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Capitol Notebook: Iowa House declares ‘Caitlin Clark Day’
Also, state lawmakers advance Gov. Kim Reynolds’ income tax proposal, reject an ethics claim against Rep. Jeff Shipley
DES MOINES — Happy Caitlin Clark Day to all who celebrate.
State legislators in the Iowa House on Thursday approved a resolution declaring Feb. 22, 2024, as Caitlin Clark Day to honor the University of Iowa women’s basketball player who recently became the all-time leading scorer in NCAA women’s basketball history.
Clark wears No. 22 on her Hawkeyes’ jersey.
Eight legislators in the House, a mixture of Republicans and Democrats, took turns reading the resolution on the Iowa House floor. House Resolution 110 was approved unanimously by a voice vote.
The resolution praises Clark, a West Des Moines native and Dowling Catholic High School alum, as “one of the greatest collegiate athletes of all time and a prime example of the pinnacle of Iowa sportsmanship and athleticism.”
“Her remarkable display of athletic talent has brought nationwide attention to women’s basketball as evidenced by the sold-out arenas and record-breaking television viewership whenever she plays,” the resolution reads. “Caitlin Clark’s extraordinary journey with the Hawkeyes has helped advance women’s sports throughout the world.”
Clark broke the NCAA women’s basketball scoring record Feb. 15 when she also scored 49 points, a Hawkeyes single-game program record, in a 106-89 victory over Michigan at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City. Clark surpassed the record on a deep 3-point shot from the logo on the Carver-Hawkeye Arena floor.
As of Thursday morning, Clark has 3,569 career points. The previous NCAA women’s mark was 3,527, held by Washington’s Kelsey Plum since 2017. Clark now has within her sights the all-time NCAA college basketball scoring record of 3,667 points held by former LSU All-American “Pistol” Pete Maravich since 1970.
Kim Reynolds’ income tax plan will be scored
An Iowa Senate committee on tax policy advanced Gov. Kim Reynolds’ proposal to further reduce state income taxes. In doing so, the proposal will be analyzed by the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency, which will project how much Iowa taxpayers would save and how much state revenue would be reduced under the bill.
Currently, state income tax brackets are being gradually reduced and rates lowered through 2026, when most Iowa taxpayers will be a 3.9 percent state income tax rate in 2026.
Under Reynolds’ plan, Senate Study Bill 3038, state income tax brackets would be eliminated, and most taxpayers would pay a state income tax rate of 3.65 percent for 2024. That rate would lower to 3.5 percent in 2025.
Legislative Republicans have introduced their own plan, which includes the eventual and complete elimination of the state income tax.
In previous years, the state income tax accounted for nearly half of state general fund revenue.
The Iowa Senate Ways and Means Committee passed Reynolds’ income tax plan, 10-6, with Republicans supporting and Democrats opposed. It is now eligible for consideration by the full Senate.
House Ethics Committee dismisses complaint against lawmaker
A bipartisan ethics committee dismissed a complaint against Iowa Rep. Jeff Shipley, R-Birmingham, brought by an activist and nonprofit president who said he defamed her on social media.
The ethics complaint was brought by Sara Hayden Parris, the president of Annie’s Foundation. The group advocates against book bans and has the mission of ensuring “members of our community have unhindered access to books that reflect the diversity and complexity of the world around them,” according to Parris’ complaint.
Parris’ complaint describes an exchange between Shipley and herself, posting under the Annie’s Foundation account on X, formerly Twitter, surrounding access to books in school libraries.
In the exchange, Shipley highlighted a post from Parris’ personal Facebook account and said she was “peddling materials of lascivious nature” and needed to be “criminally investigated,” pointing to a section of Iowa Code dealing with disseminating obscene material to minors.
Parris claimed the statement constituted libel per se and a violation of the House Code of Ethics.
“Rep. Shipley made this statement with the intent to harm my reputation and encourage other like-minded individuals to attack me,” Parris wrote.
In a statement to the committee, Shipley said the complaint was “politically motivated” and called the exchange a difference in opinion.
“The Ethics Committee should not allow itself to be used as a forum for personal grudges or politically motivated attacks,” Shipley wrote. “I urge the Ethics Committee to dismiss the claim as quickly as possible.”
The committee dismissed the complaint unanimously without discussion.
Gazette-Lee Des Moines Bureau
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