State Senate
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Iowa bill would let public schools hire unlicensed chaplains… but unintended consequences may arise
Iowa Republican lawmakers advanced a bill out of a subcommittee Tuesday that would allow public school districts to hire chaplains to “provide support, services, and programs for students.” But while the lawmakers heavily implied this was about Christian services coming into public schools, others pointed out that it could just as easily open the door…
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‘Kids need to eat:’ Iowans demand state participate in free-food program
Mandi Remington of Iowa City knows firsthand what it’s like to struggle to feed your kids and how the stability of two incomes can keep a person from leaving an abusive relationship. “Reflecting on my experience as a domestic violence survivor, I can’t help but wonder if I would have left sooner had I been…
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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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Kim Reynolds wants to bump teacher pay, but is there a catch?
Gov. Kim Reynolds formally announced her intention to increase teacher pay in Iowa during her 2024 Condition of the State address on Tuesday, which Democrats and education officials lauded but said was long overdue. “We want younger Iowans to see the teaching profession as something to aspire to,” Reynolds said. “It’s one of the highest…
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Starting Line’s most ‘WTF’ stories of 2023
Iowa had a number of “WTF” news stories in 2023. We recapped some of them including the Satanic Temple drama, the fallout between Kim Reynolds and Donald Trump, and more.
