HOUSE TO HOUSE
By Polly Granzow
State Representative
State of the National Guard
On Tuesday, February 20, Major General Ron Dardis gave the Condition of the Iowa National Guard to the joint session of the legislature. Following are excerpts of his speech: I am pleased to report the Guard is at full force and quite possibly the strongest it has been in generations. Both the Iowa Army and Air National Guard remain over 100 percent strength and have a record number recruits. Nearly 1100 soldiers are currently deployed or are preparing to deploy in support of the Global War on Terrorism. We are blessed with remarkable and talented service members who are committed to and believe in what they are doing so that daily life remains unchanged for the rest of us at home. Every day around the world thousands of brave Americans put their lives on the line to do their duty. We must never forget what they are doing for all of us.
There was standing ovation when Major General Dardis identified several soldiers who made significant accomplishments and contributions, thanked the parents of fallen soldiers, and thanked several volunteers, all present in the gallery.
Operation May Basket
The clerks in the House and Senate have joined together for “Operation May Basket” to show support to our Iowa Troops serving overseas. They are collecting cash donations and other items to include in the baskets and will send them overseas the first week in April. They have had overwhelming response. This project is a great opportunity for all of us to express our thanks for their service. If you know an Iowan serving overseas and you would like them to receive a May Basket, please email their name and address to ClerkMayBaskets@aol.com. You can also contribute by responding to the same email or by sending a check to Iowa Clerk May Basket, Iowa House Post Office 2nd Floor, State Capitol, Des Moines, IA 50310. The clerks will send as many baskets as funds will allow. My clerk, Bob Santi, is quite involved with this.
Bills Passed
Two major bills passed both the House and Senate and are ready for the Governor to sign. The final version of the anti-bully bill still clarifies protection only for students with certain characteristics (not all). I was disappointed sections were removed including parent involvement, and eliminating consideration of doctrinal teachings and non-public schools. Second, the stem cell bill narrowly passed, and soon it will be possible to allow human cloning in Iowa. This bill rushed through sub-committee and full committee on Monday, there was a public hearing Wednesday, and the vote was Thursday, resulting in a dramatic change in policy and ethics. Over 70 citizens came from all over the state to speak at the public hearing. I was embarrassed for them when only one Democrat was in the chambers for the first 1.5 hours. The public spoke but they did not listen.
Coming Soon
Mandatory pre-school for four year olds
Cigarette tax, state ban or local control
“Fair Share” or “Right to Work”
The Budget proposal – 10% increase
Same day registration and voting
As always, you can contact me at polly.granzow@ligis.state.ia.us or at 641-858-5201 on weekends.