Iowa Workforce Development is shutting down 37 field offices statewide, despite top legislators from both political parties saying they oppose the plan.

The plan is expected to most affect rural parts of the state. Lawmakers say it would force some unemployed Iowans to drive 80 miles to one of 16 regional workforce-development offices, rather than having a satellite office that's closer to home.

It also would spur the layoff of 85 state employees and the elimination of another 40 vacant positions, according to the department. However, most of those who would be laid off are union members, and collective-bargaining agreements would allow them to use their seniority to bump workers with less experience.

"Maybe they should change their name to Workforce Un-Development," said state Senator Bill Dotzler (D-Waterloo), co-chair of the legislature's Economic Development Appropriations subcommittee. "Everything they've been doing has reduced services to dislocated workers. I'm very disappointed."

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney officially kicked off his 2012 campaign for president Thursday with a speech at a windy farm in New Hampshire, a day after a new poll showed that he is still the candidate to beat in Iowa.

But Iowa Republicans on Thursday cautioned Romney not to skip the first-in-the-nation caucus state.

"I think that this is a very wide-open race," said state Representative Steven Lukan (R-New Vienna). "I think Iowa Republicans look at their candidates extremely hard. This is not a state where rock stars exist. Iowans want to see you in the pancake house, and they want to see you at the VFW steak fry. You have to engage them one-on-one. ... I think anybody that chooses to skip Iowa does so at their own peril."

The stalemate at the Iowa Statehouse took on a new tone Tuesday, as Senate Democrats began taking their show on the road with a statewide tour to get the public involved.

"It's time for Iowans to get involved," said state Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal (D-Council Bluffs). "We have people in this building that will not listen. The only way you're going to break this impasse isn't amongst the players up here. We're in the 130th day, almost, of the session. It's not going to be broken inside this building. It's going to be broken by Iowans stepping up to the plate and calling the governor and telling him [that] zero [funding growth] for local schools is unacceptable."

Governor Terry Branstad on Tuesday announced his own tour of the state. He and Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds will next week hold a series of town-hall meetings in New Hampton, Cresco, Waukon, Elkader, Oelwein, and Independence.

The Iowa House on Tuesday night voted 58-40 along party lines for a sweeping property-tax-relief plan that could cost as much as $1 billion, despite repeated warnings from Democrats that the bill would give tax breaks to businesses while increasing taxes for Iowa homeowners and farmers.

"Do you really believe we should raise taxes on our parents, our children, our farmers in order to give a 40-percent tax cut to Wal-Mart?" asked state Representative Jerry Kearns, D-Keokuk, who also is a staff representative for the United Steelworkers Union. "I don't believe so."

Senate File 522, as approved by the House, includes a rollback on commercial and industrial property taxes from 100 percent to 60 percent of valuation over five years. To make up the lost revenue, the state eventually would provide $250 million a year to local governments. The bill limits residential and agricultural property-tax increases to 2 percent, rather than the current 4 percent. It also increases state aid to schools at a cost of up to $555 million by Fiscal Year 2019.