State Law
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Iowa Legislature passes budget bill, adjourns with no property tax cut
Lawmakers worked through the night Wednesday to reach a budget deal after a contentious session went into overtime. While most of us were sleeping, the Iowa Legislature adjourned — 13 days late. Legislators had to burn the midnight oil to close out a 123-day session and pass a nearly $9.4 billion budget. Before the session…
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Iowa House Democrats propose worker relief package amid Iowa economic headwinds
Iowa House Democrats unveiled a series of legislative proposals aimed at supporting working families as the state faces economic headwinds, including recent layoffs of 780 workers in Decorah and Amana. Iowa has seen major layoffs this week that have put at least 780 people out of work. As these workers look for what’s next, the…
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Iowa Republicans advance bill to strip trans civil rights
Iowa House Republicans advanced a bill to remove gender identity from the list of protected classes under the Iowa Civil Rights Act. This has wide-ranging impacts on protections from discrimination in housing, education and more. The bill became the subject of the largest Iowa Capitol protest all session. Since passing in 2007, transgender Iowans have…
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Iowa House Republicans renew effort to strip transgender protections from Iowa civil rights law
House Republicans want to remove Iowa’s discrimination protections for transgender Iowans. The bill is a long list touching on bathrooms, birth certificates and introduces a new phrase “gender theory” into Iowa law. Just like all other Iowans, transgender residents of the state are protected under the Iowa Civil Rights Act, meaning they cannot be discriminated…
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Iowa senators advance crypto ATM fraud prevention bill
Iowans are losing their life’s savings to scammers using crypto ATMs to separate people from their money. A bill aims to regulate these kiosks in hopes of preventing future losses. A story keeps repeating. Iowans—particularly the elderly—get a call. The person on the phone says it’s their grandson. They’ve just been arrested and need someone…
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Iowa House Republicans reject amendment to condemn antisemitic groups in the US
Iowa House Republicans found themselves in an awkward position last week. While pushing forward a resolution opposing international antisemitism, they rejected an amendment that would have condemned antisemitism from extremist domestic groups right here at home. Iowa House Republicans last week passed a bill to unconditionally support Israel’s war in Gaza and unconditionally denounce antisemitism…
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Iowa Republicans advance public school Bible study bill
Iowa Republicans want public schools to offer elective coursework teaching the Christian Bible. Supporters say teaching the Bible as literature is essential to an education. Schools can already offer these classes, but Republicans say that’s not enough. In the beginning, Democratic State Sen. Sarah Trone Garriott of West Des Moines asked a question: does Iowa…
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Reynolds admits to gutting Sand’s auditing ability at DC oversight hearing
In a hearing about government oversight, Gov. Kim Reynolds admits to restricting the Iowa auditor’s oversight of state government. Gov. Kim Reynolds was in Washington D.C. today, appearing before a US House committee meeting on government oversight to brag about her work in Iowa and further praise Donald Trump’s presidency. But while she may have…
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Heartland AEA begins dramatic restructuring following Republican’s AEA changes and cuts
A state agency that supports students from kindergarten to age 21 with special needs is anticipating major restructuring and reductions in the coming year. This after Iowa Republicans’ law redirecting their funding and scope of service. Heartland Area Education Agency (AEA) is bracing staff for even larger reductions in staff and services in response to…
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Auditor Sand uncovers $430,000 fraud scheme in Iowa Workforce Development funded program
Embezzled federal funds paid a family member’s cell phone bills and non-existent daycare services. Auditor Rob Sand says the state needs to prioritize oversight in light of investigation. A special investigation by Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand found evidence of $426,000 in embezzled federal funds by an agency overseen by Iowa Workforce Development. The case…
