Politics
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Iowa House And Senate Pass Voucher Bill, Now Awaits Reynolds’ Signature
The third time was indeed the charm for Gov. Kim Reynolds’ plan to implement a private school voucher program in Iowa. The Iowa House passed her bill 55-45 on Monday—all Democrats voted against it, along with nine Republicans—after a nearly five-hour floor debate that saw legislators tell heartfelt stories about what public education has done…
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Jeff Shipley Laments That Student Charged With Murdering Fairfield Teacher Didn’t Get A Voucher
Rep. Jeff Shipley connected the murder of a Fairfield teacher to a student charged in her killing being denied a voucher to leave the public school over his family’s disagreement over masking policy. During floor remarks, Shipley cited an April 21, 2021, Fairfield School Board meeting in which a parent of one of the two…
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Rural Iowa Superintendent Says Voucher Bill Helps Privileged Few That Private Schools Can ‘Cherry-Pick’
Perry Community Schools Superintendent Clark Wicks has a few thoughts on Gov. Kim Reynolds’ private school voucher bill, which Iowa lawmakers are set to debate on Monday. Wicks said the legislation, which would divert over $900 million in taxpayer funds over its first four years alone, is an attack on public schools in order to…
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These 10 Iowa Counties Would Receive The Most In Voucher Money
Gov. Kim Reynolds’ staff estimates Iowa taxpayers would spend $341 million annually to pay for students’ private school tuition and related expenses once her voucher plan is fully phased in starting with the 2026-27 school year—and over half of that could be doled out to just ten counties. The plan would be rolled out over…
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New Legislators: Adam Zabner Brings Youthful Voice To Iowa House
Adam Zabner only thought it was natural that what he thinks is Iowa’s youngest house district be represented by someone who is close in age to its primary constituents. The 23-year-old is the new representative for Iowa House District 90 in Iowa City, which includes most of the dorms at the University of Iowa, Kinnick…
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Iowa Bill To Decriminalize Weed, Allow Retail Sales Filed By Senate Dems
Iowa Senate Democrats filed a bill decriminalizing personal amounts of marijuana and allowing cities to OK retail shops selling it, even though majority Republicans are unlikely to pass this one to the left.
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Alleged GOP Voter Fraud Operation Busted In Sioux City
The wife of a Woodbury County Supervisor and a well-known local Republican activist in her own right has been charged with 52 federal indictments related to voter fraud. According to federal court documents that were unsealed on Thursday, Kim Phuong Taylor, 49, of Sioux City concocted various election schemes in 2020 to get her husband,…
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New Bill Would Make Iowa’s City And School Elections Partisan
A new bill introduced by Sen. Brad Zaun (R-Urbandale) would make Iowa’s historically nonpartisan city council and school board elections into partisan races complete with primaries. SF23 would affect city council, school board, and merged area elections, but school board races would see the most significant changes. [inline-ad id=0] While some Iowa cities hold primary…
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Here’s What’s Different About Gov. Reynolds’ Newest School Voucher Bill
For the third legislative session in a row, Gov. Kim Reynolds has introduced another version of her private school voucher bill, but the latest proposal is her boldest, biggest, and most expensive one to date. Reynolds was successfully reelected to another four-year term and ran on a platform of giving parents more say in their…
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New Legislators: Sami Scheetz Aims To Get More Young People Involved In State Gov’t
In 176 years, there had never been an Arab American serving in the Iowa Legislature until this week when Sami Scheetz was sworn in. The 26-year-old Cedar Rapids Democrat represents House District 78, which covers the southeast portion of his hometown and boasts a rich history with Arab culture. The oldest mosque in North America is…
