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Jim Doyle did it, but in Iowa, it's an art form

Posted by Kevin Fischer on Jan. 18, 2011

In the state of Iowa, money gets shuffled around and around and around like a deck of playing cards.

Iowa’s governor has an amazing power, the authority to transfer state budget money however he/she wants whenever the state Legislature is not in session. Only the governors in Alabama and Michigan have more far-reaching authority to shuffle money according to the Des Moines Register.

The newspaper did some digging:

“Former Gov. Chet Culver moved around $23.5 million in tax dollars in his last 18 months as he saw fit.

Newly elected Gov. Terry Branstad transferred an even higher amount in the last full year of his previous tenure as governor, state records show.

A review of financial records by The Des Moines Register shows Culver, a Democrat, chose to transfer $18.5 million to 188 places in his last full fiscal year in office. He moved another $5 million to 46 places during the last six months.

But among 17 years of comparative data provided by the Department of Management, it was Branstad, a Republican, who had the highest amount of transfers in a single year.

In 1998, Branstad tapped $43.4 million and shifted it into state welfare funds.”

Iowa lawmakers say it’s got to stop, but how? The Hawkeye State now has an annual budget. It’s been suggested the state move to a biennial budget. I’m not so sure that’s the answer. Two-year budgets haven’t led to fiscal responsibility in these parts.

Wisconsin’s Legislative Fiscal Bureau reports that during each biennium from 2003-05 through 2007-09, transportation fund revenues were used to balance the state budget:

1) The 2003-05 budget used a combination of direct appropriations from the transportation fund for general fund programs (shared revenue and K-12 education aids) and a transfer of revenues from the transportation fund to the general fund, for a total of $675.0 million.

2) The 2005-07 budget transferred $427.0 million from the transportation fund to the general fund.

3) The 2007-09 budget and the 2008-09 budget adjustment act together resulted in a transfer of $155 million from the transportation fund to the general fund.

The total loss to the transportation fund over those six years due to Jim Doyle’s raids was $435.4 million. That’s why Wisconsin Republicans will consider legislation to prohibit such raids in the future. Such legislation is fair, makes great sense, and is necessary.