The top-ranking Republican in the Iowa legislature disputes Republican Governor Terry Branstad’s assertion that lawmakers “absolutely” knew he was likely to veto nearly $56 million in spending for Iowa’s K-12 public schools. House Speaker Kraig Paulsen is a Republican from Hiawatha.
Branstad has said he rejected the spending proposal because he is philosophically opposed to using bonus payments or “one-time money” for on-going expenses. Paulsen says he and other Republicans share the same philosophy, and that’s why the $55.7 million in additional money for schools was to be used for one-time expenses, like new textbooks and school buses.
Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal, the top-ranking Democrat in the legislature, says the governor’s “surprising” action is “especially egregious in light of the fact that the legislature worked in a bipartisan fashion to NOT use one-time money to fund ongoing needs.” Gronstal and Paulsen both noted the legislature’s overall spending level was actually less than what Branstad himself had proposed in January.
