State Assembly
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Iowa Republicans want to ban local bans on conversion therapy
Iowa Republicans are continuing their attack on Home Rule in the Legislature this year, this time going after bans on widely discredited conversion therapy for minors. Iowa Sen. Sandy Salmon—a Republican from Janesville who represents Bremer, Butler, Chickasaw and most of Floyd counties—introduced Senate File 2037 last week. It passed out of a Senate subcommittee…
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Senate Dems try to bypass Reynolds to feed Iowa kids
Iowa Senate Democrats are attempting to work around Gov. Kim Reynolds to secure $29 million in federal funding to feed underprivileged kids over the summer. On Thursday, Senate Dems introduced SF 2039. This legislation would require the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services and the Iowa Department of Education to jointly apply to the…
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Iowa Senate Dems leader concerned about further privatization of public education
Iowa Senate Minority Leader Pam Jochum (D-Dubuque) fears Iowa Republicans are ramping up efforts to privatize education in a state that was once said to have the best public schools in the country. “I honestly hope I’m wrong, but this is how I see this playing out,” she said. The 2024 legislative session began Monday…
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What to expect from Iowa House Dems in 2024 legislative session
House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst (D-Windsor Heights) and her Democratic colleagues know Iowans are exhausted and disappointed by the Iowa Legislature. “We hear from people all the time: ‘This is not the state I grew up in,’ and they’re concerned and they’re depressed and they’re upset about it,” she said. This year, the Iowa Legislature…
