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DES MOINES, IOWA -- For the 85^th time, the Iowa General Assembly was gaveled in with its usual pomp and circumstance Monday.

Helping open the session, firefighters from across Iowa, including Ottumwa.

“It is an honor to come up and represent fire departments across the State of Iowa, as well as Ottumwa,” said Assistant Fire Chief Mike Craff.

This year, southeast Iowa has a new representative, Larry Sheets. Sheets, a republican, took the oath of office for the first time Monday morning. Prior to his swearing in, he shared his thoughts on what the assembly should do with Iowa’s surplus.

“Basically that money belongs to the tax payers. If they have overpaid, there should be a way we can get that money back to them,” Sheets said.

On the other side of the political spectrum, democrats believe that money could be used for programs that are in need of funding, such as education.

Democrats from southeast Iowa and other rural districts are worried that Governor Branstad could do away with allowable growth.

“They (the rural districts) want us to continue with allowable growth. There has been some discussion by the governor that we are going to change the way that we fund schools, I do not believe we are ready for that at this time,” said State Representative Mary Gaskill of House District 81.

“Students in Van Buren County, their school board must pay about $1300 a student, just to get the student to school. It is because of the bus routes and so forth, being that you do not have a bridge across the Des Moines River every mile. Where as metro units might have a bill of $230 per student to get their students to school. That is a tremendous difference in the effort that you can provide for education of a rural student,” said State Representative Curt Hanson of House District 82.

However, Hanson knows that education reform cannot be a one-time fix; he believes that the state has to think long-term.

“We’ve got to be very innovative. We’ve got to make sure we are in the global marketplace, competing with the rest of the world,” Hanson said.

On Tuesday, members from both chambers will be hearing Governor Branstad’s Condition of the State address.

Contact information for House Members:

House District 78:
State Representative Jarad Klein
e-mail: jarad.klein@legis.iowa.gov
phone: 515.281.3221

House District 80:
State Representative Larry Sheets
e-mail: larry.sheets@legis.iowa.gov

House District 81:
State Representative Mary Gaskill
e-mail: mary.gaskill@legis.iowa.gov
phone: 641-682-6417

House District 82:
State Representative Curt Hanson
e-mail: curt.hanson@legis.iowa.gov
phone: 641.919.2314

House District 84:
State Representative David E. Heaton
e-mail: dave.heaton@legis.iowa.gov
phone: 319.385.9342

Contact information for Senate Members:

Senate District 39
State Senator Sandra Greiner
e-mail: sandra.greiner@legis.iowa.gov
phone: 641.636.2293

Senate District 40
State Senator Ken Rozenboom
e-mail: ken.rozenboom@legis.iowa.gov
phone: 641.295.6551

Senate District 41
State Senator Mark Chelgren
e-mail: mark.chelgren@legis.iowa.gov
phone: 641.777.7047

Senate District 42
State Senator Rich Taylor
e-mail: rich.taylor@legis.iowa.gov
phone: 319.931.1568