The Iowa legislature has been in session for nearly a full two weeks and Senator Mark Segebart of Vail has identified several topics he believes will be priorities in this session. He says the Ways and Means committee is still open to a bottle bill he is sponsoring that would increase the amount of money for recycled beverage containers in an effort to keep this service viable for the state of Iowa. He says the table was set in 2017 by Senate Republicans to reduce the tax burden on hard-working Iowans, particularly in light of the state’s tax climate ranking 42nd in the nation. With the largest amount of economic growth occurring in states with the lowest income tax, the pro-growth agenda has been initiated and implementation began about three years ago with a 10 percent average income tax reduction immediately. The plan is that by 2023, the top tax rate will be 6.5 percent. Segebart also says that one of the first topics at the top of every session is funding for kindergarten through 12th grade public schools. With more than $263 million provided to Iowa’s public schools over the past three budget years, Segebart says “In the coming weeks, we expect to hear a lot of noise about cutting and fully funding education. However, one certainty will remain, Senate Republicans will continue to make reliable and sustainable promises to Iowa schools and those promises will be kept.” Segebart will be taking part in the Saturday, Jan. 25 Carroll Chamber of Commerce Legislative Forum at New Hope. The public is encouraged to bring questions for the Senator to this session at 10 a.m.
