Articles Tagged: Iowa Legislature

And how do you track bills throughout the legislative session?

Republican leadership in both the Iowa House and Senate said Iowans should expect to see further action to limit property tax collections by cities, counties, school districts and others during the upcoming legislative session.

The start of a new year also means the start of new laws in Iowa, including a new and lower state income tax rate, new restrictions for those convicted of drunken driving and a new data privacy law.

Providers in Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Des Moines, Dubuque, Mason City, Oskaloosa and Sioux City will receive a total of over $10 million to expand or improve facilities and develop sober-living housing options.

Cedar Rapids school board meets with lawmakers to discuss preschool, cell phone bans and other priorities in advance of the upcoming session of the Iowa Legislature.

The Iowa Revenue Estimating Conference projects slightly better state revenue numbers than it did in October, but revenue still is expected to fall short of current state spending levels.

Also in the Capitol Notebook: A campaign is launched for hands-free driving law.

A task force is charged with making any recommendations for further changes to Iowa’s Area Education Agencies after a new state law went into effect this year.

Also, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds appointed district associate judges in Western Iowa

Iowa anti-hunger advocates called on state leaders to participate in a summer federal food benefits program and raise income-eligibility requirements to fight hunger in Iowa.

At least eight states have such bans, which proponents say prevent students from being distracted during school instruction time and also help address concerns about students’ mental health.

Also in the Capitol Notebook: Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds accepts honor for the state’s tax policy

Iowa had requested a waiver from the federal ag department to prohibit SNAP benefits from being used to purchase lab-grown meat or egg substitute products; USDA denied the request

Having suffered even more losses in yet another election cycle begs the question: Where do Iowa Democrats go from here?

Public comments are being gathered and a public hearing on the proposed rules is scheduled for December in Des Moines.