Articles Tagged: Iowa Legislature

Redistricting occurs once every 10 years after the national census has been completed to draw new congressional and legislative districts based on population changes. Using criteria established in the U.S. and Iowa constitutions and state law, the goal is to make the districts as close to equal as possible.

Democratic legislative leaders endorsed Biden’s coronavirus vaccination mandates as a response to failed GOP leadership while the Republican Party of Iowa warned the president is “striking a dangerous authoritarian tone.”

Iowa meat lockers that make in-demand specialty products often struggle to get enough skilled workers. Which is why the Iowa Legislature created a task force to study whether the state should start an artisanal butchery program at a state community college or university.

After months of decline following the winter spike, COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are once again rising in Iowa and many other areas of the country. Both measures are higher than they have been since January, which was the tail end of the pandemic’s worst and deadliest stretch so far.

The Legislative Services Agency plans to release its first redistricting map by Sept. 16. An advisory panel has two weeks to gather public input before recommending a plan to the Legislature, which must wait three days before taking an up-or-down vote on it.

DES MOINES (AP) — Sixty Iowa Republican legislators are asking the Iowa Supreme Court to overturn a 2018 ruling that declared abortion a fundamental right under the state Constitution.

One of the nation’s most restrictive abortion bans went into effect in Texas on Wednesday. Abortion advocates in Iowa say this law, as well as an upcoming Supreme Court case, could inspire further abortion restrictions in Iowa in the near future.

Not all lawmakers responded to the Missed Vote Iowa scorecard, but among those who did, COVID-19 and military duty were among the reasons cited.

The Education Department announced Monday that it’s investigating five Republican-led states - Iowa, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Utah - that have banned mask requirements in schools, saying the policies could amount to discrimination against students with disabilities or health conditions.

Virtual hearings will “maximize the opportunity,” for participation and make the once-a-decade process “as inclusive as possible,” panel members said.

There’s no magic redistricting button to draw 50 Iowa Senate and 50 House districts to conform to new census numbers

Michael Bousselot will run for vacant seat in Iowa House

In a surprise to no one who’s paying attention, the doomsayers in the Democratic Party were wrong. Weeks after the law went into effect, it turns out the government still is running a lot of background checks on Iowa gun buyers.

The delayed release is creating uncertainty over whether the exacting process of drawing new boundaries for the state’s 50 Senate and 100 House districts can be completed ahead of a constitutional deadline.

Lawmakers say they increased the penalties for trespassing at livestock operations to protect farmers from harassment and deter intrusions that threaten the safety of the state's multibillion-dollar agriculture industry.