(Radio Iowa) – This November Iowa voters will decide in November whether to amend Iowa’s Constitution and require a two-thirds super-majority vote in the legislature for any future income tax increase for individuals or corporations. House Republicans gave the ballot language final approval early Sunday afternoon. Democrats like Representative Dave Jacoby, of Coralville, says the legislature will have to resort to raising other taxes, like the sales tax on groceries.
“The budget is in a mess,” Jacoby said. “This constitutional amendment does not protect our middle class and hardworking Iowans.” Republican Representative John Wills of Spirit Lake says the proposal protects the income of Iowans. “We have a good amendment in front of us today,” Wills said. “We are in good fiscal shape. This notion that we’re in a fiscal death spiral is phooey.”
Republicans in the legislature also moved to limit the emergency powers of future governors during disasters. The bill also says Iowa governors cannot order vaccinations during a public health emergency. Senator Ken Rozenboom, a Republican from Pella, says it’s a response to what happened during the COVID pandemic, when governors around the country ordered the closure of businesses, schools and churches. “I think our governor did a remarkable job of finding her way through those uncharted waters,” Rozenboom said.
“…We now know that many of the most egregious infringements on the rights of people were not helpful at all (and) in some cases were counterproductive.” Democrats say the bill restricts an Iowa governor’s ability to respond to emergencies. Senator Molly Donahue, a Democrat from Marion, says the bill is a preemptive strike against Rob Sand the Democratic Party’s candidate for governor. “Let’s be honest about what this bill is really doing,” Donahue said. “It’s about tying the hands of a potential new governor before voters even have their say.”
The House overwhelmingly rejected a part of the bill that would have set up a system so state spending levels would continue into the next year if the legislature and Iowa’s governor cannot agree on a budget plan by July 1st. House members from both parties say the legislature’s primary constitutional function is to make timely decisions on state spending.
