Cownie Statehouse Report: Lots of Strong Bipartisan Work Going on House Committees

The House Commerce Committee, for which I serve as Chairman, likely concluded work for the 2013 session last week.

The list of issues under the jurisdiction of the Commerce Committee is extensive: banking, credit unions, energy, utilities, insurance, health-care and financial services to name several. The work we do on the Commerce Committee is important to Iowans. The majority of my time is spent working on legislation to improve a healthy operating climate for these important employment sectors of Iowa. I have enjoyed working on these issues and am confident we have helped Iowa employers grow and hire this session.

There are 23 legislators on the committee 13 Republicans and 10 Democrats. The committee passed many bills this session. And when tallied nature in the House Commerce Committee this year. We have done good work on behalf of the hardworking taxpayers of Iowa.

The headlines in the newspapers and the stories that lead the nightly news are predictably partisan issues. Unfortunately the bipartisan work at the Statehouse, and namely the House Commerce Committee, does not garner big headlines. Still, Iowans should know that there is a lot of good bipartisan work going on in the Iowa Statehouse. I would like to thank State Representative Chris Hall (D- Sioux City), who serves as Ranking Member on the Commerce
Committee, as well as Vice-Chair Mark Brandenburg (R-Council Bluffs) whose bipartisan work on the House Commerce Committee put the interest of Iowans ahead of partisan politics.

I am proud of the work we have accomplished in the House Commerce Committee this year and I look forward to continuing our progress next year. A strong economy and private sector helps make our state a great place to live and work.