Republicans in the Iowa House may hire a company to use Artificial Intelligence to analyze spending in each Iowa county and in the 220 largest school districts in Iowa. As lawmakers and the governor consider plans to cap property taxes, House Speaker Pat Grassley says local officials could use the data to compare expenses with other counties or school districts and find ways to cut costs.
“In my time up here, we’ve not had access to this kind of level of line-by-line data that I think could be provided if we decide to move forward with something like this,” Grassley said. The company has offered House Republicans a contract with an upfront payment of up to one-and-a-half MILLION dollars, with a nearly a million dollar payment due in each of the next two years. That money could be approved in one of the state budget bills the House and Senate will approve and the governor will sign this spring, or Grassley says House Republicans could move forward on their own and use the House budget to cover the cost.
