The Iowa state Legislature begins the 2008 session Monday.

The Legislature, which has been out of session since last April, will deal with many issues affecting students such as smoking bans, tuition increases and wages in its regular 100-day cycle.

“The biggest item on the agenda, as always, is the budget,” said State Sen. Herman Quirmbach, D-Ames, and associate professor in economics. “And funding the university is one of the biggest items on the budget, but everyone is looking for more funding.”

Quirmbach said that, last year, the Legislature was able to fund Iowa State so there was only a 3.2 percent tuition increase, the lowest increase in 20 years.

If this trend continued, “it would be very welcome news to every student on campus,” he said.

State Rep. Beth Wessel-Kroeschell, D-Ames,said commitment to education – kindergarten through college – will be one of the biggest priorities of the Legislature. She said the legislators would be dealing with a statewide sales tax that would benefit schools.

State Rep. Polly Granzow, R-Eldora, said a core curriculum for Iowa schools will be voted on. This would standardize the classes required to be taught in Iowa high schools so they meet state university entrance requirements.

Quirmbach also mentioned that extending health coverage and insurance would be a big issue for the budget.

“The next step is to cover more children – but whether or not we can afford that price this year or not, I don’t know,” Quirmbach said.

Another issue to be dealt with this year is the growing number of people in Iowa prisons. “We have some serious issues with prison overpopulation,” Wessel-Kroeschell said.

She said they were looking at many options to deal with the overpopulation, including building new prisons.

“But there would be better ways of doing that, such as serving the mentally ill outside of prison,” Wessel-Kroeschell said.

Granzow said smoking bans would probably be a big issue this year as well.

“Some want local control; others want a statewide ban. But then everyone wants an exemption,” Granzow said. “If we leave it local, then the city councils can decide for themselves.”

Granzow said she remains undecided about this issue.

Wessel-Kroeschell said a program called “Generation Iowa,” a series of plans and programs intended to get young people to stay in Iowa, would be an important issue. Some of these programs would include helping students pay off debt and providing higher-paying jobs.

Granzow said the Legislature would most likely vote on Iowa being a “Right to Work” state, which gives employees the right to decide whether they want to financially support a union.

“It passed in the Senate last year, but not in the House,” Granzow said. “Most Iowans want this; it is a good incentive to bring business into the state.”