DES MOINES -- In 2009 the state of Iowa battled with budget issues and gay marriage.
In 2010, these issues are on the minds of state lawmakers. After a couple of hammers from the gavel, the Iowa General Assembly started up in Des Moines on Monday. Time is of the essence this year more than ever. The state has decided to run only 80 days instead of 100 which means more work for lawmakers.
“Because of the shortened session this is the week to really start moving,” said state representative Mary Gaskill. “We’re going to have to do one, two and three weeks in one week in order to get out on a timely fashion.”
The biggest issues facing Iowa in the new year is the budget. Now that the governor has called for a ten percent cut across the board, legislatures must now look at where they need to cut back. Many lawmakers like state senator Becky Schmitz does not take this lightly.
“I've heard from agencies who provide services to some of the most vulnerable people,” said Schmitz. “They're concerned about whether we'll be able to maintain those kinds of services."
“We're here to take care of the budget,” said Gaskill. “That's our most pressing and most important thing that we're here to do."
Now that everyone's been seated some serious work needs to get done.
“We've got as I said a lot of important work to do and I'm anxious to get started,” said Schmitz.
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