CONTRIBUTED PHOTO — Sen. Jeff Edler (R-State Center), front, is pictured with students from Roland-Story during a recent visit to the Capitol.

This week at the Capitol we had a number of constituent visitors. On Monday, we were happy to host FIRST at the Capitol. FIRST inspires young people to be innovators and leaders in robotics and technology. Members of FIRST from grades K-12 came to the Capitol and displayed their accomplishments for us in the rotunda. Technology and robotics are a growing industry and we want to support young Iowans in their pursuit of being leaders in this field. This is one reason why we passed Senate Bill 398 which would make robotics teams a state-sponsored activity, meaning it would receive support from the Department of Education.

On Wednesday, we met with students enrolled in post-secondary education and training for Iowa College Aid Day on the Hill. Iowa College Aid is a state agency that helps provide scholarship, aid, and student loan forgiveness programs for people across the state. Also, on Wednesday was the Association of Iowa Fairs Annual Legislator and Staff Social.

On Thursday, I had the opportunity to meet with a number of students from the Roland-Story School District as they visited the Capitol. It was a great opportunity for them to learn about the legislative process and Iowa Capitol history.

This week Governor Reynolds signed SF 514, the state government alignment and reorganization bill. This bill was the first major reorganization of the Iowa state government in 40 years. Although this bill was long and had many moving parts, the governor’s concept was pretty simple. If the federal government can operate on with 13 cabinet level directors, certainly the State of Iowa can operate on 16 cabinet-level directors. The bill seeks to increase efficiencies and the cost savings over the next four years estimated by the governor’s office to be over $200 million.

This year the Senate Republicans and Governor Reynolds have set a budget target of $8.486 billion. The House has set a target about $95 million higher than the governor and the Senate. In order for work to progress we need to hammer out joint targets so we can bring session to a close in a timely manner. The $8.486 billion represents a sustainable increase in spending for education and public safety, while also ensuring tax relief for hardworking Iowans. Iowa’s income tax rates have decreased from 8.98% to 6% this year in addition to the elimination of the tax on retirement income. By 2026, the income tax rate will be a flat 3.9%. This tax relief has been made possible because of budgets just like the one proposed this year. We must stay disciplined in our budgeting process.

Wishing you a blessed Easter holiday!

Feel free to contact me with any questions.

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Jeff Edler, a Republican from State Center, represents District 26 in the Iowa Senate.