Another Snowy Day

Hello again. Its been far too long since I’ve checked in with everyone.

This morning, I was given the gift of time. I was supposed to be traveling throughout the state today, visiting Knoxville, Oskaloosa, Washington, and Muscatine. Unfortunately, the weather has kept me here, and we had to postpone our travels to Thursday and Friday of this week. Just when the weather warms and some of our snow starts to melt, Mother Nature throws us another round of winter. We are expected to get more than 6 inches of snow in the next 24 hours. Hopefully this is the last snow we will see. But I look at the calendar and realize we still have three weeks of February ahead of us, so probably not.

I am using the time today to help clear my desk and work on a few of the issues that we are discussing with the legislature. As you know, one of the most talked about issues this session is Government Reorganization. Last year, the Governor and I announced our plans on how to save taxpayers up to $341 million a year, and our budget called on the legislature to find that much in savings. We knew that it would be tough to get all of what we asked for, but it is so important that we find savings in a year when our entire country is recovering from a major recession. We are working with both the House and the Senate to find those savings and make state government smarter, and more efficient. If you want to know more about what the Governor and I have proposed, visit our website – www.governor.iowa.gov – and click on the tab “Government Efficiency Report.”

Well, I hope everyone is following the DOT’s advice and staying off the roads as much as possible. It took me nearly 40 minutes just to get to the office today, and I'm afraid it will take me longer to get home.

I hope everyone is staying safe, and I will check back in later this week when we hit the road again.

Until next time,

Patty