Wilhelm: The fight over the state budget distracted lawmakers from many useful job creation bills

The Iowa Legislature has approved a state budget for next year, but State Senator Mary Jane Wilhelm isn't happy with much of the work.

Although she says the agreement avoided a government shutdown, she also says the fight over cuts to education pushed many pro-job ideas to the side.

Said Wilhelm, "Even though our reserve funds are full at $600 million and the current budget is ending with a $400 million surplus, the House and Governor insisted on slashing funding for education. This included a two-year freeze in state support for local schools, the elimination of Iowa's popular preschool program, and deep cuts that would force double-digit tuition increases at our community colleges and universities."

A compromise kept preschool funding and reversed cuts to community colleges and public universities, but it also set allowable growth for school district funding at zero percent.

Wilhelm says she will now concentrate on winning legislative approval for the many job creation and small business initiatives approved in the Senate this year, especially cutting commercial property taxes by $200 million in a way that provides the greatest benefit to Iowa's small businesses—and doesn't raise taxes on homeowners.