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D.C. Dispatch: Iowa delegation joins on bipartisan aid for Ukraine
Iowa’s D.C. delegation joined together this week to give bipartisan support for more sanctions against Russia and aid for Ukraine as the war continues to devastate the eastern European country. Iowa lawmakers also addressed issues related to school transgender policy, inflation’s toll on small business, cattle pricing, telehealth and more. All four of Iowa’s representatives […]
Report finds 15% of Iowa households cannot afford basic needs
About 1 in 7 Iowa families did not earn enough in 2020, before today’s rising inflation, to meet a basic standard of living, according to a new report from progressive organization Common Good Iowa. The report examines the cost of living for a variety of Iowa households, from single individuals to two-parent families with multiple […]
Iowa Republicans ditch waiting period for unemployment, pass other priority bills
Iowa lawmakers reached an agreement on several major policy priorities Tuesday, sending bills on unemployment, biofuels and child care to Gov. Kim Reynolds. The movement comes after several quiet weeks at the Capitol, as private negotiations on controversial bills stalled the adjournment process. The session is in overtime, so lawmakers are no longer receiving “per […]
Iowa lawmakers send ethanol bill to governor’s desk
Gov. Kim Reynolds applauded legislation that passed both the Iowa House and Senate on Tuesday to require most Iowa gas stations to sell higher ethanol blends. The bill, House File 2128, received bipartisan support in both chambers, passing 42-3 in the Senate and 78-13 in the House. Reynolds is expected to sign it into law. […]
Iowa State left a prestigious association. What does that mean for the school’s reputation?
Iowa State University ended its membership last week in the prestigious Association of American Universities, a group of nearly five dozen top-tier research universities. Iowa State cited the association’s perceived preference for universities with medical schools as its reason for leaving. “While the university’s core values have not changed since joining the association in 1958, […]
Iowa biofuels deal will require most gas stations to sell E15
Iowa gas stations would be required to sell fuel with a higher ethanol blend under a long-awaited biofuels deal among Republican lawmakers in the House and Senate. Molly Severn, legislative liaison for Gov. Kim Reynolds, said the bill was “the result of significant compromise from everyone along the fuel supply chain, from farmers to fuel […]
D.C. Dispatch: Republicans urge Supreme Court to limit federal waterway control
Iowa Republicans are again rallying against federal waterway restrictions, voicing their opposition as part of an upcoming U.S. Supreme Court case. While the House and Senate were out of session this week, members of Iowa’s D.C. delegation also sent letters on crime, “junk” health insurance plans and railway delays. All five of Iowa’s Republican delegation […]
Iowa joins ‘Border Strike Force,’ to share intelligence with other GOP-led states
Iowa is one of 26 states to join “The American Governors’ Border Strike Force,” an agreement among Republican-led states to share information about criminal investigations related to immigration at the southern border. “President Biden’s disastrous border policies and lack of leadership are destroying our country,” Gov. Kim Reynolds said in a Thursday news release. “Fentanyl […]
Buttigieg promotes federal infrastructure funding for rural Iowa
More than $5 billion headed to Iowa through the federal infrastructure bill will particularly help rural areas, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and U.S. Rep. Cindy Axne said Thursday. Axne and Buttigieg told Iowa reporters the bipartisan infrastructure law would include funding to repair bridges, invest in airports, expand broadband and more. “We know how […]
Iowa airports drop mask requirements following federal court decision
All eight of Iowa’s commercial airports are no longer requiring passengers to wear face coverings after a federal judge overturned a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention mandate. A federal judge in Florida ruled Monday that the CDC had acted beyond its authority by requiring masks on public transportation, including airplanes. Following the decision, major […]
Senate sends mobile home protections bill to governor’s desk
Mobile home tenants would receive more advance notice before paying increased rents or being evicted under a bill passed Tuesday by the Iowa Senate. The bill comes in response to a years-long effort by mobile home tenants to win legal protections in Iowa – guarantees like limiting rent increases to once a year and restricting […]
U.S. Senate candidate Franken outraises Finkenauer in first quarter of 2022, but trails incumbent Grassley
Mike Franken was the top-raising Democratic candidate for Iowa’s U.S. Senate race in the first three months of 2022, according to campaign finance reports. But Franken and other Democratic competitors still lagged behind incumbent Sen. Chuck Grassley, who raised almost $1.7 million in the first quarter. The campaign finance reports come just seven weeks before […]