2023
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What Iowa Has Gotten Out Of Biden’s Infrastructure Law (So Far)
In 2021, President Biden signed the historic $1 trillion infrastructure bill into law, delivering on a key piece of his economic agenda. Since then, billions of dollars have been funneled into all 50 states in order to upgrade highways, transit systems, water systems, and more. In Iowa, $2.4 billion in funding has been announced so…
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Iowa Schools Balance Support for Trans Students, Following New Bathroom Law
School districts across the state have scrambled to update students and parents after Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a bill to restrict where transgender children can go to the bathroom on March 23. Several large Iowa districts released statements intended to reassure families of transgender students and update them on what the new law, which took…
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Workers Behind Iowa City’s Mission Creek Festival Want Union Contract
Twenty behind-the-scenes workers that keep productions at a historic Iowa City theater running smoothly—including this weekend’s Mission Creek Festival—are asking for the public’s help to put pressure on their employer for their first union contract. Englert Theatre production crew members unanimously voted, 13-0, to unionize on Nov. 7 of last year, according to the National…
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$12 billion ‘Pro-Corruption’ Bill Slated For Debate In Iowa House
Iowa House Republicans have a big decision to make: Vote to limit the Iowa Auditor of State Office’s ability to adequately audit over $12.1 billion in state funds or vote to maintain long-held and electorally-decided checks and balances in state government. A fiscal note for SF 478 was released on Friday by the nonpartisan Iowa…
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Central Iowa Trans Art Festival Focuses On Joy Amid Discrimination
Being openly, obviously transgender can be risky, especially when the Iowa Legislature—and legislatures around the country—pursue laws to restrict trans people’s rights. But the bright side to coming out is finding a community, and that’s what the Trans Lives Festival on Saturday aimed to foster and celebrate. For the third time since 2019, First Unitarian…
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Father Of Trans Child Privately Asked Reynolds To Veto Anti-Trans Bills. She Didn’t
Like many Iowans with a transgender child, Matt McIver of Des Moines has paid close attention to this year’s Iowa Legislative session, in which more than 30 anti-LGBTQ bills were introduced including several that specifically targeted trans kids. Two of those bills—one makes it illegal to provide gender-affirming care to trans children and a school…
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Why Trump Was Indicted
Former President Donald Trump was indicted on felony charges on Thursday in conjunction with allegations that he secretly paid “hush money” to an adult film star in order to cover up an affair. A Manhattan grand jury voted to indict Trump for his role in the $130,000 payment, which was made to adult film star…
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Judge: Health Insurers Shouldn’t Have to Cover Cancer Screenings and Pregnancy Care
Want to avoid cancer, diabetes, and pregnancy-related deaths? It might be harder and cost you extra in the future, after a right-wing federal judge on Thursday struck down a portion of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) requiring health insurance companies to cover free, life-saving preventative care, such as cancer screenings, HIV/AIDS screenings and prevention, and…
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Puppy Mill Bill, Named After Iowa Dog, Could Become Federal Law
Protections for Iowa dogs could become federal law, if two bills reintroduced by Rep. Zach Nunn (R-Iowa 3) pass. Nunn, three other Republicans and two Democrats, reintroduced former Rep. Cindy Axne’s (D) bipartisan bill, nicknamed Goldie’s Act. The bill would crack down on loopholes for enforcing the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) and strengthen requirements for…
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5 Things You Should Know About Kim Reynolds’ Education Bill
An amended version of Gov. Kim Reynolds’ education bill continues to work its way through the Iowa Legislature after it advanced out of an Iowa House subcommittee on Wednesday. Rep. Skyler Wheeler (R-Hull), who chaired the subcommittee, said there will be more amendments to the bill but he did not want to discuss them publicly…
