Yesterday's Des Moines Register
State Government

Update: Iowa Child: Grassley spurns proposed deal that cuts help for Iowa
project
By Register Staff Report

11/13/2003
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 WHAT'S NEW: Republican leaders in the U.S. House Wednesday made a
counteroffer on the energy bill to Finance Committee Chairman Charles
Grassley, R-Ia., that would include elimination of special financing for the
Iowa Child project, a proposed indoor rain forest near Coralville. House
Republicans say they are willing to accept four other entertainment and
commercial complexes in other parts of the country that would get special
treatment, but not the Iowa project. Grassley has refused the offer, aides
said.

WHY IT MATTERS: Republicans in the House contend the $225 million, nonprofit
Iowa Child project is pork-barrel spending that's holding up approval of a
compromise on a bill that's supposed to promote development of energy and
improve the nation's electrical grid. Grassley says building the project and
others with tax-exempt financing is an investment in the future. Plus, he
says the Iowa project is "kind of like a pimple on an elephant compared to
all the other issues we've got" dividing lawmakers in the legislation.

HOW IT HAPPENED: The senator said in a conference call with Iowa reporters
that Iowans involved with the Iowa Child project brought lobbyists for the
other projects to initial meetings with Grassley. "There was kind of a
team," said Grassley, but the other projects then dropped their support for
the Iowa Child project. "I think it just shows you how some lobbying groups
work in this town, to get an entree to the chairman of the Senate Finance
Committee through an Iowa interest, and then they don't hold up their end of
the bargain."

WHAT'S NEXT: House and Senate leaders will continue negotiations on the
energy bill. The talks probably will go on for a while because the House is
in recess and can't vote on it until next week.

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