Thursday, April 24, 2008
Statement From Governor Culver On Meeting With Legislative Leadership
Des Moines – Below is a statement from Governor Chet Culver on this morning’s meeting with legislative leadership:
STATEMENT FROM GOVERNOR CHET CULVER:
This morning, the Lt. Governor and I met with legislative leadership in the House and Senate to discuss budget matters and a range of outstanding policy issues, including the disposition of HF 2645.
I believe we have had good, productive conversations on these topics and are making substantial progress on bringing this successful legislative session to adjournment soon.
On the matter of HF 2645, the Lt. Governor and I, and senior members of my staff, have held more than 30 meetings in the past several weeks with stakeholders, including management, labor, legislators, and the public. We have also spent considerable time reviewing the more than 5,000 letters and communications received by my office from Iowans across the state.
This input has, without exception, been informative and conducted in a civil, rational manner. While many people have suggested changes that might be made to the bill, it is also the case that few of those changes are in agreement with each other.
Through these meetings and communications, we have attempted to reach consensus among the many stakeholders who would be affected by this legislation. Unfortunately it has become clear that it is not possible to amend or revise this bill in a way that reflects a genuine consensus.
As such, I have reached the conclusion that the current bill must be signed or vetoed as it stands today in its present form. I have informed the legislative leadership of this and await their determination on when to send HF 2645 to my office for a final decision.