Stories

State officials have completed the sale of $601 million in bonds for Gov. Chet Culver’s I-JOBS infrastructure program, with the end result saving Iowa nearly $12 million a year.

In announcing his candidacy for governor, 32-year-old Christian Fong has managed to shake up an already contentious Republican battle to unseat Gov. Chet Culver.
With no formal political experience, Fong’s positions on the issues are still a mystery to most voters. Unlike his GOP competition, who have endured numerous campaigns and been thoroughly vetted, Fong is [...]

The Web site state officials say will allow Iowans to track how every penny of Gov. Chet Culver’s $830 million bonding plan is spent has been launched.
The site, ijobsiowa.gov, will be the official home of information about the I-JOBS infrastructure improvement program. In an interview with the Iowa Independent earlier this month, Phil Roeder, Culver’s [...]

Gov. Chet Culver’s $830 million I-JOBS plan is nothing more than a campaign stunt designed to buy an election, Sioux City businessman and GOP gubernatorial candidate Bob Vander Plaats said.
Vander Plaats, who so far is the only Republican challenging Culver in 2010, called the plan to issue bonds to upgrade state infrastructure, create jobs and [...]

“Passing the legislation was the easy part,” Culver said. “Now, we must get to work creating good jobs and revitalizing our communities.”

In a flurry of activity over two marathon days, Democrats in the House and Senate managed to pass a $715 million, multi-year bonding plan (in addition to $115 million for flood recovery), despite fierce opposition from Republicans in both chambers.

A bill that authorizes the state to borrow $105 million was approved late Friday night by the Iowa Senate.
On a vote of 30-19, lawmakers gave approval to Senate File 477, which would allow the state to issue bonds totaling $100 million for vertical infrastructure improvements and $5 million for alternative energy projects.
The bill is expected [...]

A $545 million bonding proposal passed the Iowa House at around 1:45 a.m. Saturday morning.
The bill, Senate File 376, marks the biggest chunk of what will eventually be more than $800 million in bonding bills aimed at flood recovery and infrastructure repair. The measure passed on a 53-43 vote.

The Iowa House Friday passed a $115 million bonding bill to help University of Iowa officials rebuild flood-ravaged areas of the Iowa City campus.
The Senate passed a $100 million bonding measure earlier this month. An amendment to the House version, sponsored by Rep. Dennis Cohoon, D-Burlington, adds another $15 million to the bill for veterinary [...]

The sometimes-strained relationship between Gov. Chet Culver and Democratic lawmakers is nothing new, but it may be getting worse. Today legislative leaders said the governor’s refusal to work with them has brought the legislative session to a grinding halt.