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Senate bill would limit ‘fishing expeditions’ by criminal defendants in court
Criminal defendants have too much power to harass their victims with wide-ranging court requests for cellphone and computer data and other potentially sensitive information, Republican leaders in the Iowa Senate and prosecutors said Thursday. Senate File 204 is meant to fix that, supporters said. It was advanced from a Senate subcommittee and will be taken […]
Iowa COVID-19 hospitalizations increase despite flat infection rate
An average of 132 people infected by the coronavirus were receiving inpatient treatment in Iowa hospitals on any given day last week — a 14% increase from the week prior, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. At the same time, the state’s infection rate remained roughly steady. The Iowa Department of […]
Supreme Court considers public records lawsuit against governor
A state attorney argued Wednesday before the Iowa Supreme Court that the governor’s office has no definite requirement under state law to respond in a timely manner to public records requests. At issue is whether or not a public records lawsuit against Gov. Kim Reynolds and her staff should proceed. A district court judge denied […]
New pipeline bill gets quick, early support in Iowa House
New legislation that was introduced in the Iowa House on Monday to limit eminent domain for carbon dioxide pipelines got preliminary approval Tuesday from a subcommittee. “Private property rights have to mean something,” said Rep. Steven Holt, R-Denison, who is a co-sponsor of the bill and led the House Judiciary subcommittee hearing Tuesday morning. House […]
Republicans grill school officials over book policies
If an image from a book isn’t appropriate to wear on a T-shirt at school, then why is the book appropriate for a school library? That was among the questions Republicans of the Iowa House’s Government Oversight committee asked public school district leaders Monday night as lawmakers consider legislation that would require the districts to […]
‘Drafting error’ would have exempted two pipelines from new restrictions
A draft of new legislation that would limit eminent domain for carbon dioxide pipelines erroneously included a provision that would exempt at least two pipeline companies from the proposed restrictions, a spokesperson for Iowa House Republicans said Monday. House Republicans distributed the draft last week. The bill would require the companies to get voluntary easements […]
Industry study: Generous tax credits are a double-edged sword for Iowa ethanol
Federal incentives for low-carbon fuels would be a boon to Iowa ethanol producers — potentially more than tripling their profit margins — but they also put those producers at risk if they are unable to take advantage of the tax credits, ethanol proponents say. If Iowa producers are able to capture the carbon dioxide they […]
New House bill has significant restrictions for carbon dioxide pipelines
The three carbon dioxide pipelines proposed in Iowa are “economic development” projects that do not deserve the full weight of eminent domain to complete them, state Rep. Steven Holt, a Denison Republican, said Thursday. Holt unveiled a new bill that was submitted that morning — and co-sponsored by 21 of his colleagues — that would […]
Lawmakers consider second restitution bill for people who kill their abusers
A small group of Iowa representatives on Thursday gave preliminary approval to a bill that would eliminate a requirement for the victims of human trafficking to pay $150,000 restitution if they are prosecuted for killing their abusers. House File 125 was unanimously supported by a three-person judiciary subcommittee. It has a similar goal to a […]
Lawmakers confront fentanyl crisis with stiff punishments
A bill that advanced Wednesday from an Iowa House subcommittee includes significant penalties for dealing drugs that contain fentanyl — with the prison sentences tripling if someone dies because of the crime. The legislation is poised to be an amalgamation of proposals put forth by Gov. Kim Reynolds and Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird. They […]
Iowa COVID-19 infection rate increases at least 5%
The number of weekly reported COVID-19 infections in the state increased for the second straight week, continuing the reversal of a downward trend in cases that had marked the start of the year, according to state data. The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services on Wednesday reported 1,626 new infections in the past week […]
Legislator: Nuisance animal bill would make farmers ‘honest folks’
An Iowa House bill that advanced out of committee Tuesday would make legal a common practice among some farmers who kill — without state approval — animals that harm their crops, livestock or machinery, said Rep. Dean Fisher, a Garwin Republican and farmer who introduced the bill. House File 118 would allow farmers to trap […]