The rotunda at the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines was packed full of military veterans Wednesday as people traveled from all corners of the state to speak directly legislators during an event coined Veterans Day at the Capitol.

Several veterans from Story County made the trip down to Des Moines to use the day as a way to tell lawmakers what veterans would like to see changed or improved upon in the current legislative session in terms of state benefits.

Brett McLain, director of Story County Veterans Affairs, said he’s been taking part in the day for at least a decade and each year he’s happy to see the crowd of veterans grow. According to McLain, the day offers a great opportunity for veterans to remind lawmakers know what is truly important to them.

“The state of Iowa, at one time, we were below Puerto Rico in state benefits, and so now, we’re a lot better but not all veterans are getting state benefits yet,” McLain said.

McLain gives some credit to events like Wednesday’s Veterans Day at the Capitol in raising awareness for what veterans need from the state.

“But coming down here, this is just a start,” McLain said. “We met our legislators and then keep in contact with them through the whole session.”

Several speakers addressed the crowd Wednesday, including Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds, who both thanked all of those who attended for their service. But the real purpose of the event took place after the ceremony when veterans climbed the stairs to the Senate and House chambers to speak directly with legislators.

Army Veteran James Meek, of Ames, was among the Story County veterans who made the trip to Des Moines. Meek said that he sees the trip as a way to gain some insight into what’s going on in the state with veterans programs.

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“It’s both an honor and an opportunity,” he said. “It’s an honor to come down and see what they’ve put together for veterans and to pick up information. The opportunity then is to also talk to legislators about issues that are important to veterans.”

One of the issues that Meek and others chose to speak about was a request to raise the Military Property Tax Exemption. According to Meek, vets are given $1,852 per person to offset the cost of property taxes. That amount was set in the late 1940s and has never been raised to adjust for inflation and the rising cost of living. When speaking with legislators, that point needed to be made, according to Navy Veteran Richard Maurer, of Story City, who also attended the event.

“The budget is going to be tight, it’s always tight but the veterans are overdue,” Maurer said. “Our vets need help.”

State Rep. Dave Deyoe, R-Nevada, was among the legislators walking through the crowds of veterans in the rotunda Wednesday. Deyoe said he looks forward to this day each year and he hopes that some of their concerns, such as the Military Property Tax Exemption, will be addressed this session, but he agreed that the budget is going to be very tight.

“There’s going to be a lot of focus on tax reform at some point this year,” Deyoe said. “I don’t know specifically if that’s in the plans or not. Right now I guess we’re having some discussions on some other tax issues but I’m sure that will be part of the discussion.”

State Sen. Herman Quirmbach, D-Ames, spoke directly with the group of Story County vets who attended Wednesday’s event. Quirmbach told the veterans to make sure they speak with both political parties, despite who is in the majority, because veterans groups are widely respected by both parties. But he also told them to understand that it may be hard to get approval for any increase in funding for even the most worthy programs.

“Anything that has a price tag to it, anything that has a dollar figure associated with it is going to be kind of tough sledding this year,” Quirmbach said.

Read the story on the Ames Tribune: http://www.amestrib.com/news/20170118/iowa-veterans-remind-legislators-to-focus-on-necessary-benefits