Gipp, Zieman discuss issues with area residents

Discussion with area legislators ...
Approximately 40 residents from Waukon and the surrounding area were on hand Saturday, Jan. 29 at the Allamakee County Farm Bureau building in Waukon to meet with Iowa District 8 Senator Mark Zieman and Iowa District 16 Representative Chuck Gipp during their annual legislative forum tour they conduct at the beginning of each legislative session. The hottest topics of discussion during the nearly two-hour session included Opportunity Iowa, deer overpopulation and healthcare, among a variety of other issues. A collection of area citizens were present at the Allamakee County Farm Bureau Building in Waukon Saturday, Jan. 29 for the legislative forum with Iowa House Majority Leader Chuck Gipp and Senator Mark Zieman. Many issues were broached, but the topics that brought the most discussion were related to Opportunity Iowa, controlling the deer population, Medicaid, the preferred drug list, and prescription drugs. Representative Gipp started out the meeting by stating revenue was up 70% over last year for the state, and the economy was good. Both Gipp and Zieman touched on the issue of trying to keep young people in Iowa, and felt that in order to do that there needed to be more employment opportunities and recreational opportunities. Gipp also explained the Opportunity Iowa program, focusing on the fact that certain areas served by Qwest do not receive the best phone and internet service. He relayed a firsthand experience of being without phone service for several days. He pointed out that the decisions for that company are made in Denver, CO. Opportunity Iowa encourages municipalities to bond and put in their own fiber optics systems. The communities with the most interest in the program are also currently underserved by their current communications companies. There are about 60 communities from across the state who are looking at this program. Neither Gipp nor Zieman could foresee legislation to disallow this, and it would ultimately be left up to a vote of the people in the areas who would like to see the program implemented. The next topic discussed at some length was the concern over the overpopulation of deer in the region. Concerns were raised about the amount of property one needs to own to be considered for a landowner hunting permit. Currently, it stands at 10 acres or more, and it was stated that the amount of land required should be lowered to include those farmers who may own small orchards or vineyards and are trying to diversify crops. It was also brought up that landowners may not be able to obtain licenses electronically if the amount of land they own needs to be verified and they would have to go to the courthouse. It was felt that might have an impact on the amount of landowners who get permits. Also discussed was the idea of giving an extra tag to hunters, with the specification that a doe must be killed to fill the first tag. It was pointed out that this should apply to out-of-state hunters as well, and that the scheduled fine of $25 might not be enough to deter people from disobeying the doe-first stipulation. There was also some discussion about the HUSH (Help Us Stop Hunger) Fund and how it may not be prudent to spend the money on processing deer to give to families in need of food assistance, as it is costly to process a deer, and the end result may not be enough meat to justify the cost. The current status of Medicaid was brought up, and how it can cause families who need assistance to sometimes separate and quit working to get some help, even when they are willing to pay the lion's share. Gipp pointed out that some unique healthcare situations arise in border districts, as many people in this area may go to Wisconsin and Minnesota for healthcare. Also along the lines of healthcare, prescription drugs and the Preferred Drug List (PDL) were brought up. It was pointed out that about 155 drugs on the PDL are brand names, but had generics available. This leads to higher co-pays, which can really hurt institutionalized patients who have a restricted budget. The subjects of importation of drugs from Canada and buying prescriptions online were also broached, and local pharmacist Joe Cunningham was asked to give his opinion on the subject. He stated that buying prescriptions off the internet is risky because patients may not get what they need and the internet pharmacies are totally unregulated. Other topics that were mentioned during the forum, but not discussed in great length were young drivers signing up for selective service via driver's license registrations, a bill to define what marriage is, possible changing of pick-up truck registration fees, increasing the tax on cigarettes, cash grants to companies who create jobs, bottle and can deposits, school mergers, and the opening of forest reserves to the public. Gipp and Zieman were also thanked for the welcome received by the group of veterans from this area who traveled to Des Moines for Veterans Day.