Thursday Morning Read: Immigration bill passes, Tenure faculty down, Senior discounts discontinued

Immigration bill passes - The Republican-led Iowa Senate voted Wednesday night to impose financial sanctions against local governments that fail to cooperate with federal officials in enforcing immigration laws in Iowa. Senate File 481, which passed 32-15, would require law enforcement agencies to comply with federal immigration detainer requests for people in their custody. In addition, the legislation would prohibit local governments from discouraging their enforcement officers or others from activities related to enforcing immigration laws. Read more about this law and reactions to it passing here.

Tenure Faculty Down - The total number of tenured faculty at Iowa's public universities has dropped over the past decade — even while total enrollment has increased. Over the last year, according to a new Board of Regents report scheduled for discussion next week, the number of total tenured faculty across the three campuses is down by 55; the number of tenure-track faculty dropped by 20; and the number of non-tenure-track faculty rose by 101. Read more about the numbers and why this may be happening here.

Senior Discounts - A staple of some public utility departments for years, senior discounts for things like garbage pickup and sewer fees increasingly are coming under scrutiny as cities become aware such deals run afoul of state law. Marion this year stopped giving seniors a break on garbage bills and Cedar Rapids is looking into its senior discount program. Read more about these discounts and what they mean for seniors here.

Hawkeye Quarterbacks - Many college football coaches will tell you competition breeds quality. Still, there's an undeniable advantage to having an established player at every position — but especially at quarterback. Around the Big Ten this spring, there are a handful of teams without a definitive starter at quarterback — including Iowa — while the majority of teams have their signal callers from last season returning. The viewpoint on how that helps a football team depends on who you ask. Read more about the Hawkeye's quarterback situation here.

Quotable - 'Rather than weed out recipients that are not residing in their home, this change is more likely to cause homelessness as a result of otherwise normal activity,' wrote Ericka Petersen, a staff attorney for Iowa Legal Aid. Read more about the changes to Section 8 and what that means for residents here.