CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Former Marshall County Supervisor and State Rep. Tom Swartz, pictured, holds a copy of his new book “Housework in the People’s House: Untold Stories of Making Laws Under the Iowa Capitol’s Golden Dome.”

Former State Rep. Tom Swartz of Marshalltown announces the publication of a recent book written by him that chronicles some of the major issues confronting Iowans during the farm crisis and economic recession here in Iowa during the 1980s. The book explains previously untold stories of the Iowa Legislature’s efforts to address those crushing issues.

“Housework in the People’s House: Untold Stories of Making Laws Under the Iowa Capitol’s Golden Dome” by Thomas Swartz is available as a Kindle Edition eBook on www.amazon.com

Swartz recently mailed print copies to Marshall County libraries.

“As a former educator, County Supervisor and State Representative, I thought that a discussion of how working together across partisan divides to meet challenges could be helpful in today’s national partisan gridlock. Once a teacher…always a teacher.”

Swartz explains that much was accomplished during that decade in the Iowa Legislature, even though for eight of his ten years serving in the Iowa House, the Legislature was controlled by Democrats who worked with a Republican governor to meet those challenges and hardships.

“As a Democrat, I had the opportunity to Chair such significant Legislative Committees as Small Business & Commerce, Economic Development, and State Government Committees. This put me square in the middle of working to make a difference for all Iowans,” he said.

Swartz reveals some behind the scenes secrets that he pursued to help pass some landmark legislation that has improved the daily lives, economic opportunities, health, and safety of Iowans.

“I am particularly proud of pushing through the creation of Iowa’s Emergency 911 Call system and funding program, helping author a portion of the Resources Enhancement & Protection (REAP) law, Iowa’s home ownership & affordable Housing funding stream, Iowa’s Child Abuse Prevention funding sources from birth certificates, and alternative agriculture crop and processing funding,” he said. “Often citizens are unaware of how and why their lives got a little easier when government systems got better.”

Swartz explained two examples of that. One was his idea leading to the passage of Iowa’s Unified Court Administration in the 1980s. He also explained his involvement in supporting the renewal of auto license plates during birth months instead of the prior system of just during the month of December when family expenses were already high because of Christmas shopping.

“One of the lessons I learned during my ten years of serving in the Iowa Legislature was that quite often a legislator can get government policy changed without changing Iowa law,” he said. “Sometimes drafting and introducing a bill can spark a conversation that leads to private industry change for the benefit of citizens. Iowa’s Call One system is an example of that.”

Call One is a program to prevent the breakage of underground utilities by homeowners or contractors.

“I included in this book documentation to support my statements. This is not just an old man telling stories. The documentation is included in a different size and type of font so that you can skip it if you wish. Legislative language can be rather dry, but hopefully the reader will find my narrative portion more entertaining and informative,” he said. “For those wishing to learn about some of the informal rules and customs about lawmaking, I have revealed some examples.”

As a bonus, he has included the untold story of his involvement in how bestselling author Robert Waller was able to travel Iowa’s roads that led to him creating his novel, The Bridges of Madison County, which later became a hit film starring Clint Eastwood and Meryl Streep.

For more information, contact Tom Swartz at 641-751-5119.