Brianne Pfannenstiel

bpfannenst@dmreg.com

Legislative Republicans unveiled a budget proposal Tuesday that includes nearly $650,000 to implement a new voter ID initiative but makes $1.4 million in cuts to other departments and programs.

Republicans said they were glad to support the Secretary of State's voter identification plan, but Democrats were immediately critical that it would come at the expense of other programs such as the Iowa Public Information Board and the Child Advocacy Board.

"Given the cuts of every other department, this is unconscionable that we would put $700,000 into a problem that doesn’t exist when we have other problems that do exist and we’re cutting those departments," said Rep. Bruce Hunter, D-Des Moines.

The proposal would provide about $47.4 million in funding to administration and regulation services. It's part of the state's overall $7.245 billion spending plan, which includes cuts to nearly every area of the state budget.

It sets aside $645,774 to fund a voter identification and election reform initiative proposed by the Secretary of State's Office. That piece of legislation is still under debate, but it's expected to gain final approval in the Senate and advance to Gov. Terry Branstad for his signature.

If enacted, that legislation would set new requirements for voters to show identification at the polls in an effort to prevent election fraud. The bill has drawn the ire of Democrats like Hunter who point to statistics that show voter fraud is exceedingly rare in Iowa and across the country.

But Republicans argue that fraud exists and that any effort to maintain the integrity of Iowa's elections is worth the cost.

"I’m glad we’ve got this in the budget bill. I’m happy to support it," said Sen. Jake Chapman, R-Adel, a member of the subcommittee that considered the bill Tuesday. "To ensure the integrity of our electoral process, I think it’s a small amount of money to pay. Happy to do it.”

The proposal would cut about $391,000 from the Department of Inspections and Appeals, including $41,279 from the Child Advocacy Board, which oversees the Iowa Court Appointed Special Advocate Program and the Iowa Foster Care Review Board Program.

Hunter suggested there are "vital positions that won't be filled" in the CASA program, which recruits and trains volunteers to advocate for abused and neglected children in court.

Rep. John Landon, R-Ankeny, co-chair of the subcommittee overseeing the proposal, said efforts had been made to spare the CASA program from previous cuts.

"I’m just unable to do any more for them than I have," he said. "I understand the significance of their work.”

The Public Information Board, which Gov. Terry Branstad created to enforce Iowa's open records and meetings laws, saw its funding slashed by about 20 percent in the last round of budget cuts.

Under the proposal, those cuts will carry forward into 2018, and the organization's interim director Margaret Johnson said they're not sure how to continue funding the program through the rest of this year.

"Is that acceptable to anyone here?" asked Sen. Liz Mathis, D-Cedar Rapids.

The subcommittee voted to advance the budget bill. The 2017 legislative session is tentatively scheduled to adjourn next week after the state's overall budget is finalized.