Articles Tagged: Janice Weiner

Many Iowa lawmakers have listed rising local property taxes as a priority of their work in the 2026 legislative session.

Renewed action on property tax relief, a tougher approach to repeat violent crime, state spending, affordability and bipartisan calls for cooperation and civility were among the pledges and requests made by leaders during the first day of the 2026 session on Monday.

Educators are again asking for an increase of 5 percent in funding for Iowa public schools, saying it’s crucial for keeping up with inflation, managing increased operating costs and making up for decades of underfunding amid statewide declining school enrollment.

As property tax relief is expected to be a top priority for lawmakers in both parties during the 2026 Iowa legislative session, state Democratic leaders are split on how to address the issue.

This year, Iowa lawmakers will return to the drawing board on providing property tax relief to Iowans, which is expected to be a main focal point of the 2026 legislative session after last year’s efforts to address the issue failed to take off.

Tiffin Democrat Travis Terrell calls for a $20-an-hour federal minimum wage and tougher corporate accountability in his campaign for Congress, and Iowa Senate Democratic Leader Janice Weiner seeks another term after helping Democrats break GOP super majority.

Iowa Sen. Mike Klimesh, of Spillville, is the new legislative agenda-setting leader of the Iowa Senate, as selected by his Republican colleagues Wednesday

Catelin Drey, a northwestern Iowa Democrat who won an August special election and broke the Republican supermajority in the Iowa Senate, was sworn in at the Iowa Capitol Monday morning.

Plus, two more Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate, and how Democratic candidates are talking to voters thus far this cycle.

One year after an Iowa law banning most abortions in the state went into effect, Republicans are celebrating the legislation’s impact, while Democrats warn the restrictions will continue to limit reproductive health care across the state.

A list of prominent state and federal lawmakers, community leaders and abortion rights advocates recovered from the fake police vehicle used in the targeted shooting Saturday that killed a Minnesota Democratic lawmaker and left another wounded included individuals in Iowa, according to law enforcement and state legislative leaders.

Republican leaders in the Iowa House and Senate said they are carefully monitoring the impact of sweeping tariffs on U.S. imports announced this week by President Donald Trump as they draft the state's budget.

The public task force is charged with making government efficiency recommendations to Gov. Kim Reynolds and state lawmakers later this year.

The legislation would phase out the rollback and cap the revenue that local governments are allowed to collect.

Some of the proposals by Democrats include capping rent increases, creating an affordable housing tax credit program and providing partial refunds for denied rental applications.