The gavel falls today, beginning some lawmakers’ final legislative session at their current position.

Sen. Johnie Hammond, D-Ames, will step down after her term is up at the end of the year.

“I hope I will be able to accomplish some of my goals,” she said. “Those have been very hard to accomplish under Republican control over the past couple years.”

An important nonpartisan issue, Hammond said, is a responsible judicial sentencing policy.

“This is an urgent matter because if we do not change our sentencing policy, we will have to build another prison – which we cannot afford,” she said.

Rep. Barbara Finch, R-Ames, announced her intent to run on the Republican ticket in November 2002 for state senator after Hammond steps down. But her intended switch won’t change the way she tackles legislation this semester, she said.

“I do not see this session any different from other sessions because both the House and Senate work on bills together,” Finch said.

In her last session as a representative, Finch said she hopes the legislators can work through the crippling budget concerns that continue to plague the state.

“A lot of discussion will be how to make Iowa grow, so we are not be so dependent on sales and income tax,” she said.

The Legislature needs to be financially stable in budgeting and should not forget important areas that are easy to ignore, Hammond said.

“I hope we can come out with a balanced budget,” she said. “Part of that is having a responsible budget with a safety net for the poor, but that is not looking good right now.”

Hammond said she hopes to resolve the financial situation for students because students could not handle another tuition increase of 18 percent in coming years.

“The tax cuts over the last five years are fiscally irresponsible,” she said. “We need to reverse them to bring back revenue so students and poor people are not the hardest hit.”