A roundup of legislative and Capitol news items of interest for Monday, Feb. 6, 2012:

CHICAGO-TO-OMAHA: The Federal Railroad Administration and Iowa Department of Transportation will kick off the Chicago-to-Omaha Regional Passenger Rail System Planning Study with an online, self-directed, open house meeting beginning Feb. 13 at www.iowadot.gov/chicagotoomaha.

The online open house will be the first opportunity for the public to participate in the study, which is intended to evaluate potential route alternatives and , levels of service and ridership, analyze environmental impacts and determine a preferred Chicago-to-Omaha passenger rail route alternative.

“Potential improvements to the passenger rail system from Chicago, through Iowa, to Omaha will help complete the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative’s vision for developing an improved and expanded passenger rail system in the Midwest,” said Tamara Nicholson, Iowa DOT director of the Office of Rail Transportation. “The study will be a major step in assessing the viability of a high-speed, regional passenger rail system for Iowa and the Midwest.”

Comments can be submitted at the online open house. Meeting materials and a comment form can also be downloaded at www.iowadot.gov/chicagotoomaha of, for those without Internet access, call (800) 488-7119.

Gov. Terry Branstad

NOBODY’S PUPPET: Gov. Terry Branstad laughed off suggestions from former 2010 GOP gubernatorial rival Bob Vander Plaats, whose Iowa Family Leader organization is accusing the governor and his staff of being “puppets to a far-left agenda for refusing to take the governor’s name off an anti-bullying conference.

Controversy recently arose around the upcoming 7th Annual Governor’s Conference on LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning) Youth, which was started under former Democratic governors to promote safe schools and combat bullying of young people.

Branstad says believes in treating everyone with respect and dignity and, while he would not be attending the conference due to scheduling conflicts, he allowed the conference to continue to bear the name of the governor’s office. Vander Plaats said Branstad has made “an obvious change in his position” because he told the Family Leader last month that his administration was planning to contact event coordinators and request the exclusion of the word “Governor’s” from the conference title.

“Gov. Branstad needs to be held accountable for his support of this conference and the promotion of a very radical and dangerous left-wing agenda,” Vander Plaats said in a statement. “It is greatly disappointing and, frankly, disturbing that Branstad and his administration have chosen to be puppets to a far-left agenda versus being effective educational leaders,” he added.

Asked to respond Monday, Branstad said “I can’t help but laugh at that.” The governor assured reporters at the Statehouse news conference “I’m not a puppet to anybody. He knows better than that.”

Sen. Bob Dvorsky

STRANGE AND ODD: Sen. Bob Dvorsky, D-Coralville, told a Senate subcommittee that he “finds it strange and odd” that Department of Education Director Jason Glass is supporting a move away from Iowa Testing Programs, the company that has produced the Iowa Test of Basic Skills and other testing products for the state’s students. “Dr. Glass is, at best, vague about why,” said Dvorsky, chairman of the powerful Senate appropriations committee. Under Glass, Iowa has joined the Smarter Balanced Assessments consortium which is a group of 28 states working to develop a nationwide battery of assessments for school children by the 2014-15 school year. Glass recommended to senators last week that the state adopt the Smarter Balanced Assessments when they are developed.

FARM FACILITY FRAUD ACT: Backers of a measure seeking to create a special protection for agriculture said Monday they are hopeful they have the votes to get the bill to Gov. Terry Branstad’s desk this year.

Sen. Tim Kapucian

Sens. Joe Seng, D-Davenport, and Tim Kapucian, R-Keystone are pushing an overhaul of House File 589 would seeks to create the crime of “agricultural production facility fraud” for anyone who obtains employment or access to a farm or food-processing operation under false pretenses with the intent to commit an act not authorized by the owner — such as secretly filming livestock-related activities in hopes of disparaging the industry’s image.

Seng told an Iowa Public Radio interview show he believes the concept is “ground-breaking” and is warranted to find a middle ground between “bad actors” who mistreat animals and animal rights groups whose mission is to “take down the industry.”

Kapucian said he believes backers have enough votes to get the bill passed in the Senate and it’s like the GOP-controlled House will accept whatever version is approved and send it to the governor. Opponents say the bill carves out special treatment for one industry and seeks to create a criminal sanction for embellishing a resume

FIGHTING FOR AIR GUARD: Gov. Terry Branstad said Monday he believe the Air Force is making “a big mistake” by recommending the Iowa Air Guard’s 132nd Fighter Wing in Des Moines be “decommissioned” as part of Pentagon budget-cutting plans.

The governor told reporters that he plans to speak directly with Pentagon officials in hopes of persuading them not to shut down an Iowa Air Guard operation that is considered outstanding and one that “has had a tremendous record of service.” Branstad co-leads a group of governors which meets with Pentagon officials to discuss issues surrounding national security and operation of the state-level National Guard units. He said he plans to work with that group and with Iowa’s congressional delegation to reverse the Pentagon decision.

The Iowa governor also is working with U.S. Rep. David Loebsack, D-Iowa, and an Illinois congressman to spare the Rock Island Arsenal from possible closure due to federal reductions in the defense budget.

TWO-YEAR SCHOOL AID: A House panel approved House File 588 which calls for setting allowable growth for school districts every two years. Current law requires the state set allowable growth 30 days after the governor submits his budget.

Rep. Dwayne Alons

The proposal requires a two-year allowable growth rate set every odd-numbered year.For example, when the governor submits his 2013 budget, lawmakers would work on allowable growth for the 2014 and 2015 school year. The measure passed on a party-line vote 13-9 and now moves to the House floor for a full vote.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I miss President Reagan” – Rep. Dwayne Alons, R-Hull, announcing that he brought jelly beans for House members to share in honor of the late president. Ronald Reagan was born on Feb. 6, 1911.

–Compiled by the Des Moines Bureau