Merrily We Go Again On The Capitol MerryGoRound

I carried a folder with me today to the Iowa State House.  I had rubber-stamped "UNIMPORTANT" in large red letters on the front and back of the folder.  When Jay and I spoke with legislators I would first show them this folder to lightheartedly indicate our awareness of our status.  Every one of them found this to be very funny, which made our conversations very easy and pleasant.

Jay and I wanted to better understand the proposed Senate Appropriations Subcommittee On Economic Development Bill, which contains recommended funding provisions for the Iowa Film Office, so we took our copy of this proposed bill to the legislative services office and spoke with the person who actually publishes these documents and asked her what the heck all of this stuff says in easy to understand terms.  This person, Amber DeSmet, said the proposed bill provides $400,000 for the film office and suggests that unused IFO funds be carried over to next year's film office budget.  The film office is now in the cultural affairs department within the "arts division".  Cultural affairs is led by Mary Cownie.

We met with our friend Senator Bill Dotzler, who is one of the leaders in the Iowa Senate in the effort to fund and revive the film office and who is a primary author of the bill just mentioned.  On the House side, Rep. Dave Deyoe is the most important figure in this matter and he met with us today as well.  Rep. Deyoe suggested that the House will likely approve $300,000 to fund the IFO, versus the governor's recommended $400,000, but that he would not oppose the carry-over of unused IFO funds, which he believed to be over $100,000.  The original amount of the IFO funding from last year was $200,000, so it appears some of the money was spent on something unrelated to the operation of the film office.

The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee On Economic Development Bill is presently in the hands of the Iowa senate and will next be taken to the Iowa House to amend or strike and then be returned to the Iowa Senate to resist or approve and then back to the House to insist and then to a joint House and Senate discussion.  Did you follow that?  Did you fall off of the merry-go-round yet?  You've got to be dizzy.  Jay and I are!!!