Rep. Hein meets with county officials

     The Jones County Supervisors scheduled a legislative forum following their Dec. 8 board meeting. They reached out to Reps. Lee Hein and newly elected Steve Bradley, and Sens. Dan Zumbach and Carrie Koelker. Hein was the only one able to attend the forum via Zoom.

     The supervisors discussed several topics with Hein, and allowed county department heads to also pose questions as well.

     Hein prefaced the forum by thanking County Auditor Janine Sulzner for her 30-some years of service to Jones County.

     “She’s done an excellent job,” praised Hein.

     He said he told his daughter-in-law, Whitney Hein, who was elected county auditor in November, that she couldn’t possibly fill Sulzner’s shoes, she could certainly follow in her footsteps.

     In terms of whether or not this session would be shortened due to the pandemic, Hein said that remains to be seen.

     “We need to keep safety in mind as we gather in Des Moines in January,” he said of the start to the legislative session on Jan. 11.

     County Treasurer Amy Picray has brought up in the past the possibility of charging out-of-county residents more for driver’s license services. The Jones County Treasurer’s Office stays extremely busy with appointments for in-county and out-of-county residents.

     Hein said he brought a bill out of committee last session regarding a driver’s license convenience fee.

     “We took it to our caucus but it got shot down,” he said.

     Hein said Sen. Zumbach was one of those who did not approve, so Hein plans to redraft the bill and present it again this session.

     One of the changes would involve whether or not customers own property in Jones County.

     “If you own property in the county, that would classify you as a county resident whether you live in the county or not,” explained Hein. “Maybe it (the bill) will move further this year.”

     One concern Hein has moving forward is the state’s revenue.

     “We’re OK this year, but what will happen in 2021?” proposed Hein.

     He said Iowans have definitely stayed home (or closer to home) this year due to the pandemic, spending money in the state versus in other states.

     Supervisor Joe Oswald asked about increased funding for rural EMS services, something Hein has stood behind in the past.

     “I have a bill out of the Ways and Means I’m working on,” alluded Hein.

     He said it would ultimately come down to needing a vote of the people to have a reverse referendum on the matter.

     “Rural EMS has been under a crunch the last six to nine months,” noted Hein of the pandemic. “I plan to sit down with the Governor and see if it’ll come up in her State of the State address.”

     Supervisor Ned Rohwedder also added that some services have trouble recruiting and retaining medical personnel.

     “Will there be compensation for those services that pay for people’s education?” asked Rohwedder.

     County Attorney Kristofer Lyons brought up the fact that the legislature tends to rush bills through “in the middle of the night” at the tail end of the session rather than bring those to the public’s attention.

     “No one has a clue what’s getting voted on,” Lyons said. “And both parties are at fault.”

     Lyons said some of those bills deal with criminal law and elections, bills that should have been seen by the public, or those who deal with such topics.

     “That is not the way to make laws in this state,” continued Lyons. “When you pass massive reform, we have to be able to see it before it’s voted on. You’re failing Iowans.”

     Hein admitted that so much was voted on in a hurry this year due to the shortened session during the pandemic.

     “It was unique this year with COVID,” he said. “It was such a short timeframe to pick up bills, and some things got jammed in.”

     Hein said by rule, they try not to rush bills through that have not been vetted by a committee first.

     “The lobbyists construct and negotiate the time it takes to get things done,” added Hein.

     On the House of Representatives side, of which Hein serves, he said they try not to conduct business after midnight.

     “But we have violated that rule a couple of times,” Hein admitted.

     Lyons also commended Hein for taking his time to meet with the supervisors and county officials.

     “I wish the other elected officials had showed up,” Lyons said.

     Oswald also asked about the state using sales tax to help fund mental health services. Hein explained Gov. Kim Reynolds’ Invest in Iowa initiative is still ongoing. The goal is to lower the tax burden on Iowans.

     “It depends on how the session plays out,” warned Hein. “This bill has a lot of moving pieces, and I don’t know if the rest of the legislature will look at the way I do. We’ll see if it’s on the Governor’s list.”