Articles Tagged: Capitol Notebook

The Iowa Insurance Division is warning of scam calls from individuals claiming to be representatives of Medicare plans, requesting Social Security numbers over the phone.

A special investigation by the Iowa State Auditor’s Office found Crossroads Behavioral Health Services mishandled or misused more than $180,000 in federal and opioid settlement funds. Meanwhile, a state partnership with Ancestry.com has digitized over 1 million Iowa historical records at no taxpayer cost.

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird is rolling out new victim assistance tools and has joined a multi-state push to scrutinize a major rail merger. Plus, Iowa lands $82 million for cleaner transit vehicles, and state economic officials approve new business aid and community projects.

The federal lawsuit, which is similar to a state lawsuit brought by President Donald Trump, was dismissed on First Amendment grounds.

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird is calling for a federal investigation into refineries she says may be exploiting renewable fuel exemptions, while thousands of Iowa seniors are being urged to review their Medicare coverage amid plan cancellations and new drug pricing rules taking effect next year.

Trump filed the lawsuits over a 2024 presidential election poll that showed him trailing Democratic candidate Kamala Harris in Iowa by 4 percentage points.

Republican Iowa U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks has introduced legislation to fund federal food assistance that is scheduled to dry up next month if the government shutdown continues.

Also in Notebook: Eight more land reclamation projects near former coal mines in southeast Iowa are underway.

Leif Olson and David Waterman were confirmed by the Senate to serve as U.S. Attorneys in Iowa

Democrat Mark Campbell has chaired the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission since 2021

The special election in Iowa House District 7 will be the fifth for a seat in the Iowa Legislature since January.

Also, Iowa auditor’s office earns top rating in external review

Rockwell City Republican resigns House seat to take job as state director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Iowa Rural Development office.

“Senator Claire Celsi, our beloved wife, sister, mom, and grandma, has entered hospice care. Our family asks that you please respect our privacy during this difficult time,” Celsi’s family said in a statement issued through the Iowa Senate Democrats’ caucus spokesman.

Reynolds plus a 20-person Iowa delegation — including Iowa Agriculture Sec. Mike Naig, Iowa Economic Development Authority Director Debi Durham, and Iowa agriculture, business and education leaders — completed the trade mission this past weekend.