Governor Chet Culver announced this week that swine flu had hit the state of Iowa, with three probable cases of the H1N1 influenza virus found in Marshall, Des Moines, and Clinton counties.
"I want to be clear," Culver said. "Now is the time to continue our diligence and to exercise caution. There is no need for alarm."
Culver said he has instructed Public Health Director Tom Newton to prepare a declaration for a public-health disaster in Iowa if the cases are confirmed. This would allow the state to receive additional anti-virals, deploy public-health response teams, adopt measures to prevent transmission of the disease, and provide for possible isolation of individuals or groups to protect the public.
The disease is not transmitted by food, Culver added. "Our swine herds in Iowa are healthy," Culver said. "We have not had any reports or concerns about the swine herds. You simply cannot catch this flu by eating pork. Rather this is a new type of influenza and as such is airborne and spread by human contact."
Newton said so far 150 specimens have been sent in from around the state to be analyzed for the H1N1 virus. Of those, 40 have been tested, 110 remain to be tested, and two are likely swine flu.
Iowa has received a shipment of anti-viral medications and personal protective equipment. Newton said the state has 435,000 courses of anti-virals on hand and could get up to 750,000. State troopers are now protecting Iowa's anti-viral supply around-the-clock as a precaution. Culver said he considered calling in the National Guard like other states, but did not think that step was necessary yet.
"It's important to note that both of these individuals had contact with areas where there were outbreaks," Newton said. "Now that we believe the virus has been introduced to the state, we do believe it will be spread across Iowa."
Dr. Patricia Quinlisk, the state's epidemiologist, said the identification of the two cases should serve as a reminder to all Iowans of how to prevent getting and spreading the flu. The Iowa Department of Public Health has set up free a hotline number, (800)447-1985, for Iowans to call with questions and concerns.
"Make sure you wash your hands frequently," Quinlisk said. "Wash your hands after coughing or sneezing. If you feel ill, stay home; do not go to work; do not go to school. If you have a temperature over 100 degrees, a bad cough, or sore throat, stay home and contact a health-care provider to make arrangements to be seen and tested in a way that will not expose others to your illness."
Hundreds of Gay and Lesbian Couples Issued Marriage Licenses
County recorders in Iowa's 99 counties issued more than 350 marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples on Monday, the day the Iowa Supreme Court decision in Varnum v. Brien legalizing same-sex marriages took effect.
Andrew Mahoney-Lam and Grant Lam of Des Moines were the first ones in line outside the Polk County Administration Building at 5:45 a.m. One couple, Denny Schrock and Patrick Phillips of Urbandale, wore their black-and-white tuxedos. Another couple, Kelly Friend and Tasha Vazquez, drove eight hours from Indiana to apply for a marriage license here and hoped to also be granted a waiver of the three-day waiting period.
Yet another couple, Reva Evans and Ingrid Olson of Council Bluffs, has been together for more than 11 years and was one of the six couples who were the plaintiffs in the case. They tried in November 2005 to get a marriage license and were denied, leading Lambda Legal to file the lawsuit.
"Today's kind of a pinnacle of what we've been waiting for," Olson said Monday. "Just to actually hold that piece of paper and to be able to sign what we were denied before is really overpowering. I'm sure I'm probably going to cry."
The couple brought their two-year-old son, Jamison, with them to get the marriage license. "For Jamison, just the power in the word of marriage, people know what that means," Evans said. "I think it will be easier for him on the playground, just to be able to say his parents are married. You can't question what that means. It's really about him. He deserves to have parents that are married."
Melisa Keeton and Shelley Wolfe of Des Moines were one of the first same-sex couples to be married in Iowa, after receiving their marriage license from the Polk County recorder's office and then being granted a waiver of the three-day waiting period from Polk County Judge Karen Romano.
"It means a lot to us because we're pregnant right now," Keeton said, tears welling in her eyes. "What it means is Shelley will have rights as soon as we have the baby. We'll still go through some of the motions in case it gets overturned. But for our love to be recognized, for us to have some legal recognition ... it's a huge step and it's very exciting."
Chuck Hurley, president of the Iowa Family Policy Center, presented Polk County Recorder Julie Haggerty with a petition containing about 2,300 signatures Monday morning, urging her to deny marriage licenses to the same-sex couples. She issued them anyway.
"The county attorney was there. We read the petition to the county recorder. They also understood that we would provide free legal defense if they ... refuse to issue based on their right of conscience, which has been recognized since before the Declaration of Independence," Hurley said.
There were no protests Monday morning at either the Polk County recorder's office or at the courthouse down the street, but Hurley said marriage rallies were being held at some courthouses across the state to "pray and grieve" for the couples.
Legislature Adjourns After Two All-Nighters
Iowa lawmakers spent the final hours of the 2009 session hashing out final details of the state's $6.3-billion budget after passage earlier of sweeping sex-offender legislation and a $765-million plan to bond for infrastructure.
Adjournment of the Iowa Legislature came on the 105th day of the session, five days early to save the state money. It came after back-to-back 20-hour days. The Iowa House adjourned at 5:04 a.m. Sunday, April 26; the Senate adjourned at 5:55 a.m.
"We had to make many tough decisions this year," said Senate President Jack Kibbie (D-Emmetsburg). "And in the end, we balanced the state budget without raising taxes, spent less money than we did last year, and put $400 million in the state's rainy-day fund."
House Minority Leader Kraig Paulsen (R-Hiawatha) said Republicans and Democrats worked together to write a disaster-relief package, but the cooperation largely ended there.
"I'm not convinced this House of Representatives listened throughout this session," Paulsen said. "Seventy-one percent of Iowans opposed the massive and unprecedented borrowing proposal we passed in the last two days. ... On tax day, thousands gathered right outside this building saying, 'Enough is enough. Cut back.' Yet, you voted for the largest amount of spending in the history of our state."
Key to the state budget for fiscal year 2010 is the spending of about $680 million of Iowa's $831.6-million share of federal stimulus money for Medicaid, education, and government stabilization. The money should lessen the pain of budget cuts averaging about 12 percent across state government, and decrease the number of layoffs.
A last-minute agreement between Governor Chet Culver and Democratic leaders plugged about $30 million more in stimulus money than originally intended by lawmakers into Iowa's budget next year, including $13.1 million for instructional support for education, $2 million to school districts for professional development, $2.5 million for child and family services, and more than $1 million more for corrections at Fort Madison.
Lawmakers Decline to Approve Labor Bills, Elimination of Federal Deductibility
Four labor bills and one that would have eliminated federal deductibility, all of which prompted considerable controversy and opposition this legislative session, failed to make the cut as lawmakers apparently fell short of the votes needed for passage.
"I'm happy there's a small victory in the middle of a bus wreck. Iowa taxpayers were protected tonight," said Ed Failor Jr., president of Iowans for Tax Relief, in the final early-morning hours of the session. "And that's good. They aren't going to be forced to pay a tax on a tax, they aren't looking at hundreds of millions of dollars in tax increases."
But Failor added: "Unfortunately, I think it's probably like Jason in the Friday the 13th movies. I think you can probably count for him to somehow rise from the bottom of the lake again next year, and that makes me nervous."
Culver expressed disappointment that the four labor bills failed to get legislative approval this year and said he would back labor issues next session.
"I hope we can get more consensus during the interim for things, whether it's prevailing wage or collective bargaining," Culver said. "But I think we clearly need to have more discussions with the special-interest groups and with some key legislators so we can work to get the votes necessary for passage."
Meanwhile, John Gilliland of the Association of Business & Industry said early Sunday morning that he thinks the reason none of the four major labor bills proposed this year -- prevailing wage, choice of doctor, fair share, and scope of collective bargaining -- passed is because they were too extreme to garner the necessary support, even from a Democrat-controlled legislature.
"Labor unions have supported these measures for many years," Gilliland said. "At different times they get more traction than others based on the makeup of the legislature. We expect them to be back next year. This is labor's big agenda, and so I expect them to continue to push for these measures."
Legislation on Sex Offenders, Bonding Key to Adjournment
After months of work behind closed doors, Iowa lawmakers emerged last weekend with details of legislation about sex offenders and bonding that were key to shutdown of the 2009 session.
Friday, April 24, brought final legislative passage of Senate File 340, intended to reform the state's sex-offender law and bring Iowa closer into compliance with the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act.
Senate File 340 would classify sex offenders into three tiers and prohibit sex offenders from working, loitering, or being present within 300 feet of "exclusionary zones," areas that children frequent such as schools, child-care centers, playgrounds, arcades, pools, and fairs. The 2,000-foot residency law would apply only to those who have committed the worst offenses against children.
"Because of the emotion surrounding this issue, some of you have had concern about the politics of this during the next election," said Clel Baudler (R-Greenfield), a retired state trooper. "I will give you my word here today that if that happens, if you support this legislation with a 'yes' vote and that vote is used against you in the next election or the one thereafter, you just call me and I will be there. And I can almost guarantee you that the law enforcement community will be with me."
Then on Saturday, April 25, the legislature put the final touches on a three-part, $765-million plan to bond for infrastructure, dubbed "I-JOBS" and championed by Culver as a way to speed up Iowa's recovery after last year's floods and create jobs.
"I feel really good about the fact that we got this done," Culver told reporters minutes after final passage of the plan. "It was my signature legislative item this session. It was the focal point of my Condition of the State speech."
As for Republican criticism that the bonding plan will put the state's children in debt, Culver said that Iowa ranks 48th in the nation in debt load, and even if the state tripled its debt, it would rank 47th.
"I think they needed an excuse to vote against a bill," Culver said. "And they're going to have a lot of explaining to do to the voters next fall. What do you say to a flood victim? If you voted against this bill, you voted against helping the University of Iowa rebuild their campus. You voted against flood victims."
Governor Makes Appointments to Replace Those Denied Confirmation
Culver this week appointed his chief of staff, Charlie Krogmeier, as the new director of the Iowa Department of Human Services. Gene Gessow, his previous pick for the post, was not confirmed by the Senate.
Krogmeier will get about a $7,000 pay raise with the job change.
A day earlier, Culver reappointed two of his nominees that were earlier rejected by the Iowa Senate; he simply switched their assignments.
Shearon Elderkin of Cedar Rapids was appointed to the Iowa Power Fund Board, while Carrie La Seur of Mount Vernon was appointed to the Environmental Protection Commission.
Senate Minority Leader Paul McKinley (R-Chariton) said Culver's re-nominations show a lack of leadership: "I ask Governor Culver to show some leadership, reconsider these two appointments, and get serious about growing Iowa's economy through the creation of new electrical generation instead of throwing a temper tantrum because he did not get his way."
McKinley said he'd still have concerns about Elderkin and La Seur: "They were activists who stood in the way of Iowa developing the necessary energy and electric generation that the state badly needs for continued economic growth. Elderkin was wanting to exceed EPA standards. These leftist policies are not serving Iowans well."
But members of Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement said they are pleased with the reappointment of the two women, who have until April 15 to be confirmed by the Iowa Senate.
Culver also appointed Tomas Rodriguez as Iowa's state public defender, and John Mathes as interim commandant of the Iowa Veterans Home for a second time. Culver announced in March that he did not plan to reappoint Dan Steen as commandant, saying that he was considering changes and improvements to better meet the needs of our veterans.
This weekly summary comes from IowaPolitics.com, an online government and politics news service. IowaPolitics.com staff contributed to this report.
