March 13, 2012. I got an early ride from Jay to the Iowa Capitol today and before eight a.m. we sent in a note via the Iowa Senate master-at-arms to see our friend Senator Bill Dotzler, Jr. He immediately came out of the senate chamber and answered our question as to what to expect with regard to the bill for funding the Iowa Film Office.
This is not easy to follow, but here it is: presently, the bill is in the senate appropriations committee and will next go to the senate floor for discussion and a vote. We understand that this vote may take place this Thursday. This bill was returned to the senate from the house side with the house putting funding for the IFO at ZERO dollars. After the senate votes and indicates their suggested sum for IFO funding, which we believe will be half of what Governor Branstad recommended in his current budget report, which is $400,000, the house will once again discuss this issue on the floor and then either vote the senate's suggestion of $200,000, or vote it down and return the bill to the senate.
If no agreement is made between the senate and the house, the bill goes to a conference committee which I believe is made up of members of both chambers. This can go to a second and even a third conference committee and if no agreement is established the issue would then go to leadership of both chambers.
Senator Dotzler and other legislators have told Jay and me that there is a billion dollar surplus in the budget. We were also told that perhaps this surplus is being reserved to give corporations tax breaks or similar support in the future.
We also spoke today with Senator Liz Mathis of Cedar Rapids, who gave us the impression that is supportive.
Members of the Iowa Senate Appropriations Committee include Senators Dvorsky (who has invariably avoided us), Dotzler (our chief ally), McCoy, Fraise, Dix, Hancock, Bartz, Hatch (who is with us), Black (another firm supporter), Hogg, Boetger, Houser, Bolkom (who at our last meeting indicated he is also with us), Jochum, Danielson, Johnson, Kapucian, Kettering, Ragan, Seymour, and Schoenjahn.
Jay and I think pressure should be applied to Iowa House members since they dealt a low blow by voting zero dollars to fund the IFO.
This could all end as early as the beginning of next month, but nobody knows exactly when this session will end. Our hope is that Governor Branstad will be able to somehow apply pressure to keep his budget recommendation for the IFO at $400,000.
Gene L. Hamilton
I salute you both for your dedication to this critical issue. A film office today is to a state what a 'minister of cultural affairs' might have been to the Italian Renaissance. Without such an office...no Da Vinci, no Michaelangelo, no Titian; no exit from the Dark Ages, and ultimately...no Pizza. Film is the art currency of our age. All of our artists and all our youth...want to direct. If we don't reinstate the IFO, all our right-brained talent will be gone...directly. We'll all have to join Rotary & Knights of Columbus. Talk about actuarial tables and gold prices. Can our own Creationism Museum be far behind? I think not. So, from the bottom of my heart, I thank you for your time and efforts. Stay mad.
ReplyDeleteSteve Moes at stevic2@mchsi.com
I love your comment, Steve. Your very words are creative. Speaking of creativity...Iowa will be a Blank Canvas and there will not be a brush or paint or an artist to apply an image to that canvas if the Iowa House insists on ZERO funding for the Iowa Film Office. If I could move out of Iowa I would do so because of the insulting lack of support for we creative Iowans. The billion dollar surplus in the Iowa budget will probably go to the big boys of the corporate world here, while the film office begs for mere crumbs. Sad, sick, ridiculous. gino
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