MUSCATINE, Iowa — John Dabeet might have been hopeful $900 million in federal stimulus money that Iowa will receive for education would boost funding for Muscatine Community College, where he teaches economics.

Dabeet asked area lawmakers who attended a forum at the college Saturday how the state will spend that money to support community colleges.

The answer was not quite as painful as Iowa’s hurting economy, but legislators said no department will be spared state budget cuts.

“Education does make up 60 percent of the budget, so you can’t hold them harmless without hurting everyone else,” Rep. Tom Sands, R-Columbus Junction, said.

Other legislators who attended the forum included Sen. Tom Courtney, D-Burlington, Sen. Jim Hahn, R-Muscatine, Rep. Nathan Reichert, D-Muscatine, and Rep. Jeff Kaufmann, R-Wilton.

About 60 people attended the forum.

“We’re going to go through a lot of pain before our economy improves,” Hahn said.

Courtney said it will not be known how much the economy will impact the state’s budget until a revenue-estimating committee meets later this month.

Reichert said he expects more cuts will be necessary, and “there really are no sacred cows in this budget.”

Kaufmann, a history instructor at MCC, said the question becomes “who should feel the least pain, and I think there’s a compelling argument for community colleges.”

He said community colleges receive the least per-pupil funding of any Iowa colleges, and do not have the hundreds of millions of dollars the Board of Regents, which oversees Iowa’s three public universities, saved in reserves.

Kaufmann also said more students — about 80 percent — who graduate from community colleges remain in Iowa after graduation.

Mehgin Hundoble, MCC Student Senate president, said community colleges are one way students can get ahead.

The increasing cost of education, however, has forced some of her classmates to sacrifice study time to work, and others had to drop out for a semester to save money for school by working full-time.

“With us being your future, you’re just letting us struggle,” Hundoble said.

Education representatives were not the only group concerned about funding from the state’s budget.

Greg Jenkins, director of Economic and Community Development at the Greater Muscatine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said continued funding of research and development tax credits are necessary to create jobs.

“These are the best tools we have in Iowa,” Jenkins said.

Reichert explained that a reduction in funding for the credits is due to the elimination of  a provision that essentially allowed businesses to “double dip” on benefits.

Dependent adult abuse

Lawmakers said Iowa’s attorney general has asked legislative oversight committee to delay its investigation for several weeks while it looks into criminal charges against Texas-based Henry’s Turkey Service.

Twenty-one mentally disabled men lived in a boarded up bunkhouse in Atalissa with no heat until the state fire marshal closed the facility last month.

The FBI is also investigating possible charges against the company, which kept part of the men’s earnings for working at West Liberty Foods.

“The state dropped the ball and we need to know why,” Sands said.

Kaufmann said there are political “points to be scored for being tough on this,” but lawmakers should delay getting involved until they have more evidence.

Air quality concerns

The legislators also addressed air quality concerns, including questions about California-style vehicle emissions standards Reichert proposed last week and what is being done to ease fine-particle pollution by local industries.

Reichert said the more stringent standards have been adopted for manufacturers to sell vehicles in 16 states. The bill would help make cleaner air and more efficient vehicles, and increase the nation’s economic and foreign security, he said.

“I appreciate the intent to help the environment, but I don’t think California is the model we should look to for legislation,” Roger Lande of Muscatine said.

The automotive industry is already struggling economically and facing enough difficulty meeting federal clean air standards to add the burden of state regulations, Lande said.

Courtney agreed. “I don’t think we need to start the bus here. I think that’s wrong.”

Reichert added, “We need to reduce the background emissions in Iowa so our community has an opportunity to grow.”

The Environmental Protection Agency declared parts of Scott and Muscatine counties as non-attainment areas in January, after fine particle pollution levels from the previous three years exceeded allowable levels.

“I appreciate that we need clean air,” said Hahn, but “it’s going to stymie our development” because the area cannot introduce any new industry that will “put out a little bit of bad air.”

The EPA has not yet ruled on state officials’ request to reconsider the designation after new data showed pollution levels that met federal guidelines.

“Irrespective,” Reichert said, “we have a significant air quality problem in Muscatine County, in Scott County and across the river in Rock Island County (in Illinois).”

A new monitor at Garfield School will provide constant information about  “whether it’s going to be a good air day or a bad air day” via the Internet, he said.

Reichert said polluters must implement controls as soon as possible, but Iowa’s agricultural industry, natural ground chemistry and vehicle emissions do not “leave point-source emitters a lot of room for error.”