Articles Tagged: Iowa Legislature

General fund revenue for the Iowa state budget year that ended in June was nearly $200 million less than projected by a nonpartisan state panel in March, according to final numbers published this week.

The state of Iowa has both a need and an opportunity to start offering four-year bachelor’s degrees across its 15 community colleges — like those offered on its public and private college and university campuses, according to a final investigative report that lawmakers commissioned over the summer.

Iowa’s Medicaid program is projected to face tens of millions in deficits in coming years. State Auditor Rob Sand accused Republican leaders of irresponsible budgeting, while GOP lawmakers argue the state’s reserves can cover rising costs.

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

Mike Klimesh faces daunting challenges, in his own caucus and throughout the Capitol, as he steps into the role of Iowa Senate Majority Leader.

Plus, the 2nd Congressional District Republican primary field is growing.

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

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

Time has run out on a short-term plan to continue funding a network of sensors that monitors the water quality in Iowa’s rivers and streams. Unless new funding can be secured, dozens of sensors will be taken offline next year, eliminating the ability to measure nitrate and phosphorus to see if conservation practices are working.

Jack Whitver, the Iowa Senate Majority Leader who has been battling a brain tumor for more than a year, will not seek re-election and will step aside as leader, he announced Tuesday.

New public employees would be given the opportunity to opt out of the state retirement program, and teachers would receive financial bonuses for student achievement under recommendations being put forward by Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds’ citizen-run task force on government efficiency.

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.

The Board of Regents’ pared-down funding ask comes after lawmakers rejected its $30.3 million request last session and instead offered a $4 million bump, largely supporting legislative priorities and ignoring university appeals.

Iowa students are beginning their second school year under a new Iowa law that defines chronic absenteeism as missing 10 percent of days in a grading period. During the first year of the law, the majority of charges for truancy were dismissed in Linn and Johnson counties as families made an effort to improve their child’s school attendance.

Republican legislative leaders said they will use money from the state’s $2 billion general fund surplus and $4 billion in the Taxpayer Relief Fund to cover the difference between how much revenue the state takes in and how much it’s budgeted to spend.