Articles Tagged: Iowa Legislature

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds’ proposed energy legislation includes a right of first refusal to incumbent energy companies to build new transmission projects

Also in the Capitol Notebook: An Iowa House-passed ban on requiring DEI courses at public universities for graduation is moving in the Senate.

Iowa House Democrats highlighted their plans to end state taxes on tips and overtime pay as the session’s second legislative deadline approaches at the State Capitol this week.

Disability benefits for Iowa firefighters and police officers would be expanded to cover all cancers — beyond the 14 currently covered — under legislation that advanced Monday in the Iowa Senate, the place where previous attempts to move the proposal have faltered.

As the University of Iowa works to comply with Board of Regents directives and legislative mandates to curtail diversity, equity, and inclusion work across campus, its philanthropic foundation – the UI Center for Advancement -- is grappling with how to handle the tens of thousands donated to a longstanding diversity fund.

Iowa local governments and business groups say they generally support getting rid of the state’s complicated property tax rollback system, but continue to explore the fiscal toll they would face from statehouse Republican’s proposed “reboot” and overhaul the state’s property tax system.

The physician shortage is not exclusive to Iowa, as the projected physician shortfall could reach as high as 86,000 physicians by 2036, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. But compared with other states, Iowa’s shortage is one of the most dire.

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.

The appropriation would be contingent on the U.S. Department of Agriculture approving a waiver for exemptions that would strike certain food products from SNAP eligibility, which food accessibility advocates argue would limit access to food.

On the day by which University of Iowa officials said they were told to close the campus’ renamed and reformed Division of Access, Opportunity, and Diversity — previously its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Division — the university on Thursday debuted a new website for its Office of Civil Rights Compliance.

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.

Dozens of stakeholders representing Iowa businesses, pork producers, builders and local taxing entities — from cites, counties and schools to hospitals and regional transit services — said they remain “undecided” on the 52-page proposal as they continue to study and analyze potential impacts from the myriad changes proposed.

Drivers in Iowa will be prohibited from operating cell phones and other devices with their hands once Reynolds signs it into law as expected