An Iowa private college president and the college's law school dean are standing up for their trans and nonbinary students in the wake of an Iowa law taking away trans civil rights. The law, passed by Iowa Republicans and signed by Gov. Kim Reynolds, takes away...
If Iowa employers can now fire our transgender and nonbinary coworkers simply for being trans and nonbinary, how can we protect them?
Republican proposes bill to effectively end 74% of abortions in Iowa by banning a pill that’s safer than penicillin and Viagra.
After Gov. Kim Reynolds signed an Iowa law that actually takes away trans and nonbinary folks' rights, you might be wondering what you can do to help. Here are a few suggestions.
“What’s going to happen is VA’s not going to perform as well for veterans, and veterans are going to get harmed,” said Michael Missal, who was the VA's inspector general for nine years until he was fired last month by Donald Trump.
The Iowa Capitol is buzzing this week. It’s one of two so called “Funnel Weeks.” These are self imposed deadlines placed on the legislative process. The idea is that we’ve only got 110 days to get through the billbook. They need to focus up or risk being stuck in Des Moines all year.
In practice, Funnel Week is a cramming period. Where legislation of all kinds gets put through the committee gauntlet. On this episode of Cornhole Champions, hosts Zachary Oren Smith speaks with DMARC’s Luke Elzinga about policies that could help hungry Iowans and why they’re unlikely to pass.
Join the conversation with Amie Rivers and hear about last week’s move by Iowa Republicans to remove civil rights from some Iowans and the games they played while they did it.
Links:
1. Iowa law rips up anti-discrimination protections for trans Iowans (Iowa Starting Line): https://iowastartingline.com/2025/02/24/republican-transgender-civil-rights/
2. Free menstrual products in public schools (Iowa Starting Line): https://iowastartingline.com/2025/03/03/free-tampons-public-schools-menstural-products/
3. Bill regulating transactions at Bitcoin ATMs (Iowa Starting Line): https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislation/BillBook?ga=91&ba=SF%20449
4. $1 billion unemployment tax cut proposal (The Gazette): https://www.thegazette.com/state-government/iowa-senate-republicans-advance-reynolds-1-billion-unemployment-tax-cut-proposal/
5. Teaching the Bible as curriculum (Iowa Starting Line): https://iowastartingline.com/2025/02/14/iowa-republicans-advance-public-school-bible-study-bill/
6. Iowa Republicans’ bill to criminalize vaccine providers advances amid funnel week chaos (Iowa Starting Line): https://iowastartingline.com/2025/03/03/republicans-anti-vaccine-legislature/
Guest:
Luke Elzinga is the policy and advocacy manager at Des Moines Area Religious Council.
MRNA vaccines were key to fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. Iowa Senate Republicans cooked up a bill to criminalize the providers of numerous widely-used immunizations. But at the last minute, the bill’s sponsor said the language may be scrapped for something new...
A House Republican bill advanced that would require public schools to provide free menstrual products to students. The bill has bipartisan support, but the state won't reimburse schools after three years. Legislation is advancing in Iowa this year that would...
You don’t even have to love math to get in on the fun! Check out this list of bakeries and restaurants, created in no particular order, and start your hunt for the best slice in Des Moines to enjoy this National Pi Day (or any day of the year!).
The U.S. Department of State has terminated funding for the University of Iowa’s International Writing Program, which will significantly impact its operations.
