Prichard discusses internet tax, ‘Logan’s Law’ and elections at Charles City Lions meeting

By James Grob, jgrob@charlescitypress.com

Rep. Todd Prichard, D-Charles City, addressed the Charles City Lions Club during the group’s weekly meeting on Friday, and gave a legislative update to the club. Afterward, he answered questions from club members.

One of the things Prichard highlighted during his talk is a new bill he intends to introduce next session — which he plans to call “Logan’s Law.”

The law will be named after Logan Luft, a 15-year-old Charles City boy who died in an ATV accident a year ago. Luft’s organs were donated, and have helped save or improve the lives of many people, including a 15-year-old Minnesota girl living with a rare, multi-system disorder, who received Luft’s liver.

The intention of the bill will be to take an individual’s organ donor information, which is currently on Iowa driver’s licenses, and put it on hunting and fishing licenses as well.

Prichard, who said he is good friends with the Luft family, said that Luft’s father, Lenny, approached him at a football game with the idea.

“I thought that was a great idea,” Prichard said. “I’m really excited about that. That’s something I’m looking forward to next year.”

Prichard has been a representative since 2013 and currently represents Iowa House District 52, covering Floyd, Chickasaw and part of Cerro Gordo county. He is running unopposed so far in the upcoming November election.

The Charles City Democrat briefly mentioned a variety of issues debated in the past session in Des Moines, and discussed some of what he expects to come up next year. The Iowa legislative session adjourned in May.

“Typically what happens in an election year, the session is cut short, because leadership wants to get home” and concentrate on the November elections, Prichard said. “Usually an election year is not so controversial.”

The entire Iowa House and half of the Iowa Senate is up for election in November. Prichard said he expects the governor’s race in Iowa, between incumbent Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds and Democratic nominee Fred Hubbell, to be one of the most expensive, hotly-contested races in the country. He guessed that the cost would approach $200 million.

“Both national parties see Iowa as a battleground state,” Prichard said.

Prichard said that among those in the state Legislature, budget issues — specifically budget shortfalls — have been the primary concern.

“The overriding issue is the budget,” Prichard said. “It’s tough, fiscally, for the state.”

Prichard said there are a lot of reasons for the budget shortfalls, but one of the biggest has been the substantial corporate tax cuts over the last 6-8 years.

“Those kind of came to roost” over the last two years, Prichard said. The budget shortfall forced the Legislature to look back into previous year’s budgets and make additional cuts. The Legislature de-appropriated more than $130 million in 2017, he estimated. This year, it was close to $35 million.

“What that means is we forecasted to spend $35 million more than what revenue allowed us to spend,” he said.

Prichard said that this year, early fiscal reports are improved.

“Collections are actually going considerably better than what they were at this time last year,” he said. “That’s positive.”

Prichard credited lower unemployment and better personal income collections for the difference.

He said the Iowa Legislature did pass a major tax reform bill, which he said had a lot to do with internet taxes — taxing online sales.

“I look at our main street retailers who are withholding and paying state sales tax, and then you have companies like Amazon, with no physical presence, no employees, and no real connection to the community. Their sales were not taxed,” Prichard said. “That will change now, and I think by and large that’s good.”

Prichard said it’s been estimated the state internet tax will be bringing in more than $150 million to the Iowa budget within five years.

“With the tax reform bill, however, there were other things, like changes to the tax brackets, that I did not support,” he added.

Another issue important to Prichard is the water quality bill that passed in January, which will dedicate about $25 million per year to water quality across the state.  As ranking member on the ag committee, Prichard was lead for the Democratic caucus on water quality. The money will go toward things like flood mitigation, field practices and helping farmers with cost sharing.

“I wouldn’t call it a great bill, but it’s something,” Prichard said. “When you consider that water quality is about a $4 billion problem, it’s a start, but it’s not going to go very far. I’d like to see more, but then you get into, where do you get the money to pay for it?”

Prichard said the most controversial bill that went through the Iowa legislature this past session was the six-week abortion ban, which he opposed. The bill was signed into law by Reynolds, and support was divided largely among party lines.

“That got a lot of headlines. I voted against the bill. I understand the issue of abortion is an emotional one,” he said. “Both sides mobilized on that, and it’s already in the courts, so we’ll see what happens.”

Prichard said that other hotly-contested bills included a bottle redemption bill and a traffic camera bill, neither of which passed.