Iowa Legislative Digest

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| Wednesday, January 10, 2007 1:37 AM CST | () comments

Times Des Moines Bureau

Don’t read anything into it

On the same day Gov. Tom Vilsack gave his final Condition of the State address, Iowa House Democrats were given complimentary copies of a book written by the wife of one of Vilsack’s rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination.

But the book – “Saving Graces,” by Elizabeth Edwards, wife of former U.S. Sen. John Edwards – was quickly retrieved by House officials who said the handout was inappropriate.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, D-Des Moines, was the person who asked that the books be picked up, a party spokesman said. McCarthy thought it was a violation of House rules to pass out material that isn’t directly related to legislative business. Also, he was concerned because it was not immediately clear who supplied the books or why.

House members were given little explanation about what happened.

“We got one and then they picked ’em up. That’s all I know,” said Rep. Cindy Winckler, D-Davenport.

The book is about Elizabeth Edwards’ battle with breast cancer during and after her husband’s run for the vice presidency in 2004.

Change of heart

A Des Moines physician had second thoughts Tuesday afternoon about becoming head of the Iowa Department of Public Health, withdrawing from the job just hours after he was appointed.

Gregory Peterson, who is chief medical officer at Mercy Hospital Medical Center in Des Moines, said he had a change of heart about the job after he heard from patients who were distressed that he would no longer be their doctor.

Governor-elect Chet Culver accepted Peterson’s decision.

Culver “is well aware of the importance of this position and is immediately undergoing a search for a new director,” Culver spokesman Brad Anderson said.

Peterson would have replaced the current director, Mary Mincer Hansen, who was appointed by Gov. Tom Vilsack in 2003. Anderson said Hansen will serve as interim director until another appointee is selected.

Stewart presides

The Senate Economic Development Committee got a new leader Tuesday when Sen. Roger Stewart, D-Preston, held his first meeting as chairman of the panel.

Stewart, a banker and a farmer, said he wants the committee focus on ways to improve job training. His district includes Clinton and Maquoketa.

“We want to make sure that we have people trained for the jobs of the future,” Stewart said.

He said the emphasis on training is to help stave off worker shortages in rural areas and in certain industries.

The Economic Growth Committee played a key role in drafting the Iowa Values Fund, the massive job-growth program passed in 2003 and then reauthorized in 2005.

The values fund included money for job training through community colleges. Stewart wants to expand on those efforts.

“We should be proud of the work we did with the Iowa Values Fund,” Stewart said.

He is one of many new committee chairmen following Democrats’ takeover of the House and Senate.

Happy trails

Ida Grove native Tim Albrecht announced Tuesday he will become the Iowa spokesman for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney’s presidential exploratory committee.

Albrecht has spent the past four years as the mouthpiece for Rep. Christopher Rants, R-Sioux City, while Rants served as speaker of the Iowa House.

Albrecht, 29, brings Romney’s team a wealth of campaign experience. He worked on the 2000 caucus campaign for Steve Forbes and on GOP gubernatorial candidate Steve Sukup’s campaign in 2002.

Albrecht said he thought early on that Romney was the best of the GOP field in 2008.

“I made the decision that this man needs to be president, and I want to do everything I can to help that happen,” Albrecht said.