Wednesday was a difficult day for The American Independent News Network, which is the larger entity that operates The Iowa Independent. Our chief executive and founder announced two of our sister sites would close and their content would be moved to The American Independent.
A recently introduced bill could have far-reaching impact on the U.S. sugar industry, including American Crystal Sugar, a farmer-owned cooperative that locked out 1,300 Midwest workers on Aug. 1.
The chairman for Herman Cain’s Iowa effort says the campaign “relied more on the word of farmers than Washington regulators” in deciding to run an ad containing claims the Environmental Protection Agency says are false.
The Iowa Senate will remain under the control of a slim 26-25 Democratic majority when it reconvenes in January 2012.
For all of his bluster and posturing, what has U.S. Rep. Steve King, R-Kiron, actually accomplished?
The Sioux City Journal researches this question in some detail.
In terms of legislation, King has been successful with one bill he’s sponsored: getting Christmas recognized as being, well, important to Christians.
Of the 44 bills King has sponsored according to www.GovTrack.us, three have made it out of committee and only one has been acted. The piece of legislation? House Resolution 847: Recognizing the importance of Christmas the Christian faith.
But don’t despair — King says he’s had some success blocking what he believes to be bad legislation or funding choices.
King said the extended 2007 funding debate for reauthorization of the federal State Children’s Health Insurance Program was a key moment. The measure was initially written for an increase of $35 billion, but was scaled back before being signed by President Bush in December.
King took to the House floor last fall with a sign that said the SCHIP acronym should instead stand for “Socialized Clinton-style Hillarycare for Illegals and their Parents.”
“I do believe if you took me out of the equation, there would have been a different (funding) result,” King said.
And in the priority debate raging between U.S. Highway 20 and U.S. Highway 30 — with 30 having the most traffic and the clear lead in economic development in its corridor — King has proven to be an advocate for 20 at the expense of 30.
The cost for expanding U.S. 20 from two to four lanes over 90 miles from Moorland to Moville is estimated to cost $520 million. King has specified his $35 million is for portions west of U.S. Highway 71 in Woodbury, Ida and Sac counties.
“It’s a given that Highway 20 will be completed all the way to Sioux City,” King said. “I believe I have given every effort to keep my word on those two (infrastructure) things. Both of those things will get done.”
King said as he’s served in Congress, he’s broadened the infrastructure funding list to Interstate 29 interchanges in Council Bluffs and Sioux City, along with the Outer Drive expansion in Sioux City.
Nowhere in the The Journal story does King mention U.S. 30 — something those who live along that federal route may want to consider when evaluating the congressman.
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