(AP) -- DES MOINES, Iowa - The House has overwhelmingly approved a $56 million flood relief package as lawmakers rushed to ship their initial disaster recovery effort to Gov. Chet Culver before the week is out.
Cedar Rapids-area Rep. Tyler Olson, a Democrat, says the bill is intended to reach the governor's desk as quickly as possible. He called Tuesday's passage the bill's "first step on this body's journey."
The initial flood-relief effort would be financed by taking the money out of the state's economic emergency fund, a $155 million pile of money that's designed to tide the state through natural disasters and economic recessions. Iowa is dealing with both this year, with record flooding and tornadoes last summer hammering the state and a deepening recession aggravating the state's budget problems. The House approved the bill 98-0.
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