State House
-
Iowa legislative session ends declaring ‘mission accomplished’ on property taxes and more abortion restrictions
Iowa Republicans ended a 112-day legislative session on May 3 with a long-promised property tax overhaul estimated to save homeowners $4.2 billion over six years. They also passed an abortion pill restriction that 80% of Iowa voters—including a majority of Republicans—said shouldn’t be the legislature’s priority.
-
Joe Mitchell took a homestead tax credit in Mount Pleasant while living in Des Moines, records show
Where was Joe Mitchell living? The Iowa congressional candidate collected a tax credit on a Mount Pleasant property, while his voter registration, business filings, and a condo purchase all pointed to a different address in downtown Des Moines.
-
Iowa Senate Democrats hold up Reynolds’ appointees
Now that Iowa Democrats have broken Republicans’ supermajority in the Senate, they’re using it to trip up Gov. Kim Reynolds’ choice for a key department lead. Starting in 2022, Republicans enjoyed a supermajority in the Iowa Senate. This meant that Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds’ state agency appointees, which require a two-thirds majority in the Senate…
-
Photos show Iowa legislative pages stuffing campaign mailers for Dubuque Republican Rep. Jennifer Smith
As the Iowa Legislature heads for overtime, one member of the Iowa House is already gearing up for her reelection. And photos shared with Iowa Starting Line show she’s putting pages to work stuffing mailers. Iowa Starting Line obtained photographs that appear to show Iowa legislative pages stuffing reelection campaign mailers for state Rep. Jennifer…
-
Iowa minors could need parental approval for cancer-preventing HPV vaccine
The Iowa House passed a bill requiring parental consent for minors to receive the HPV vaccine, which protects against an STI that causes cancer.
-
Iowa Republican bill would classify all abortions as homicide
Legislators have been happy to prosecute abortion providers in the past. But their new move is to target Iowans who get abortions themselves, classifying the procedure as a homicide. Iowa Republicans have been pushing for years to make abortions less accessible to Iowans and criminalize their healthcare providers. This session, however, Republicans are pushing legislation…
-
Iowa Republicans push to eliminate school vaccine requirements, other sweeping changes
As measles returns to the United States, Iowa Republicans want to remove school vaccine requirements shown to reduce spread of deadly viruses. Iowa Republicans advanced legislation Wednesday that would make Iowa the first state in the nation to completely eliminate vaccine requirements for K-12 students, marking a dramatic shift from nearly five decades of public…
-
Iowa Dems release plan for paid family leave, $15 minimum wage
Iowa House Democrats economic plan hits on a host of issues they say will help working families survive Iowa’s worst in the nation economy. Iowa House Democrats unveiled a sweeping agenda Wednesday that would dramatically reshape the state’s approach to worker pay, healthcare affordability, and family support. House Minority Brian Meyer positioned it as an…
-
How Iowa could actually lower your property taxes—and what it would cost
Iowa lawmakers are racing to cut property taxes. One proposal would take funding powers away from your local school board. Iowa lawmakers say they want to cut your property taxes. That part’s easy to promise. The hard part is deciding how to do it and what services they’re willing to give up. Right now, Iowa…
-
Affordability will be focus for Iowa Dems this year: Iowa Worker’s Almanac news and layoffs
Iowa House Democrats say they will focus on affordability in the upcoming legislative session, with plans for lowering property taxes, helping young Iowans buy their first homes, raising the minimum wage, and supporting the state’s workers.
