The Iowa House just passed a bill which was sought by some Linn County officials. It deals with the local option sales tax. Apparently, Linn County missed the deadline for placing the tax on the ballot this spring, so the legislation allows a vote in March and the tax would take effect on April 1, 2009 if voters approve it.
House Republican Leader Kraig Paulsen is from Hiawatha, which is in Linn County. He told reporters this morning he opposed the bill for specific reasons, which you can hear him enumerate here in this 3-minute-long mp3.
Here's the lobbyist declaration list — basically, it tells you what groups were lined up in favor of and in opposition to the bill. The City of Cedar Rapids, the Cedar Rapids Chamber of Commerce, Linn County, the City of Coralville, the Iowa Chamber Alliance, the Iowa League of Cities were all on record in favor of the bill. The only group registered as opposed was Iowans for Tax Relief. The long list of other groups and organizations registered as "undecided," including CRST International which is Paulsen's employer. Paulsen is CRST's in-house counsel.
About O.Kay Henderson
Kay is a founding member of the Radio Iowa network newsroom. In 1994, she became the network’s news director. She’s a featured reporter and commentator on Iowa Public Television’s “Iowa Press,” and the 2002 recipient of the Shelley Award.
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