Branstad said he would defer decisions on issuing any more state casino gambling licenses to the state Racing and Gaming Commission, which determined last month that it would not welcome new license applications for the next 3 years. Hatch said, "We shouldn't be picking winners and losers, and there's nothing in the state statute that says we have to protect the other casinos."
Branstad said he believed "it would be wrong for there to be political interference" in the commission's handling of licensure issues to protect the integrity of the state, keep operations safe and fair and following establish criteria to determine what is in the best interest of the people of Iowa.
But Hatch responded, "For a governor to interfere with the market and protect existing business is an anomaly for a Republican governor."
Hatch questioned tax cuts the state gave to a fertilizer plant that located in southeast Iowa, asking "why are we giving these kinds of incentives to corporations, instead of looking where job growth really is, it's in the small towns, it's in the small businesses."
Branstad argued that the deal created jobs for state residents. He also attacked the fiscal policies of the previous Democratic governor, seeking to tie Hatch to a leader that he said didn't balance the books.
Hatch sought to criticize Branstad's administration over a recent revelation that some former state workers were given confidential settlement payments. "There needs to be a fresh start in education and job development and taking care of rural Iowa," Hatch said.
Branstad said he wanted to come up with a plan for repairing crumbling bridges and roads that didn't include raising the gas tax, which he said would hurt poor Iowans. Branstad also spoke about his efforts to maintain the amount of ethanol in the nation's fuel supply, given Iowa's role as the nation's leading producer of ethanol, a fuel additive primarily made from corn.
During the floor debate, several Republicans warned that passing the bill would send the wrong message to teenagers, leading to more recreational use of marijuana. That's hard to fathom, since the bill does not legalize smoking marijuana, even for terminally or chronically ill Iowans who could benefit from medical cannabis in that form.
Key Iowa House Republicans and Governor Terry Branstad have made clear that for now, they would consider only a bill to allow access to medical cannabis oil.
A sign of how far the political ground has shifted in the medical marijuana debate: Joni Ernst is in fiercely competitive GOP primaries for U.S. Senate, and voted for this bill.
But almost immediately after taking office in 2011, Branstad began imposing those same fees. In September, the Register agreed to pay $626 for a legal review of 677 emails involving the Iowa Juvenile Home. The Register paid the fee, but the state, under a policy endorsed by the Iowa attorney general, initially decided to keep 1/3 of the requested emails confidential.
[In 2013], the Register requested detailed information on the number of youths kept in isolation cells at the Iowa Juvenile Home. The Iowa Department of Human Services responded that it would compile the information if the newspaper first paid $31,776. The newspaper rejected the proposal, and the state later provided similar information at no charge.
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The above quotations are from 2014 Iowa Gubernatorial debates and race coverage.
Click here for other excerpts from 2014 Iowa Gubernatorial debates and race coverage. Click here for other excerpts by Terry Branstad. Click here for other excerpts by other Governors.
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