Iowa House of Representatives
State Representative
Lee Hein
Address: State Capitol, Des Moines, IA 50319
Phone: (515) 281-7330
E-Mail: lee.hein@legis.state.ia.us
Website: http://www.iowahouserepublicans.com/members/lee-hein
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Recap of Week 16
This week is ending short again as the House is finishing up its business. The last official day of the session is Friday, April 29. While this is the case, we still have much to accomplish before the session is over. The biggest issue that needs to be hammered out yet is the budget bills. The Republican majority in the House, the Democrat majority in the Senate and the Governor have all proposed very different budget plans. The House has passed each of the budget bills and is now waiting on the Senate to take action. The one budget bill that was passed by both the House and Senate was vetoed by the Governor because it was not a two year budget. The Governor and House Republican are committed to passing a two year budget and the Governor has vowed he will not sign anything less. The negations and discussions will continue and I will be back next week to hopefully wrap up the business of the legislature.
On the 26th we debated HF 687, the bill that addresses the Lake Delhi issue. The legislation will increase the size of the board of trustees from 3 to 7 people, which more closely mirrors other municipal boards, and aid in the work load of rebuilding the dam. The bill also gives Lake Delhi bonding authority similar to a city to generate revenue for purposes of rebuilding. Bonding would require 60% approval of the registered voters in the district. The bill also changes current code to allow any land owner to serve on the board. This opens up the pool of eligible people to participate on the board. I believe this bill is the first step to allow the people of Lake Delhi to rebuild the dam and restore this area. I voted in favor of this bill and it passed the House with 71 ayes and 26 nays. The Senate passed this bill as well with 33 ayes and 17 nays. It will now go to the Governor where he will hopefully sign this bill into law.
We also passed HF 561, a bill that acts as the next step in the process of exploring the potential for constructing additional nuclear generation capacity in Iowa. This bill provides a process under which the Iowa Utilities Board would be able to authorize a utility to proceed with exploring the construction of a next-generation nuclear facility. House File 561 does not authorize any utility to build a nuclear generating facility. Nor does it include the authorization for any utility to increase electric rates. These decisions will be made by the states’s board that regulates utilities ␣ the Iowa Utilities Board. Ensuring that Iowans have safe and affordable energy is a priority of all. With new EPA regulations being implemented it is getting harder and more costly for traditional fossil fuel power plants to operate. This bill allows Iowa to look at the possibility of using nuclear power for affordable and clean energy.
As always, you can contact me at lee.hein@legis.state.ia.us or (515) 281-7330. You can read any of my newsletters at http://www.iowahouserepublicans.com/members/lee-hein. Also, if you are ever in Des Moines make sure you stop by the Capitol to visit.
Sincerely, Lee Hein
Lee Hein 