As the news site Politico points out, the details of how, exactly, a state can opt out are still not known. It could be a vote in the legislature, or, it could be put to the public in the form of a referendum. But with at least one prominent Iowa Republicans already calling any public health care option reason to invoke the 10^th Amendment, if U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, gets his way health care could join the myriad issues facing Iowa legislators in the coming years.

When contacted by the Iowa Independent, a spokesperson for House Minority Leader Kraig Paulsen, R-Hiawatha, declined to comment. Senate Minority Leader Paul McKinley, R-Chariton, did not respond to several attempts to get his views on the issue.

But Republican gubernatorial hopeful Bob Vander Plaats has already made an issue out of the push for health care reform, saying Iowa should not only opt out of federal health care reform but possibly opt out of Medicaid and Medicare as well.

In Kansas, conservative lawmakers are already suggesting changing the state Constitution to exempt the state from federal health insurance mandates.

It is important to remember, though, that in Iowa Democrats still control majorities in both legislative chambers, meaning any debate surrounding opting out of health-care legislation will likely be saved for the campaign trail.

Tom Wheeler, who was put on paid administrative leave on Friday after problems were discovered in the Film, Television and Video Promotion Program, has been dismissed effective Monday afternoon, the governor said in a statement. Wheeler was in charge of negotiating tax-credit deals with filmmakers and was running the tax credit program single-handedly.

In addition, the governor has accepted the resignation of Vince Lintz, deputy director of the Iowa Department of Economic Development. That department oversaw the Iowa Film Office. The director of IDED, Mike Tramontina, resigned on Friday.

IDED is currently reporting to Richard Oshlo, director of the Department of Management, while new leadership for the department is being considered.

The controversy surrounding the tax credits emerged last week after an internal audit discovered problems in the program such as filmmakers claiming payments for themselves for multiple production jobs and for the purchase of luxury vehicles that were not associated with film production.

The governor’s political rivals are already pouncing on the controversy. In a joint statement to the media, House Minority Leader Kraig Paulsen, R-Hiawatha, and Senate Minority Leader Paul McKinley, R-Chariton, said Culver’s lack of oversight and failure to properly manage the film tax credit has not only put the program in jeopardy “but already wasted millions in taxpayer money.”

The two GOP lawmakers also sent a letter to Senate President Jack Kibbie, D-Emmetsburg, and House Speaker Pat Murphy, D-Dubuque, asking that the Legislative Oversight Committee investigate the tax credit scandal.

Culver asked Attorney General Tom Miller and Auditor David Vaudt to assist in investigating the program Monday morning. No time frame has been set for that probe.

“My father’s home in Palo was one that was flooded last summer,” said Cedar Rapids resident Heather Akers, who volunteered along with her husband and two young children to deliver the pots of flowers to residents. “We are interested in opportunities to help people out, and this seemed like a really nice gesture. We helped right after the flood, mucking out the damage, but it is really nice to return and do something else now that it has been a year.”

Cedar Rapids resident Heather Akers said it was good for her children -- Harrison, 7, and Zoey, 4 -- to see that people have returned to Palo and are rebuilding the community. The children's grandfather, a resident of Palo, lost nearly everything during the 2008 flood.

“Yes,” Harrison responded when asked if he thought the deliveries were a good thing. He added “great,” when asked how he thought people would feel about the gifts.

“It’s good for the kids to see that people are coming back and that things are being rebuilt,” Heather added. “It was kind of tough for them to see grandpa lose so much stuff last summer.”

A total of 350 pots of red, white and blue petunias were loaded into trailers and the backs of pick-up trucks Saturday morning. The gifts were made possible by the Rebuild Palo Fund with support and contributions from Anderson-Bogert Engineering and the Cedar River Garden Center, and will be bright additions to a landscape that still bears the scars from last summer.

“It’s a good way for us to acknowledge this first anniversary of the flood,” said Jeff Beauregard, mayor of Palo. “It’s good to welcome everyone back, and its good for everyone to know that we are still working together to rebuild.”

A label placed on each pot featured a quote from Lady Bird Johnson: “Where flowers bloom, so does hope.” In the coming days, many Iowa communities impacted by the 2008 floods will commemorate the one-year anniversary with parades, community gatherings and video footage.

Iowa Sen. Swati Dandekar (above) and Iowa Rep. Kraig Paulsen (below), both of whom represent Palo in the state legislature, were on hand to help load and deliver the petunias to each doorstep in the community.

House Minority Leader Kraig Paulsen, R-Hiawatha, issued a statement saying Democrats may “make one last go” at passing labor-backed proposals, pointing specifically at a measure that would expand collective bargaining rights for public sector employees.

Iowans for Tax Relief, a Muscatine-based taxpayer watchdog group, issued an e-mail alert to members that “secret meetings with arm-twisting and horse-trading, are being led by House Democrat leaders” with the goal of passing a tax reform proposal that would end federal deductibility and use the money raised to lower tax rates overall. The organization is asking supporters to call lawmakers and urge them to oppose the measure.

Democratic legislative leaders have insisted that labor-backed legislation and the tax reform bill could still pass this session. It is understood that each of the bills would easily pass the Senate, where Democrats hold a 32-18 advantage. However, House Speaker Pat Murphy has said they won’t be brought to a vote until a 51st vote can be found in the House, something that has proven difficult so far.

A coalition of same-sex marriage opponents, including the Iowa Family Policy Center, the Iowa Christian Alliance and Everyday America, will rally at the capitol today with the hope of convincing lawmakers to take up the controversial marriage amendment. The gathering is expected to go from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. A similar rally was held Thursday, after which Republican Rep. Christopher Rants of Sioux City tried and failed to attach the amendment, which would ban same-sex marriage, to the Health and Human Services budget.

Most expect another Republican attempt this week to force a vote on the amendment, although House Minority Leader Kraig Paulsen, R-Hiawatha, told the Cedar Rapids Gazette’s James Lynch that the marriage issue wouldn’t prolong the session.

One Iowa, the state’s largest LGBT advocacy organization, is planning to counter the conservative gathering with a “virtual rally” by asking supporters of same-sex marriage to call legislators.

Iowans for Tax Relief will rally Tuesday at 10 a.m. to oppose proposed legislation that would end federal deductibility, which allows state residents to write off their federal tax burden on their state returns. The change is part of a Democratic tax reform plan that could be debated Tuesday or Wednesday. During a public hearing on the bill last month, a group organized by Iowans for Tax Relief had to be removed from the House gallery after repeatedly ignoring requests to stop booing speakers they disagreed with.

Then, on Wednesday, the second Des Moines Tea Party will be held at the capitol from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. A similar event was held Saturday as part of conservative radio host and Fox News contributor Glenn Beck’s “9-12 Project.” Wednesday’s event is completely separate and designed as an antitaxation demonstration to evoke the memory of the Boston Tea Party. The gathering’s press release says several speakers are scheduled, but their names, as well as the organization behind the gathering, are not listed.

While advertised around the country as spontaneous grassroots gatherings of concerned taxpayers, some observers have pointed out that in many cases the tea parties are organized by corporate lobbyists and conservative groups like FreedomWorks, run by former Republican U.S. House Majority Leader Dick Army.

The group’s Web site does, however, have a list of appropriate signs for the event.

Once the activists, organized by the Iowa Family Policy Center, had moved into the gallery, Republican House Minority Leader Kraig Paulsen made two motions.  First, he attempted to invoke Rule 77, which requires House members to remain in the chambers, preventing them from “taking a walk” if a tough vote comes up.

Confusion ensued.  Paulsen then attempted to invoke Rule 60, which allows a majority vote on the floor of the House to pull a bill out of a committee even if the committee has not approved it.

Currently, the House’s resolution to amend the state constitution to ban same-sex marriage, House Joint Resolution 6, is stalled in the State Government Committee.  Paulsen had hoped to bring it up for a vote anyway.

After a tense half hour in the well on the House floor, Democratic House Speaker Pat Murphy ruled both of Paulsen’s motions out of order.  The protesters chanted “Let us vote” before they began to leave.

Find more at Bleeding Heartland, Radio Iowa, and the Des Moines Register.

The bill calls for the end of federal deductibility, a part of Iowa’s tax code that deducts federal taxes paid from a person’s adjusted gross income for state tax purposes. The effect is that income subject to state taxes is much lower, which in turn causes the state to institute a higher tax rate in order to generate enough revenue.

The House Ways & Means Committee approved the bill on a party-line vote Monday night.

Democrats plan to use the roughly $600 million that would be generated by ending the deduction to restructure the tax code and lower taxes for two-thirds of Iowans. Those making more than $125,000 a year would see a slight increase.

Supporters say the change would make Iowa’s tax system more fair and make the state appear more business friendly by lowering the top income tax rate from the current 8.98 percent to 6.98 percent. Opponents say it would increase taxes for thousands of small businesses, which they contend could hurt job growth.

House Minority Leader Kraig Paulsen, R-Hiawatha, said the real effect of the change would come in 2011, when federal tax cuts pushed through Congress by former President George W. Bush expire.

“When that occurs Iowans will have to pay state taxes on this increased federal tax burden,” he said. “The inability to use this deduction will result in Iowans paying approximately $125 million more in income taxes.”

But expiration of Bush’s tax cuts is also used as a reason to support ending federal deductibility. If the federal government raises taxes, the amount of money exempt from Iowa taxes is higher, said David Swenson, and economist at Iowa State University. Estimates from the Iowa Department of Revenue and Finance show Iowa losing $175 million a year in revenue beginning in 2011 if federal deductibility is kept in place.

“Eliminate deductibility, make the tax code simpler, and the issue goes away,” he said.

Supporters of the bill include Democratic legislative leaders; the Iowa Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO; the Child & Family Policy Center; and the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees Iowa Council 61.

Opponents of the bill include Republican leadership; the Iowa Chamber Alliance; the Iowa Association of Business and Industry; the Iowa Family Policy Center; and Iowans for Tax Relief.

The editorial boards of state’s largest newspapers, The Des Moines Register and The Cedar Rapids Gazette, both endorsed ending the deduction over the weekend.

Iowa, Alabama and Louisiana are the only states that allow residents to deduct 100 percent of what they pay in federal income taxes from their state income taxes.

Cities, counties, schools and universities from around the state responded to a request from Culver to submit projects that would be ready to begin once the bonding money is approved. None of the projects are guaranteed funding, and Culver spokesman Phil Roeder told The Des Moines Register each would go through “a rigorous process to determine if they meet criteria for public infrastructure and job creation.”

But the $8 to $10 million Vedic City project, which has been defended by city leaders as an economic attraction that could employ hundreds of people in the town founded by practitioners of Transcendental Meditation, has become a rallying cry for Republicans who oppose the bonding measure.

In a press release entitled “If you liked the ‘Bridge to Nowhere,’ you’ll love Culver’s ‘Tower of Invincibility,’” Republican Party of Iowa (RPI) Chairman Matt Strawn said the project proposals from local governments show how the bonding plan will “squander taxpayer money.”

“Somebody needs to take the shovel out of Gov. Culver’s hands because he keeps digging Iowans a deeper financial hole,” Strawn said. “This boondoggle is ‘Exhibit A’ that the spend first, think later culture of Des Moines is out of control.”

At his blog, The Iowa Republican, former RPI Political Director Craig Robinson put the Vedic City project at the top of his list of proposals he said reveals the bonding plan as simply a “massive pork project that is about to be passed under the guise of flood relief, jobs and economic stimulus.”

House Minority Leader Kraig Paulsen, R-Hiawatha, called the list of projects “squirrelly.”

The strategy mirrors that used by national Republican during debate on the omnibus spending bill passed earlier this month and signed by President Barack Obama. Republican lawmakers in the U.S. House and Senate called the bill too costly and said it was loaded down with thousands of needless pet projects.

That tactic proved unsuccessful, though, as ultimately the bill passed with limited Republican support. And several GOP lawmakers, including Iowans Steve King and Tom Latham, were criticized for voting against the bill and later taking credit for earmarks contained within it.

Des Moines Public Works Director Bill Stowe defended the Vedic City project, telling the Register that excluding a few proposals because they initially sound like they are not worthwhile, like “public artwork or a tower in a community that has different religious views as compared with the majority of Iowans,” is ludicrous.

In announcing the bonding plan, called I-JOBS, Culver layed out the criteria each project would have to meet to receive funding, which includes the number and quality of jobs created; contribution to sustainability and energy effiiciency; and benefit to areas distressed by high unemployment.

Most expect a heated debate, with Democrats and labor unions lining up in support of the bill and Republicans and business organizations lining up against it. And both sides are already pulling out all the stops.

Under the measure, Iowa workers’ compensation law would be changed so employees would have the right to designate a doctor to treat them for workplace injuries. Currently, the choice of which doctor an employee sees rests with the employer.

Opponents of the measure say the change will mean an increase in costs to businesses and government.

“With our strained economy and shaky budget, it is certainly not the time to be even suggesting proposals that make it harder to be an employer in Iowa,” House Minority Leader Kraig Paulsen, R-Hiawatha, said. “It sends a bad message to our current businesses and will only deter other businesses from setting up shop in Iowa.”

It could also lead to greater instances of “doctor shopping,” opponents contend, with employees looking for a physician who will give them the diagnosis they are looking for.

The bill’s backers counter that employees would have to pre-designate a physician when they are hired, and if they don’t, that decision will fall on the employer. If the employer is not pleased with the chosesn doctor they can suggest alternative care or appeal to the labor commissioner. They say the change will mean better care and treatment for injured workers, and claims of “doctor shopping” are simply scare tactics.

The lead up to the debate has already been contentious.

The Association of Business and Industry, a longtime opponent of the bill, has been running ads on Iowa radio stations saying “union bosses want to control the heatlh care of Iowa’s workers,” and that the change will hurt businesses and their employees.

In response, Iowa House Democrats used their Twitter page to bring up Republican pundit Rush Limbaugh’s admitted addiction to OxyContin, which he by got by another form of  “doctor shopping” — obtaining overlapping prescriptions from multiple practitioners.

Then today, with Iowa GOP Chairman Matt Strawn scheduled to speak out against the choice of doctor bill at Cedar Falls’ company Iowa Metal Spinners Inc., Democrats have gone on the attack. Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Michael Kiernan sent out a press release saying that Iowa Metal Spinners had been cited for 13 violations by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

“This is the height of hypocrisy,” Kiernan said. “Holding events on ‘job security’ in a place run by serial OSHA violators really hits the nail on the head.”

The public hearing is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the chambers of the Iowa House. Those wishing to speak should call 515-281-5129.

The salaries earned by Linn County supervisors have become a political hot potato recently.  In 2006, voters decided to increase the number of supervisors from three to five, which meant the county had to pay two more full-time salaries. At the time of the vote, Linn County Supervisors earned just over $87,000 per year. In March 2008, supervisors voted to make themselves part-time employees and slash their own pay, but shortly after the November election, just days before the pay cut would finally take effect, they decided to rescind it.

With so many in Linn County still reeling from the June floods, the public outrage toward the supervisors’ decision was palpable. Many described the earlier pay reduction as an election ploy.

It was that outrage that prompted Rep. Kraig Paulsen, the Iowa House minority leader and a resident of Linn County, to file proposed legislation that would allow voters to recall local elected officials. The measure was co-sponsored by Rep. Renee Schulte and Rep. Nick Wagner, two newly-elected Republicans who also represent parts of Linn County, but at this point its passage seems unlikely.

Today, while voting to re-lower their own pay and classify themselves on paper as part-time employees, the supervisors also voted to freeze the salaries of all other county elected officials.

This contradicts recommendations made by the county’s compensation board late last year that county officials receive pay increases. In their proposal, the recorder, treasurer, auditor and sheriff were allotted a 3.5 percent increase, and the county attorney was allotted a 5 percent increase.

A series of public hearings have been slated for next month for discussion on the pay freeze.  The final decision regarding salaries in Linn County will come in March, when the supervisors finalize the county’s annual budget.

Because Iowa law requires all county salaries to be tied to one another — that one office can’t have a reduction of salary without the same reduction being applied across the board — State Rep. Wagner plans to file additional legislation that would separate supervisor salaries from the salaries paid to other county officials.  That proposal has already garnered bipartisan support from Linn County legislators.