DES MOINES (AP) — Iowa Republicans are accusing Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jack Hatch of using his legislative position to halt a bill that could have impacted his development business.
Iowa Republican Party Chairman Jeff Kaufmann said Tuesday that as a state senator, Hatch sought to kill a bill that would have limited fees for developers receiving federal tax credits to build low-income housing.
Hatch’s development company has built projects using these tax credits. Hatch’s campaign called the accusations false but declined to answer specific questions.
“There are literally hundreds of pieces of legislation submitted by minority Republicans every year that don’t get a hearing. To say that Jack killed it is not true,” said Hatch’s campaign manager Grant Woodard.
The bill cited by Republicans was referred to a subcommittee chaired by Hatch in the Democratic-controlled Senate in 2013. The panel never met, so the bill did not advance. Sen. Jake Chapman, a Republican from Adel, said he was assigned to the subcommittee and the bill “never saw the light of day, thanks to Jack Hatch.”
A recent investigation by The Des Moines Register found that Hatch had followed development rules and had taken votes for and against his self-interest.