percent of all votes in the first-round election, is working to replenish her campaign treasury and unify Republican base voters against Ossoff. She won 39 percent of all Republican votes cast, while Ossoff amassed more than 98 percent of all Democratic votes.

An Ossoff-Handel contest "starts out very competitive," political analyst David Wasserman wrote in the Cook Political Report. He rates the race as a tossup.

Trump is paying attention. "It is now Hollywood vs. Georgia on June 20th," the president wrote on Twitter. Ossoff raised more than $8.3 million from donors including Rosie ODonnell andJane Fonda.

Georgia House Race Heads to Runoff

Seven Republicans and three Democrats are seeking a Republican-leaning district that includes Rock Hill and other territory in north-central South Carolina. The party primaries will be held May 2, followed by runoffs, if necessary, on May 16.

The Republican nominee will be favored to succeed RepublicanMick Mulvaney, who resigned in February to become Trumps budget director. Republican candidates include state representative Tommy Pope, former state legislator Ralph Norman, and former state party chairmanChad Connelly.

Connelly aligned with Trump in a campaign commercial featuring praise from two men, one wearing a red hat with the presidents "Make America Great Again" slogan and the other calling Connelly a "big-time Trump guy." A Pope TV spot played up his background as a former police officer and prosecutor. Norman, who lost a bid for this district in 2006, released an ad featuring his 15 grandchildren and highlighting a commitment to "making sure their future and yours is safe and full of opportunity."

Republican GovernorKay Ivey moved the special election for the seat formerly held by Attorney GeneralJeff Sessionsup 11 months, rescinding the November 2018 election set by her predecessor,Robert Bentley, when he appointed state Attorney GeneralLuther Strangeto temporarily fill the vacancy. Bentley just resigned amid scandal and impeachment hearings.

"This special election will remove any cloud of doubt that might have been associated with the previous process used by the former governor" and "returns the authority to select their representative back to the people," Ivey said.

Given Alabamas strong Republican lean, the decisive election may be the GOP primary on Aug. 15 or a runoff Sept. 26. Strange, whos running to serve the rest of the unexpired term won by Sessions, may face multiple challengers in the primary, given his association with Bentley. One of them may be RepresentativeRobert Aderholt, who was in the running for the Senate appointment. Aderholt wouldnt have to give up his House seat to compete.

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RepublicanTom Marinoplans to resign to become Trumps "drug czar," leading the Office of National Drug Control Policy,CBS News reported. Marino, in office since 2011, hasnt publicly commented on the matter. His district in parts of central and northeastern Pennsylvania is rock-ribbed Republican territory, giving 66 percent to Trump and 62 percent to Republican SenatorPat Toomey in 2016, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

RepublicanJim Bridenstinewould vacate a Republican-friendly Tulsa district if Trump taps him to lead the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

RepublicanJason Chaffetzannounced his retirement lastweek and then said he may resign. The district is so strongly Republican that Clinton came in third there in 2016 behind Trump and Utah-born independent Evan McMullin, who is weighing a campaign to succeed Chaffetz.

Original post:
Here Are the Next Seats Republicans Will Have to Defend in Special Elections - Bloomberg