Chuck Soderberg to Resign from Iowa House

(Des Moines, IA) Tuesday State Representative Chuck Soderberg (R-LeMars) announced that he will become the Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives.  He plans to resign from the Iowa House to pursue this opportunity in the coming weeks.

“After significant thought and prayer, I have accepted a new position serving as the new Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Iowa Association of Electric Cooperatives and will be relocating to Des Moines” said Soderberg.  “It has been an honor and a privilege to serve our great state over the last eleven years.  I want to thank the voters of Plymouth and Woodbury counties for the opportunity to serve them in this distinguished body.

“I’m proud that as serving as the Chairman of the Appropriations Committee, we’ve been able to change the culture of budgeting in Iowa.  I’m confident that under the leadership of House Republicans, we will continue responsible budgeting practices that spend less than the state collects in revenue.”

Soderberg was first elected to the Iowa House of Representatives in 2004.  He previously served as Chairman of the House Commerce Committee and most recently as Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee since 2013, successfully crafting responsible budgets that adhered to House Republicans’ four budgeting principles:

• We will spend less than the state collects;
• We will not use one-time money to fund ongoing needs;
• We will not balance the budget by intentionally underfunding programs; and
• We will return unused tax dollars to Iowa’s taxpayers.

“Rep. Soderberg has been a tremendous asset to the Iowa House and the Republican caucus,” Speaker-select Linda Upmeyer (R-Clear Lake) said.  “Chuck has worked with people on both sides of the aisle to craft a budget that puts a stop to the practice of spending one-time money to fund ongoing expenses, and spends less than the state brings in.  While we will miss his leadership in the House, we wish him all the best in his future endeavors.  House Republicans will remain committed to the budgeting principles that have served the state so well over the last five years.”

Speaker-select Upmeyer will choose a new Appropriations Committee Chair before the start of the 2016 legislative session.