Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said the state is in a “good place” to receive nearly $157 million in federal education funding by block grant rather than through the U.S. Department of Education, arguing that it will help eliminate “bureaucracy.”
Muscatine Democrat Taylor Wettach is touting an aggressive ethics and campaign-finance overhaul in Iowa’s 1st District race, arguing plans from rivals Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Christina Bohannan don’t go far enough to curb the influence of money in politics.
The Iowa Supreme Court has reversed an appellate opinion in a case against the Cedar Rapids City Council and affirmed that members were legally allowed to enter into closed session to interview a potential city clerk candidate.
The delay results in the loss of $3 million in state funding for the two smaller infrastructure projects, although the city is eligible to reapply at a later date.
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.
State officials have denied a request by the Satanic Temple of Iowa to hold a holiday event in the state capitol rotunda after rejecting a similar request last year.
Iowa Republican U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Democratic challenger Christina Bohannan are backing ethics measures that would ban congressional lawmakers from trading stocks.
Current Gov. Kim Reynolds will present the Iowa Award to the former governor and U.S. ambassador next month at the Iowa Capitol in Des Moines.
Starting next year, county officials hope to leverage a multiphase renovation project — and a game of “musical office chairs” — to tackle growing space needs at the Linn County Courthouse.
Also in this week’s Government Notes roundup, the Cedar Rapids City Council has given its OK for historic landmark designation of a former school site.
Three Democratic candidates vying to succeed Republican U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson in northeast Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District told voters Sunday they would make health care more affordable, strengthen unions and push back on policies they say are squeezing working families and small farmers.
The 2026 Iowa midterm elections are less than a year out, and policy issues that campaigns and voters are talking about include health care costs and affordability. But one issue both parties have used to energize voters in the past has yet to gain prominence: abortion.
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