Author
Lawmakers approve $21M for Workday contract. How did we get here?
When Gov. Kim Reynolds first requested $21 million to install a new state accounting and human resources system, the Iowa Legislature turned her down. Now, about one year later, lawmakers in both chambers have approved the $21 million funding proposal, sending it to Reynolds’s desk for a signature. What changed? A brief history of the […]
House passes COVID-19 funding for schools based on in-person learning days
A bill approved Thursday in the Iowa House would allocate an additional $27.2 million to school districts based on how many days of in-person learning they offered. Under House File 532, school districts would look back on the 2020-2021 school year and count how many days students could attend in person. Then, funding would be […]
Evolving version of election bill speeds through Iowa House and Senate committees
House and Senate committees passed a 36-page election bill Thursday that would shorten the window for absentee and early voting and would introduce harsher penalties for election officials who do not follow state guidelines. Lawmakers introduced the identical bills, House File 590 and Senate File 413, just two days before. Republicans leading the bills said […]
Lawmakers consider bill to shorten absentee and early voting, prosecute election officials
Lawmakers in the House and Senate considered a proposal Wednesday that would give Iowans less time to request and return absentee ballots and would impose stricter penalties including potential incarceration on election officials who do not follow state guidelines. “This bill creates uniform election procedures across all 99 counties, it clarifies enforcement and authority … […]
Senate and House agree: 2.4% increase in school funding for next year
State supplemental aid for Iowa schools will grow by 2.4% for the 2021-2022 school year under a bill passed by the House and the Senate. The House passed its version of the school funding bill Feb. 11. The Senate, which had approved a 2.2% increase on Feb. 9, voted Wednesday in favor of the House […]
Can employers mandate vaccines in Iowa? Controversial Senate bill would say no
Sen. Jim Carlin, R-Sioux City, volleyed several debunked anti-vaccination talking points at Iowa Department of Public Health’s Dr. Caitlin Pedati during a Tuesday afternoon meeting. Carlin asked why there were so many vaccinations now, noting he only got three or four shots as a child. He asked why more children seem to be sick with chronic […]
Parents would need to consent to gender identity curriculum under Senate bill
Parents would need to provide written consent for elementary school students to discuss gender identity at school under a bill moving through the Iowa Senate. Senate File 167 would prohibit Iowa elementary schools from teaching about gender identity, defined as the “gender-related identity of a person, regardless of the person’s assigned sex at birth,” without […]
Bill would give $30 million to schools that stayed open during COVID-19
A bill moving through Iowa’s House would provide an additional $30 million to Iowa schools based on how much in-person learning they offered during the COVID-19 pandemic. Under orders from Gov. Kim Reynolds, schools in Iowa had three options to reopen in the fall: Open full-time and in-person; offer a hybrid model that allowed for […]
Des Moines restaurants expect a busy Valentine’s weekend despite COVID-19
As Valentine’s Day approaches, Scott Carlson is setting candles out at his restaurants for the first time in nearly a year. Carlson owns Americana and Court Ave. Brewing Co., both in downtown Des Moines, and Gilroy’s in West Des Moines. In the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, he said, staff took everything off the tables, […]
House passes $36.5 million increase for Iowa schools
The Iowa House passed a school funding bill Thursday night that would increase state supplemental aid by 2.4% and provide more funding for school transportation. Rep. Cecil Dolecheck, R-Mount Ayr, said the bill would allocate an additional $36.5 million to schools in the 2021-2022 academic year. The bill contributes an estimated $768,000 to help districts […]
Iowa lawmakers look to expand vaccine distribution as Fauci promises supply increase
Iowa lawmakers are looking toward new ways of distributing the COVID-19 vaccine as U.S. experts promise an increase in the vaccine supply is around the corner. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told the “Today Show” Thursday that he expects April to be “open season” for everyone to […]
House passes six child care bills: Tax credits, employer child care incentives and more
Democrats pushed for more provider regulations as the Iowa House passed six child care bills Wednesday evening. Most of the bills passed on a bipartisan basis with near-unanimous consent. They expand tax credits for parents and for employers that provide child care, eliminate a so-called “cliff” in child care benefits, and increase reimbursements for child […]