Raecker Backer

What Will Matter

Scott Raecker — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 09:33:05 -0500

In a long standing tradition in the Iowa House, members who are not seeking re-election are given an opportunity to give a farewell address. In addition to my legislative colleagues I was honored to have family, friends, co-workers, and former Governor and Mrs. Ray in the Chamber to hear my remarks. I closed my remarks with an adaptation of a poem written by my friend and colleague Michael Josephson. You can view Michael's original version here.

What Will Matter

Adapted with permission of the author Michael Josephson

Ready or not, our service in the House will quickly come to an end.

There will be no more balancing work and legislative service,
no more overflowing e-mail in-boxes, no more negotiations, no floor debates,
no more questions from the media, and fewer missed family events.
All the things we collected, whether treasured or forgotten
will eventually collect dust in a box, be given to Goodwill, or thrown away.

Our political capital, distinction,
and ability to get bills and amendments passed will shrivel to irrelevance.
With the possibility of a minor exception
it will not matter what we ‘voted for’ or what we ‘voted against.’
Our grudges, resentments, frustrations and jealousies
will ultimately and finally disappear.
So too, our legislative hopes, ambitions, plans and to-do lists will expire.
The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.

In the end, it won't matter what district we came from
or even what side of the aisle we represented.
It won't matter what leadership positions we held, how many doors we knocked,
whether we were a great debater or a brilliant strategist.
Even knowledge of rules, decorum and protocol will be irrelevant.

So what will matter?
How will the value of our days in the House be measured?

What will matter is not what we got but what we gave,
not our arguments - but the friendships we developed with those we argued with.

What will matter is not our success - but our significance.

What will matter is not only what we learned - but what we taught.

What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage, and sacrifice
that enriched, empowered or encouraged others to emulate our example.

What will matter is not our competence - but our character.

What will matter is not how many people we knew,
but how many people we impacted, and how many will feel a lasting loss when we are gone.

What will matter is not our memories,
but the memories that live in those we served - and those who served with us.

What will matter is not how long we served and in what capacity,
but how long the impact of our service will be remembered, by whom and for what.

Public service that matters doesn't happen by accident.
It's not a matter of circumstance but of choice.

Adapted by Representative J. Scott Raecker and delivered in his Farewell Address on April 17, 2012 in the Iowa House of Representatives

Mental Health Redesign Moves Forward

Scott Raecker — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 06:00:00 -0500

I believe that government has a responsibility to take care of those citizens who are not in a position to help themselves – especially when it comes to those Iowans who suffer from mental illness. For the last several years the concerns of mental health delivery have grown to a crisis level in Iowa – especially for those families trying to work their way through a challenging system of service delivery.

The mental health delivery system is complex with streams of funding from federal, state, and county sources. The current delivery model in Iowa is coordinated by each of the 99 counties – with each county responsible to deliver a core of state mandated services along with additional services determined by the county. These additional county services are typically funded with local property tax dollars.

Until last year, the state has underfunded the state portion of the mental health system which has caused the counties to use their local support for underfunded state mandatory services. This had resulted in wait lists for residents for services that have been promised under the current delivery model.

Last year the legislature provided the necessary funding to remove the wait lists for services, and started a massive reform effort of the mental health system so that Iowans can depend on consistent and equitable care – and that the new system will result in no Iowan ever again waiting for delivery of mental health services.

Legislators working on redesigning Iowa’s mental health delivery system moved closer to completion this week as the House prepared to debate the redesign bill. The House bill will include the creation of mental health service regions to provide local management of the system, establishment of a core set of services that would be offered in all parts of the state, and improving the data collection in the system.

A measure of success for the current legislative session will be our ability to resolve this issue so that Iowans can be confident that they will receive consistent and equitable services that will never again place those in need of mental health services in the position of waiting.

In addition to delivering a balanced budget that does not spend more than we take in, I believe improving mental health services will be one of the major accomplishments of the 2012 session.

Tuition Used For Scholarships Needs To Be Disclosed

Scott Raecker — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 06:00:00 -0500

Starting in the late 1980s the University of Iowa (Iowa), Iowa State University (ISU), and the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) implemented a practice of setting aside a portion of tuition payments to offer as scholarships to other students.

In September 2004, the Board of Regents (BOR) approved a formal policy that requires the public universities to set-aside a minimum of 15% of gross tuition proceeds for student financial aid. Many universities in other states have similar policies.

In FY 2011, over $144 million (21.3%) of tuition proceeds was set-aside and awarded to undergraduates and graduate/professional students as need-based and merit-based aid at all three institutions. A total of 25,583 undergraduate students received student financial aid through the tuition set-aside funds.

Each university sets the amount of tuition set aside for scholarship of other students. The percentage and amounts vary between each school, undergraduate and graduate, and resident and non-resident tuition. The following percentages of resident tuition are set aside for each institution: Iowa - 24%, ISU - 18.6%, UNI – 15.3%.

For undergraduate students the current effect of the policy is that $1,864 of the $7,765 tuition bill at the University of Iowa is used to offset scholarships of other students. At ISU - $1,392 of the $7,486 tuition bill goes to other students, and at UNI - $980 of the $6,408 tuition bill is applied to other students’ scholarships rather than direct costs of the paying student.

I have asked numerous constituents who have attended, or have students attending, Iowa, ISU and UNI if they are aware of the set aside. Not a single person was aware of the policy – and every person felt strongly that the policy should be disclosed to those paying tuition.

The current policy is disclosed in the Financial Statements of each institution and is discussed annually at a BOR meeting and with each respective Student Senate. I commend members of the BOR leadership, and our university presidents, for working to enhance disclosure by drafting a policy proposal that would “provide each student a notice of the specific amount of tuition set aside that is required” by each institution. This notice would be prominently printed in student tuition statements, receipts, and e-mails sent to students regarding tuition.

At a recent meeting of the BOR there was a presentation and discussion on the tuition set aside policy. The BOR tabled the draft disclosure policy until a later date.

The BOR is committed to the integrity of the institutions, and to openness and transparency of policies impacting students. It is critical that the BOR act swiftly to implement the proposed disclosure policy to inform students of the practice to use a portion of their tuition payments to subsidize other students’ education costs.

Tragic Death Results in Bus Safety Legislation

Scott Raecker — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 18:05:42 -0500

On May 10, 2011 seven year old Kadyn Halverson was hit and killed while crossing the street to her school bus. The driver never stopped, even though the school bus had its stop sign out and lights flashing. Law enforcement caught the driver and he was later convicted of vehicular homicide, reckless driving and leaving the scene of a personal injury accident.

Since the accident Kadyn’s family has worked tirelessly to protect other children and families from any similar accidents.

Legislation was drafted with input from the Department of Transportation, the Department of Public Safety, Kadyn’s family and other groups involved in school bus safety. The final version of the bill is one that will have a lasting impact and protect children on their way to and from school.

The bill enhances the penalties for a violation of school bus safety laws. A school bus driver who does not operate the bus under current code is guilty of a simple misdemeanor, punishable as a scheduled violation, with a fine of $100. Drivers who violate the law by failing to slow when passing a bus with flashing lights, or failing to stop when a school bus stop sign is deployed can be charged with a simple misdemeanor. A person who is a second or subsequent offender can be charged with a serious misdemeanor. Penalties are also increased for those who hit and injure or kill someone, while illegally passing a bus.

In addition to increased penalties, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Education and the Department of Public Safety will study the use of cameras mounted on school buses, the feasibility of requiring children to be picked up and dropped off on the side of the road where their home is located and the possibility of including school bus safety as a priority in drivers training.

The bill passed both the House and Senate unanimously and will be signed by the Governor in a public ceremony.

Kadyn’s tragic death has now resulted in legislation that may save the lives of others. Her death is also a reminder to all of us to pay attention to the laws of the road and remember there may be nothing more important in the life of a child than our ability to stop for their school bus.

Education Reform Starts at Home

Scott Raecker — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 17:28:29 -0600

Governor Branstad started a statewide discussion on education reform with stated goals to restore Iowa schools as national leaders, and making sure Iowa students can compete in a global economy.

The Governor’s plan is targeted to raise expectations for what all students should learn so that Iowa can continue to prosper and grow. World class schools are directly related to economic development and quality of life – as every business and every parent wants to live and work in a location where they know their youth have opportunities to achieve at the highest level.

The case for education reform is solid. As an example, in 1992 Iowa 8^th graders were 1^st in math on the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) and our 4^th graders were 5^th in reading. In 2011, Iowa 8^th graders were 25^th in math and our fourth graders were 29^th in reading.

In Urbandale we have six public, and two private, school districts that serve our students. As a parent I have experienced the Urbandale schools at every grade level and am impressed and proud of the educational opportunities our children have received and achievement they have earned. I have observed and researched the factors for excellence in education - and each school district in Urbandale provides a unique perspective on what it takes to make a difference in the lives of our youth.

I continue to ask myself how we can have such great schools and educators committed to our children’s success and at the same time see our achievement not keep pace with others in our country and around the world? Like any complex system there are many answers to this question. Public policy and funding have an impact on success, however, more money, great teachers, world class facilities, and exceptional public policy will not get the job done.

The current public policy discussion of education reform has led to a bill in the Iowa House that is focused on issues of competency based education, Core curriculum and content standards, teacher and administrator performance, on-line learning, class sharing, assessments, professional development, Charter schools, 3^rdgrade literacy – and deep within the bill there is language on Parent Advocacy.

I believe the single most important factor in student success rests directly with engaged parents and caregivers – and parent engagement is not something that can be legislated.

No amount of money or public policy will raise our 4^th grade reading scores higher than if parents read to their children for 20 minutes every day from birth to age 5. If we want to see our 4^thgrade reading scores increase, let’s start reading to our children every day before they are even in school and see the dramatic impact we can have.

If we want our middle school students to excel in math then parents need work with them every step of the way, attending their conferences, and making sure their homework is done well and on time to prepare them for the building blocks of success.

If we want our high school students ready for college, career and citizenship then we as parents should help model the competencies that are necessary for excellence in everything they do – things like setting goals, working well with others, overcoming obstacles and persevering for excellence in all we do.

We live in a wonderful community full of great people and dedicated schools. The answer of education reform rests in our individual actions and homes as much as any new public policy or increased funding.

Mental Health Reform in Process

Scott Raecker — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 05:00:00 -0600

After months of public discussion and interim committee meetings, the House Human Resources Committee has begun work on three pieces of the legislation that will redesign Iowa’s mental health and disability services system.

The first bill is a product of the Department of Human Services and Judicial Branch bipartisan work group that was tasked with addressing a number of issues related to the interaction of law enforcement, the Judicial Branch, and the mental health system. The group put together a series of recommendations ranging from on-going mental health and disability services training for law enforcement officers, the ability of residential care facilities to determine whether or not to accept people referred to them by the court, and clearing up conflicts within the law on which mental health professionals may be involved in the commitment process.

The change that may have the most immediate impact relates to all pre-assessment screening for individuals considered for commitment. The screening is usually done at a local health care facility, like a hospital or mental health center. Under current law, this screening is only allowed when the clerk of court office is closed. This means a person going through the commitment process during work hours may have to go to one of the four mental health institutes (MHI) before anyone assesses their current condition and service needs. Allowing the pre-commitment screening at any time will help reduce the number of long trips that sheriff departments must take to the MHI’s or psychiatric units.

The second bill is significant in length, but simply does one thing. The bill strikes references in the Code to “mental retardation” and replaces that term with “intellectual disability”. There has been a national push by a variety of disability advocate groups to make this term change.

The final bill is the main redesign of the current mental health delivery system in Iowa. The bill follows many of the recommendations proposed by the Department of Human Services. These include: transforming the management structure for mental health services from a county-based system to regions; changing the basis for determining financial responsibility from the rule of legal settlement to a determination of residency; and establishing core services that will be available throughout the entire state.

One new element in this bill is the issue of future funding for the system. Under the language passed in Senate File 209 last year, the current mental health levy is phased out at the end of FY 2013. The statewide amount generated by the current levy is $125 million. The House study bill will call for a four year phase out to begin in FY 2014, with the state providing dollar for dollar property tax relief.\

The Urbandale Chamber of Commerce partners with Senator Brad Zaun and me, along with officials representing the city, county and Urbandale schools, to offer several opportunities for public input. This year we have four public forums set that will take place at the Chamber Office at 2900 Justin Drive, Suite L.

Please join us on:

Saturday,February 25 - 10:30 am to noon
Saturday, March 31 - 10:30 am to noon
Saturday, April 28 - 10:30 am to noon.

Historic Tax Reform Passes Iowa House

Scott Raecker — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 16:59:24 -0600

The Iowa House has approved a property tax proposal that delivers $1.2 billion dollars of property tax relief and genuine reform to all classes of Iowa’s property tax payers.

Iowa currently has the 2^nd highest commercial property taxes and the 16^thhighest residential property taxes in the country. Additionally, over the last ten years, school property tax collections have increased 60 percent, counties have increased 64 percent and cities have gone up 74 percent.
Over the same time period, Iowans’ personal income only grew by 46 percent.

If nothing is done, the property taxpayers of Iowa will see property taxes increase an estimated $2.5 billion property tax increase over the next 10 years, with the majority of that falling to homeowners.

Property tax reform also affects Iowa’s economy and is an impediment to putting people back to work. The House plan further provides an emphasis on smaller, Main Street, entrepreneur-type employers. It creates predictability and stability for all employers.

Highlights of the plan include:

All Iowans receive tax relief and there is no shifting of burdens to any one class of property
Job creators receive a $602 million property tax cut
Homeowners receive a $417 million property tax cut
The proposal offers a total of $1.2 billion in relief for Iowa property taxpayers

Time has come for Property Tax Reform

Scott Raecker — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 06:00:00 -0600

Property tax reform has been studied and debated for the last 30 years. In a complex system, residential property taxes are “rolled back” to a rate of 48% of assessed value in a formula tied to agricultural productivity. Since agricultural productivity has increased in the last several years, residential property taxes will see a significant increase if the legislature does not take action this session.

In addition, commercial property in Iowa is taxed at 100 percent of assessed value and is a major drawback to attracting and keeping businesses of all types and sizes. The 2010 Business Tax index ranked Iowa’s business tax climate 46^th out of 50 states.

Over the last ten years, property taxes collected on a statewide basis for schools, counties and cities have increased over 60%, or over $1.7 billion dollars. Current projections indicate that over the next 10 years property taxes paid by homeowners will increase from $2.3 billion in 2012 to $3.9 billion in 2022 – a 73% increase.

These factors require the legislature and Governor to take action this session to reform the property tax system.

The current proposal is a comprehensive plan with the following principles:

1) Rollback commercial property taxes from 100% to 60% over an eight year period with small
businesses seeing the greatest benefits first, then large businesses seeing the same benefits by year eight.

2) Increase the regular school foundation formula from 87.5% to 100% over an eight year period. This will help prevent a shift to residential tax payers and provides homeowners with dollar for dollar property tax relief.

3) Align local government spending with the rate of inflation plus new growth. Local budgets would be tied to a Midwest CPI index, plus net new growth and align their spending with the income growth for those who pay for the services.

4) Provide backfill dollars for local governments that don’t see growth, to help them adjust and allow local governments to exceed their budget by a vote of the people.

It’s a bold plan, and one that would help spur growth, provide property tax relief to all classes of property while allowing local government budgets to continue to grow at a sustainable pace.

The Urbandale Chamber of Commerce partners with Senator Brad Zaun and me, along with officials
representing the city, county and Urbandale schools, to offer several opportunities for public input. This year we have four public forums set that will take place at the Chamber Office at 2900 Justin Drive, Suite L. Please join us on:

Saturday, February 25 - 10:30 am to noon
Saturday, March 31 - 10:30 am to noon
Saturday, April 28 - 10:30 am to noon.

Drake Student Senate - Focused on Opportunities and Excellence

Scott Raecker — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 06:00:00 -0600

It was an honor to spend some time at the Capitol this week with an amazing group of young leaders from Drake University. Members of the Drake Student Senate spent time with legislators talking about the opportunities and excellence at Drake University.

Legislative Republicans Release Accountable Budget

Scott Raecker — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:02:05 -0600

Iowans deserve and expect a state government that uses their tax dollars wisely. Legislative Republicans are committed to making sure state government is efficient and effective. As Chair of the House Appropriations Committee my role is to manage a process that will continue to use several common sense principles to develop a budget that lives within our means and meets priority needs of Iowans.

The Republican budget proposal aligns ongoing spending with ongoing revenue. Iowans cannot afford a government that spends more money than it takes in and the budget proposal reflects this principal with ongoing revenue of $6.252 billion and $6.059 billion of budgeted expenses. This is how Iowans manage their own checkbooks at home and it is how legislative Republicans will continue to manage the government checkbook.

The budget fully funds commitments to entitlement programs such as Medicaid, Indigent Defense, and the mental health reform initiative that was started last year. In addition, the commitment to the largest two-year increase in K-12 education will be fulfilled in the budget proposal, and for the first time in over a decade the legislature will fully-fund property tax credits previously committed to Iowans.

The budget proposal continues with the principal to end the practice of using one-time money for ongoing expenses.

The legislative Republican budget will be crafted with the long-term future of Iowa in mind. The past practices of overspending in one budget year and then slashing budgets with across the board cuts the next year only leads to more uncertainty and instability, hurting Iowans and job creators.

Legislative Republicans are committed to passing a budget that is fact-based and accountable to Iowans. Legislative Republicans and the Governor both released the entirety of their budget assumptions. To date, legislative Democrats have released only a portion of their budget proposal that indicates they will spend more money than ongoing revenue.

Controlling government spending by budgeting less than the taxpayer contributes demonstrates a commitment to common sense principles and economic health that Iowa taxpayers deserve.

The plan of action is to have a responsible state budget that contributes instead of takes away from economic, family and community health. Iowans deserve quality jobs that will develop into careers. They deserve the peace of mind to plan for their futures.

Iowa’s employers need a commitment from the Legislature to keep government from spending more than it takes in. Spending more than the state receives will lead to tax increases, tax shifting and uncertainty for Iowans and employers. They need the certainty that this will not happen.

Highlights of the Republican budget plan include:

Continued effort of listening to Iowans and digging deep into the budgets, with a line by line review to cut out waste and find efficiencies. Republicans will craft another government efficiency bill, saving an estimated $20 million.
A modest and conservative one percent growth. The Republican plan spends just 97 percent of ongoing revenue. By comparison, the Republican budget spends $313 million less than two years ago when the state was spending $1.18 for every dollar of revenue. This is an efficient budget that funds Iowans’ priorities.
Republicans’ budget funds Iowans priorities including: education, public safety, health care, fully-funding property tax credits and preserving any ending balance in the Taxpayers Trust Fund.
Taxpayers can no longer afford to carry the full burden for every state employee’s health insurance. Over 80 percent of state employees pay nothing for their health care. Asking all employees, including state legislators on the state health plan, to contribute at least $200 towards their own health care is the right thing to do. (As a side note, I am not on the legislative health plan and contribute over $390 a month to my current plan at work).