Good morning. It’s starting to feel like we’re living in Buffalo, N.Y., but with less-efficient snow removal.
The Attorney General’s Office filed misconduct charges against the former Iowa Film Office manager and charged two filmmakers with theft in connection wiht the film tax credit scandal. That’s here. The charge against former film office manager Tom Wheeler is a serious misdemeanor — he’s accused of ignoring the laws related to the Iowa film program and approving some false and inflated expenses. His lawyer is Gordon Fischer, the former chairman of the Iowa Democratic Party, who was on WHO-TV last night expressing his disappointment with the decision of fellow Democrat Tom Miller, the attorney general to file criminal charges. It sounds like his early defense strategy is to blame the poorly crafted law, approved by the Democrat-controlled Legislature. Might as well keep it all in the family.
Speaking of Miller, he now has a GOP opponent. Brenna Findley of Dexter is the former chief of staff to Rep. Steve King. She’s a lawyer who also served as a senior Judicial Committee policy aide. That’s here.
A bill proposed in the Legisltaure would require paid sick leave for all employees who work at least 20 hours a week. That’s here. It’s aimed at controlling the spread of illnesses like the H1N1 virus. As queasy as I am about employer mandates, especially in this economy, it’s true that restaurant workers and others who deal directly with the public have a strong incentive to work sick. Maybe lawmakers could target jobs that run the highest risk of spreading disease.
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy acknowledges that lawmakers have considered raising fines for speeding and other traffic violations to help balance the budget. That’s here.
