DES MOINES (AP) — The time is approaching when Iowa lawmakers typically start wrapping up their work for the year, but with budget negotiations moving slowly, it doesn’t look like the Legislature will adjourn any time soon.
May 1 is the final day of expense payments for the part-time lawmakers, as well as the last day for much of the temporary staff and student pages who work in the Legislature. With just three weeks to go, lawmakers in the Republican-majority House and Democratic-controlled Senate are still far apart on how much additional funding to provide for K-12 education and remain at odds over basic budget issues.
“The simplest way to put it is, we can’t agree on how much money we’ll have, let alone what to spend it on,” said Rep. Chip Baltimore, R-Boone.
Republican Gov. Terry Branstad proposed a roughly $7.3 billion budget in January. Lawmakers have been stuck for weeks on the education funding portion of the budget, with Democrats seeking to provide more new dollars than Republicans. The two sides also haven’t determined overall spending levels.
Republican House Speaker Kraig Paulsen, of Hiawatha, declined to weigh in on when the session may end.
“I wouldn’t even make a prediction,” he said.
Sometimes what happens as the session winds down is that legislative leaders remain to negotiate a budget deal while the rank-and-file members head home until it is time for the final votes. But Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal, D-Council Bluffs, said he did not favor such a course.