Senator Peterson faults department nonresponse, raises concern about private‑school voucher costs

Senator Peterson, the senator from Polk, criticized state department directors on the Senate floor for failing to provide budget information and called the practice a threat to legislative oversight of taxpayer dollars.

“This is a troubling trend that we're seeing, and I've read the media coverage and department the department director has failed to respond to the media as well. We're talking about the state budget. We're talking about taxpayer dollars,” Peterson said during floor remarks recorded in the transcript.

Peterson said a current bill would allow the governor and departments to keep budget numbers private while they are being compiled and called that proposal “ridiculous.” He also said the Legislative Services Agency — which supports the Legislature’s budget work — is being “snubbed” when departments fail to provide information.

“The legislative services agency is a top notch agency that serves the legislature. And when we have department heads that are not providing information on budget matters, we should all be troubled no matter what party you're in because it's snubbing the Iowa legislature, and that is not acceptable,” Peterson said.

Peterson singled out the state's private‑school voucher program as an example of missing data. “We can't even get information on the private school voucher program to assure our school districts that the number of students that are not part of their district anymore that are getting vouchers, They won't even give us information about what schools those kids are going to. That program has cost Iowa taxpayers close to a billion dollars,” he said.

The remarks on the floor were discussion and criticism; the transcript records no directive from the Senate to departments, no departmental response on the record, and no formal vote related to the complaints. Peterson asked the governor to urge cabinet members to respond, saying either the governor should “spur them to action” or might be “telling them not to respond,” according to the transcript.

Background details cited by Peterson in the floor remarks included the Legislative Services Agency as the Legislature’s fiscal support office and the private‑school voucher program, which he described as having cost “close to a billion dollars.” The transcript does not include a departmental response, specific fiscal figures beyond Peterson’s phrasing, or a formal request or motion recorded on the Senate calendar during the remarks.

The transcript shows Peterson’s remarks occurred during general floor business; the Senate later moved to adjourn. No committee referral, formal inquiry, or vote about department reporting requirements appears in the session record provided.