Negotiators have struck a tentative deal on a state budget “framework” for Iowa, and all 150 legislators are scheduled to return to Des Moines sometime this week as the details are finalized. Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal of Council Bluffs is the top-ranking Democrat in the legislature.
House Speaker Kraig Paulsen, Republican from Hiawatha, says there’s “a fair amount” of details yet to work out, but after months of wrangling an overall spending level has been set for the state budgeting year that begins July 1st.
However, neither Paulsen nor Gronstal will share specifics with the public until they’ve briefed other legislators in private.
Gronstal expects the 2015 legislative session to end sometime this week.
Gronstal and Paulsen, along with other key legislators, met for about five hours Friday and emerged early Friday evening to discuss the tentative deal with reporters. It appears Republicans have agreed to spend a bit more than they originally proposed, but not as much as Senate Democrats or Republican Governor Terry Branstad had suggested.
