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.
Gov. Chet Culver announced $77 million in budget cuts today, a move he said is needed to keep the state’s “fiscal house in order.”
Further cuts or adjustments may be necessary after a meeting of the state’s Revenue Estimating Conference on Friday, he said.
“The combination of revenue declines, due to the economic downturn, and the financial needs of disaster recovery meant that, without corrective action, we would have been left with an ending balance of about $5 million dollars at the end of this fiscal year,” Culver said. “That is simply not enough.”
Culver announced the following steps:
• Freeze personnel vacancies and new temporary positions, unless approved by Department of Management (DOM), and reduce the amount of overtime.
SAVINGS: $12.6 million• Freeze out-of-state travel, unless approved by DOM, and reduce in-state travel.
SAVINGS: $1.5 million• Reduce equipment purchases, service contracts and office supplies.
SAVINGS: $5 million• Cuts in spending by the Regents Institutions, Judicial Branch, and Legislature.
SAVINGS: $8.9 million• Transfers made to General Fund since the last Revenue Estimating Conference meeting.
SAVINGS: $12 million• Request the legislature to de-appropriate funding for a new state office building.
SAVINGS: $37 millionTOTAL: $77 million
“The months ahead will be a challenge, and we will be mindful of these challenges not only for the remainder of this fiscal year but as we prepare the budget for next year,” Culver said.
Culver told The Des Moines Register he would even be willing to cut his own pay. Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear announced today that due to budget constraints in that state, he and six other high-ranking state officials would be taking a 10 percent pay cut.
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