Tom Vilsack

Thomas James Vilsack (born December 13 1950, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) was elected 40th Governor of the state of Iowa in 1998. He was reelected to a second four-year term in 2002. He is a member of the Democratic Party.

Governorship

In 1998 former conservative Republican Governor of Iowa, Terry E. Branstad, decided not to seek re-election after having served 16 years as Governor. Tom Vilsack soon emerged as the Democratic candidate. His Republican opponent was Jim Ross Lightfoot, a former Representative to the US House. Vilsack's election marked the first time in about 30 years that a Democrat was elected as Governor.

Related Topics:
Terry E. Branstad - Democratic - Republican - Jim Ross Lightfoot - Representative

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The Vilsack administration was involved with increasing the number of children covered by health insurance by 300%. He also created a statewide drug-purchasing organization, to lower and reduce the price of prescription drugs for the elderly. Vilsack also secured 1,000,000 (USD) from the federal government for a 17-county task force whose goal is to eliminate methamphetamine production. His budget also provided for the construction of a new $50,000,000 (USD) state crime lab.

Related Topics:
Health insurance - Methamphetamine

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In 2002 he won his second term in office by defeating Republican challenger Doug Gross, a lawyer from Des Moines and former chief of staff to Terry Branstad.

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The first year of his second term saw the creation of the Iowa Values Fund, a $503-million fund designed to help boost the Iowa economy by creating higher-income jobs. Vilsack used a line-item veto to pass the fund while vetoing portions of the same bill that would have cut income taxes and eased business regulations. This prompted a lawsuit from Republican leaders in the Iowa Legislature who claimed that line-item vetoes cannot be used on non-appropriation bills. On June 16, 2004, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that Vilsack's use of the line-item veto was unconstitutional -- and the entire bill, including the Iowa Values Fund, was nullified. By that time the fund had made commitments to over 30 companies. After a special legislative session on September 7, 2004, $100 million in state money was set aside to honor those commitments. The Iowa Values Fund was reinstated at the end of the 2005 session, as $50 million a year will be set aside over the next ten years.

Related Topics:
Line-item veto - June 16 - 2004 - September 7 - 2005

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As the economy turned sour, a budget crisis hit as tax revenues decreased, which Vilsack has had to concentrate on in the 2003 and 2004 legislative sessions.

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For most of Vilsack's tenure as governor, Republicans have held majorities in both chambers of the Legislature. However, after the November 2, 2004, elections, the 50-member Senate became evenly split between Democrats and Republicans. Republicans continued to hold a 51-49 majority in the House.

Related Topics:
November 2 - 2004

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During the 2005 legislative session, Vilsack signed a bill that requires products that contain pseudoephedrine to be sold behind pharmacy counters; anyone wishing to buy such products is required to show identification and sign a log book first. The new law, designed to reduce methamphetamine use in Iowa, took effect on May 21, 2005. Another anti-crime law was passed after 10-year-old Jetseta Gage of Cedar Rapids was murdered by a convicted sex crime offender on March 24. The new law extends prison sentences and strengthens supervision of sex offenders once they are released from prison. The 2005 session ended on May 20, three weeks later than usual, after a budget for the 2005-2006 fiscal year was approved.

Related Topics:
2005 - Pseudoephedrine - Pharmacy - Methamphetamine - May 21 - Cedar Rapids - Sex crime - March 24 - May 20

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One of Vilsack's greatest political problems is his reputation as a "tax and spend" Democrat. Those who see him as such have pointed to the fact that general fund spending has increased during his term at about 8 percent per year during the first two years in office. Critics feel that overspending by the state caused the current budget crisis. Vilsack approved expansion of salary expenditures, despite the fact that the budget crisis was already in full force. He has called for the use of bonds for some projects, which critics feel would give the state an unnecessary debt burden.

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Currently Vilsack is a member of the National Governors' Association Executive Committee. He was the chairman of the Democratic Governors' Association in 2004, and he was also previously involved with the Jobs for America's Graduates (JAG) program. He had also participated in the Governor's Biotechnology Partnership, the Ethanol Coalition, and the Midwest Governor's Conference.

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