State Senate
-
Taxpayer money, private schools: How vouchers stripped Des Moines Public of $47M
The Hawkeye State implemented a taxpayer-funded private school scholarship program three years ago. It’s since cost Iowa’s largest public school district nearly $47.5 million in state funding.
-
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.
-
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…
-
Iowa stoners: Here are the best cross-border deals at dispensaries for 4/20
Recreational weed isn’t legal in Iowa, so check out these dispensaries offering 4/20 deals in our border states, from Missouri to Illinois and Minnesota.
-
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…
-
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…
-
Why Rob Sand is singing ‘America, the Beautiful’ at rallies
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Rob Sand has been starting his campaign stops across Iowa with an unusual ritual: leading crowds in singing “America the Beautiful.” Sand, the current state auditor, has held town halls in venues ranging from churches to breweries, where he encourages attendees from different political parties to acknowledge each other before joining together…
-
Sioux City special election: Republicans choose far-right candidate for seat
Correction: The Iowa Senate confirms the governor’s appointments to agency heads. It does not confirm judge picks. This article has been correct to reflect that. A special election in Sioux City has big implications for power in the Iowa Senate. Who voters choose will have a major impact on power in the Iowa Legislature. A…
-
Iowa becomes first state to cut transgender civil rights protections
A new Iowa law removing the civil rights of transgender Iowans goes into effect today. Hear from some of the Iowans targeted by the bill. Iowa made history today as the first state to actively remove a previously protected class from its civil rights law, targeting transgender residents through a combination of legislative actions that…
