Honoring Sarah’s Law
Seven years ago today (Jan. 31), my life changed forever. My daughter, Sarah Root, was killed by an illegal immigrant who was driving drunk. Instead of being prosecuted for his crimes, he was released from custody and never seen again.
The pain of losing a child is immeasurable. It’s a wound that never heals. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of Sarah; her bright smile; her sweet demeanor; her precious soul.
Last year, I had the opportunity to meet with Congressman Randy Feenstra and Senator Joni Ernst to raise awareness about my daughter’s story and ensure that no other family has to endure the pain our family has. During our conversation, they promised that they would do all they could to protect our children from violent criminals like the man who killed my daughter.
Congressman Feenstra and Senator Ernst kept their promise. Alongside Senator Chuck Grassley, they introduced Sarah’s Law to hold illegal immigrants accountable for their actions and swiftly detain and punish those who break our laws.
People are also reading…
As a mom, I’m grateful for their leadership on this important issue. They are truly working every day to keep our children, families and communities safe.
Michelle Root
Council Bluffs
Hold PBMs accountable
As a pharmacist, I see first-hand as my patients struggle to afford their prescription drugs.
A big contributor to high drug costs are powerful pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). PBMs “negotiate” the price of the prescription drug between the drug company, your health insurance company and the pharmacy.
Currently, three PBMs control 80% of the market. They dominate the negotiation, operate in the dark and make a handsome profit.
To lower prescription drug costs, we need PBMs to operate in the daylight. The prices they charge should be transparent. Especially when taxpayer dollars are involved.
Middlemen should not be getting rich at the expense of patients. If PBMs negotiate better prices, those savings should be passed onto the consumer.
PBMs should also be barred from clawing back payment after you’ve pick up your pills. Claw backs are a hidden cost to the pharmacy, and yet another way to line the pockets of PBMs.
Thankfully, there is a solution. Senator Chuck Grassley is leading the charge to hold PBMs accountable by introducing the bipartisan Prescription Pricing for the People Act and the PBM Transparency Act.
Patients will benefit as a result of these bills. Congress should pass them right away.
Leslie Herron
Adel
Celebrating Black History Month
During Black History Month, we celebrate the legacy of Black Americans whose power to lead, overcome and expand democracy has helped our nation become a more fair and just society.
I’ll never stop fighting to move us closer to the simple idea that all of us are created equal.
Paul Bacon
Hallandale Beach, Florida
Local governments should budget like a citizen
If you are following the 2023 Iowa legislative session, then you know there is a lot of proposed legislation aimed at reforming and lowering the property tax. This is because local governments in Iowa have a spending problem. Since 2000, total property taxes collected have increased nearly 120%, well outpacing inflation. The increased spending has put a burden on taxpayers that cannot be ignored.
Iowans have to base their household spending on how much revenue they bring in. You look at your household income — aka your paycheck — and make decisions based on the amount it shows. Plenty of us would like to take the family to Disney World or tackle that long-overdue home renovation this year, but if it’s not in the budget, it just has to wait. We can only spend what we have. Unfortunately, public officials often think the rules are different for them.
Taxpayers can’t spend more than they make every year, so why is it so easy for local governments to keep spending?
The devil is in the details. The property tax cycle in Iowa takes a total of 18 months from start to finish, beginning with the assessor. The amount of your property tax bill is determined when your local government establishes its budget. Your city and county decide how much they want to spend, and then the county auditor determines the levy rate needed to generate enough revenue to fund the resulting budgets. Sounds backwards, right?
Sure, cities and counties have limitations. A 2019 law applied a 2% spending cap on cities and counties. However, this cap is easily bypassed and hasn’t proven effective for reducing spending in our communities. To make matters worse, taxpayers who voice objections to their city council or county board budgets during public hearings can only demand reductions in the published property tax levies, not changes or removal of budget items with which they have issues.
Across an 18-month process, plenty of time is available for local officials to forecast revenue and to budget responsibly without continually increasing taxes. Sure, that would mean every request wouldn’t be funded, but it would also mean a single mom living paycheck to paycheck wouldn’t have to suffer a property tax increase year after year.
Thankfully, governments don’t universally budget beyond their means in Iowa. The state government has done an excellent job with prudent budgets. Over the last decade, the Iowa Legislature has slowed the growth of state spending, resulting in multiple rounds of tax cuts. Yet, when the state enabled property tax relief by transferring the county mental health levy to the state’s General Fund, 48 of Iowa’s 99 counties did not pass the full savings on to their local taxpayers, choosing to spend them instead.
Iowans and their state government know how to live within their means; it’s time local governments do the same.
Sarah Curry
Research Director at Iowans for Tax Relief Foundation
