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State panel: Finkenauer and Miller may remain on primary ballots
Two statewide Democratic candidates and several Republican legislators will remain on primary election ballots after fending off challenges to their nomination paperwork on Tuesday. Incumbent Attorney General Tom Miller and U.S. Senate candidate Abby Finkenauer faced the State Objection Panel on Tuesday to defend signatures on their nomination petitions. Every political candidate needs a certain […]
House budget proposal includes ivermectin ‘right to try’ bill
The House Health and Human Services budget proposal will incorporate several pieces of policy, including legislation to allow the use of ivermectin for terminally ill COVID-19 patients. The budget allocates $2.1 billion across the Department of Public Health, Department of Human Services, Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department on Aging – a $53.5 million […]
Proposed GOP budget for state universities is less than 20 years ago
House lawmakers have proposed another year without a state funding increase for the Iowa Board of Regents, instead introducing a $12 million scholarship program for future teachers and students studying other high-demand professions. If the House plan passes as proposed, 2023 would be the third year in a row that the Regents universities would see […]
D.C. Dispatch: Grassley, Senate Judiciary Committee wrap up Supreme Court nominee hearings
The biggest news in D.C. this week was the Senate hearing for Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson — an event where Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley had a starring role as the leading Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Iowa’s delegation in D.C. also continued to push for additional aid to Ukraine and introduced bills […]
House budget bill would temporarily suspend eminent domain for carbon pipelines
Carbon pipeline companies would not be allowed to claim eminent domain for nearly a year under a budget bill passed Thursday by the Iowa House. Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, R-Wilton, added the legislation to the Administrative and Regulatory budget. The language would prohibit the Iowa Utilities Board from holding a hearing on eminent domain for carbon […]
House advances governor’s education transparency proposal, relaxes some requirements
An amended version of Gov. Kim Reynolds’ school transparency proposal would require teachers to post all their lesson plans and educational material online for parents to review, but it relaxes the timeline to do so, allowing educators to upload some material on an ongoing basis. House File 2499 contains only the transparency and social studies […]
House unanimously passes elder abuse penalties
The Iowa House unanimously passed a bill Wednesday to create new penalties for elder abuse. Senate File 522 sets criminal charges — ranging from misdemeanors to felonies — for abusing, assaulting or financially exploiting an elderly person, defined as someone age 60 or older. Rep. Dustin Hite, a lawyer, said he had seen many cases […]
Iowa House and Senate pass bill to shorten unemployment benefits by 10 weeks
Iowa workers would have 10 fewer weeks of unemployment benefits under a bill passed Wednesday by the Iowa House and Senate. House File 2355 is an amended version of a proposal by Gov. Kim Reynolds. It shortens the maximum amount of unemployment to 16 weeks, down from 26 weeks under current law. The bill also […]
Senate revives outdoor recreation funding proposal
A proposal to fund water conservation projects is back in the Iowa Senate, resurrected after dying in tax bill negotiations. Senate Study Bill 3157 would change Iowa’s local-option sales tax to a statewide sales tax. That switch would channel a fraction of a cent from each purchase to fund the Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation […]
Proposal would require two-thirds majority to pass tax increases in Iowa
Weeks after Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a major tax cut into law, Iowa lawmakers have proposed a constitutional amendment to make it more difficult to undo those changes. “Any changes we’ve made here in the last few years, it’s all for naught if a simple majority comes in down the road to raise taxes back […]
House bottle bill proposal includes enforcement, new fees and opt-out for some retailers
Retailers that sell prepared food or fresh produce could refuse can and bottle returns under a proposal advanced by a bipartisan group of House lawmakers. House File 2524 would allow more retailers to opt out of the program. Stores could decline container returns if they sell fresh produce or prepared foods; if they sell fewer […]
Reynolds says pro-life movement ‘on the brink of a historic break-through’
The pro-life movement is “on the brink of a historic break-through for the right to life,” Gov. Kim Reynolds told attendees of the annual Prayer for Life rally on Monday. Reynolds, a Republican, told a crowd of activists that cases in the U.S. Supreme Court and Iowa Supreme Court may overturn landmark rulings on abortion, […]