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State of the State

Fishbonker

Life Member
Governor Reynolds give her State of the State address today. A cut and paste of some bullet points:

“In the coming weeks, I will introduce the Invest in Iowa Act, a bill that will:

● significantly cut income taxes,

● create a sustainable funding source for our mental health system,

● reduce the burden of property taxpayers, and

● fund the Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust

You can see the 4th point is funding the IWILL initiative. Looks like it may actually happen this year BUT the formula will definitely be changed. I've heard some numbers and they are not what the people of Iowa voted for. To be fair only the amendment was voted on back in 2010, the percentages allocating the revenue I believe were published but not codified which left them open to be changed, and they will be changed.
 
Three on that list needs improvement! Hopefully they focus on the important things and do what they were put in office for!
 
I should have read further. More copy and paste, explaining her bullet points:

These changes will make our vision a reality. It’s an investment in our future. And it’s an investment in those who are our future.

Ten years ago, Iowans voted to establish the Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust. Funding that trust is no small investment, but I believe it’s one we need to make. We were given this beautiful land to work but also to keep. And preserving what we’ve been given must be a responsibility of all Iowans.

In 2010, the legislature established a formula for distributing the Trust Fund. I voted for that formula, as did every one of my colleagues. But the challenges we face today and will face tomorrow are different than what we understood them to be 10 years ago, so it’s time to amend the formula.

Specifically, we need to increase the amount of money that will be allocated for water quality and conservation. Under my bill, almost 58% of the Trust Fund, an estimated $100 million, will go toward water-quality efforts every year, representing an almost 31% increase in current funding.

We will also commit $52 million for other conservation and outdoor recreation efforts, representing an increase of 9.3% of current funding.

These investments will not only aid our conservation efforts, they will improve our quality of life and help us retain and recruit a new generation of Iowans.

I have no interest in raising taxes, so any increase in revenue from a sales tax must be more than offset by additional tax cuts. That starts with continuing to reduce our uncompetitive income-tax rates. Two years ago, thanks to many of you in this room, we passed the largest income-tax cut in Iowa history. I said then, and I’ve said ever since: that wasn’t a one-and-done.

I intend to make good on that promise, which is why I’m proposing to cut income tax by an additional 10 percent for almost every Iowan, with lower-income Iowans receiving as much as a 25 percent cut.

Let me put that into perspective. Just one year ago, our top tax bracket was at almost 9 percent, one of the worst in the country. Now, with this new round of tax cuts, our top rate will be down to 5.5 percent by 2023--significant progress that will make Iowa competitive with our peers.

Mental health is becoming one of the biggest challenges of our time. Two years ago, we reformed our adult mental health system, and last year we created Iowa’s first children’s mental health system--important steps to putting Iowans on a path to wellness.

We must now provide predictable funding. To date, property taxpayers have supplied most of that support, through their county to the local mental-health regions. I’m proposing, through the Invest in Iowa Act, that we reduce property tax levies and provide the needed funding through the State general fund.

No parent, family member, or friend should be told that treatment isn’t available for their loved one. By establishing a dedicated and stable fund for mental health, we will give hope to so many who are suffering in silence. It’s a promise we’ve made, and it’s a promise I intend to keep.

The Invest in Iowa Act, will bring meaningful change to Iowans in the very first year. But most important, it looks to the future. A future that will benefit our children and theirs.

If we take this bold step, right now, then whoever is standing at this podium in 10, 20, or 30 years--Republican or Democrat--can proudly say what I can say today: The condition of our State is strong.”
 
What types of things are funded by Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust? Any specific examples would be helpful.
 
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