Government & Politics

The state’s grain indemnity fund will pay farmers 90 percent of their loss, up to $300,000. The fund was established by the Iowa Legislature in 1986 and accrues via a per-bushel fee on purchased grain and fees on licensed warehouses and grain dealers.

Also on the podcast this week: A couple of interesting legislative forums in Western Iowa and an Iowa Sheriff’s Facebook post has caused quite the kerfuffle

Iowa Economic Development Authority Director Debi Durham’s proposal was considered publicly for the first time Thursday by lawmakers and stakeholders

Also, House lawmakers passed a bill Thursday that would make it a crime to send unsolicited sexually-explicit photos or videos. One legislator dubbed it the “anti cyber flashing” bill.

An Iowa carbon dioxide pipeline company has asked courts to pause or dismiss its pending legal fights against landowners and a state regulator in South Dakota after that state’s adoption of a law that prevents the company from using eminent domain.

Wildcat Bluff Recreation Area in Benton County, a park known for its camping, hiking and renowned disc golf course, is doubling in size after two years of collaborative work by Benton County Conservation and the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation.

Also in the notebook, Iowa House legislators again approved a series of bills related to carbon capture pipelines and landowner rights, and called on the Senate to do the same

Many of the roughly 181,000 Iowans in the state’s version of Medicaid expansion would be subject to work requirements, and the entire program could be eliminated if the federal government ever disallows work requirements, under legislation approved this week by Republican state lawmakers.