Kevin McCarthy is the State Representative from House District 67. House District 67 covers the East and Southeast portions of Des Moines, all of Pleasant Hill, and a portion of Carlisle. Kevin grew up in Des Moines and attended Lincoln High School. Representative McCarthy graduated with a B.A. from Wartburg College prior to attending Drake University Law School. During law school he worked in the offices of Iowa’s Attorney General, Tom Miller. He eventually graduated from law school and went to work for the Tobacco Project in Washington D.C.
Kevin was elected Majority Leader in the Fall of 2006 following the Democratic takeover of the Iowa House of Representatives. While the Majority Leader’s responsibilities are primarily defined by tradition and House rule, there are certain duties that now customarily fall under the Leader’s control. These responsibilities include the scheduling of legislation for debate and the planning of daily, weekly and annual legislative agendas.
The Process:
The Majority Leader works closely with the House Speaker to schedule debate on a weekly basis and set the agenda for the session. He is also expected to consult with members to gauge attitudes concerning legislation and communicate the party’s message to the media and public at large.
The Majority Leader is also responsible for following debate very closely. He pays particularly close attention to the minority party’s rules & procedural moves.
A legislative bill is a written proposal for a law. Ideas for bills come from many sources: a legislator’s constituents, businesses, government agencies, professional associations, interest groups and other state legislatures. When a legislator recognizes or is made aware of a problem which could be pursued through legislation, that idea is put into the form of a bill. In Iowa, only legislators are able to sponsor and introduce bills.
Bills may be sponsored by a Senator or Representative, or by a Senate or House committee. All bills must be approved by both the Senate and the House before being sent to the Governor for final approval.
When a bill is introduced by members of a legislative chamber, it must follow a process and,if passed, be sent to members in the other legislative chamber where this process is repeated. The bill and its language must be in identical form from both chambers before being sent to the
Governor.
A report of the committee’s recommendation is sent to the Secretary of the Senate or Chief Clerk of the House, who will place the bill on the regular calendar, which lists bills that are eligible to be debated. A bill considered important may be brought up for consideration by the chamber ahead of the other bills listed before it on the calendar. The Majority Leader is responsible for deciding which bills on the calendar will be debated. The Iowa House Majority Leader is chosen by the majority party’s membership prior to the launch of a new General Assembly.
