Senate Leader Jerry Behn Talks Funnel Week

Submitted by Jerry Behn, Senate Republican Leader

There comes a time every session when legislators must toss aside legislation that will not be given further considered for the year.

It’s called funnel week and it happened this week in the Legislature.

This is the time when all the bills that do not make it out of committee (with the exception of bills from Ways and Means, Appropriations and Government Oversight) are dead for the session.

Unfortunately for Iowans, a lot of good legislation authored by Senate Republicans died at the hands of Senate Democrats this week.

Literally hundreds of bills aimed at putting more Iowans back to work, removing barriers to growth, allowing hardworking Iowa taxpayers to keep more of their own money and making government more efficient and effective all died this week as a result of obstruction from Senate Democrats.

At a time when there are nearly 100,000 Iowans out of work, I think nearly all Iowans will agree that is the wrong time to kill pro-jobs and pro-growth legislation.

Instead of stopping bills that provide tax relief, government regulation reform and more choices in education, we should be promoting them and putting them on the fast-track to enactment.

Obstructing progress and saying “No” to good legislation has become the hallmark of the Senate Democrats during their last six years as the majority party in the Senate.

Instead of working together for bi-partisan success for all Iowans, partisanship and obstruction have won out in the Senate.

That needs to change.

Iowans deserve better.

As always, I want to hear from you and can be reached by phone at 515-281-3560 or by e-mail at Jerry.Behn@legis.iowa.gov

Jerry Behn

Senate Republican Leader

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