Iowa legislators from both parties are hammering out the final details in a plan to spend over $7.3 billion during the state budgeting year that begins July 1st. House Speaker Kraig Paulsen, a Republican from Hiawatha, says the goal is to adjourn the 2015 legislative session by Friday.
[NEWS 38] :04 :moving forward.”
Senate Appropriations Committee chairman Bob Dvorsky, a Democrat from Coralville says there were “intense” negotiations for several weeks.
[NEWS 39] :08 :can hope for.”
Democrats hold a majority of seats in the Iowa Senate, while Republicans hold the majority in the Iowa House. Paulsen and his fellow House Republicans have insisted on a general operating budget for state government of just over $7.1 billion, but have agreed to another 125-million dollars in “one-time” spending proposals on top of that.
Iowa’s K-12 public schools will see an overall increase in state support of more than 2.5 percent. It is structured so schools will get a 1.25 percent increase in general state aid, plus a one-time budget boost of $55 million that will be split among the state’s 346 public school districts.
