Budget Cuts: Olive said budget cuts had been done in the past year, including some tax credits, and that “additional reorganization” would take place if he was reelected.

As the chairman of the Oversight Committee, Olive said he aims to find and correct abuses of taxpayer money. He cited the recent scandals with the Iowa Association of School Boards and the Iowa Film Office.

Jobs and Economic Development: Olive said one of the things he was proud of from his last term as senator was working with the Iowa Department of Economic Development to retain and grow small businesses in Iowa. One of their accomplishments was creating a pool of money to give loans to businesses with fewer than 35 employees.

He said working with small businesses would continue to be his priority if reelected.

He also said that he believes the state should budget  for two to three years in advance, rather than the customary one year.

Health Care: Olive is familiar with the health care industry from his background as the owner of an insurance agency.

“We’ve done a great job here in Iowa of making sure kids are covered,” he said of the HAWK-I program.

However, Olive said he would not be in favor of mandating health care for all.

Civil Rights: Olive said he has a history of voting for civil liberties.  He cited the anti-bullying legislation of 2007, which he said was “very important.”

Regarding the issue of gay marriage, Olive said he believed Iowans had the right to vote on the issue.

Immigration: “Illegal immigrants aren’t going to stay in the state if there’s no jobs for them,” Olive said, explaining that he believes the solution is to focus on employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants. He said he has worked to increase fines for these companies during his time as senator.

Education: Olive said education was “one of, if not the, top priority,” for him as senator.

He said during the past session, he had worked to expand both pre-kindergarten and K-12 education.

He has also increased funding to community colleges, and said it was important to keep post-secondary education affordable.

Background: Olive has been District 5 senator since 2006. He is the chairman of the Oversight Committee, the vice-chairman of the Economic Growth and Agriculture Committees and serves on the Commerce and Local Government Committees. Prior to his election as senator, he owned an insurance agency for nearly 30 years, and still owns a real estate agency in Story City. He graduated from Story City high school before attending UNI and enlisting in the Iowa National Guard.