Articles Tagged: Iowa Legislature

AEAs, gender ID, school safety and many other significant bills need more legislative attention this week to survive a legislative deadline.

Also, House passes penalties for ‘grooming’ by teachers

Staffing agencies, whose rates would be capped by the bill, warn the proposal could cause nurses to leave the agencies and thus worsen the nursing home worker shortage

Iowa is among the states considering creating grants to help rural grocery stores stay open.

The proposal backed would restrict vape sales in the state and, opponents say, leave Big Tobacco stronger.

Advocates hope the governor’s plan to combine mental health and substance use treatment networks will improve access for Iowans. But some worry that until other funding issues are addressed — like low Medicaid reimbursement rates — “We're just rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.”

Proposal to increase penalties for non-consensual termination of a pregnancy could have chilling impact on in vitro fertilization, Democrats argued

State Republican lawmakers this week advanced a bill that would dismantle citizen review boards that probe alleged police misconduct like those established in Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Coralville, University Heights and Dubuque.

Proposal now goes to the Senate, which has another plan

Also, the Iowa House gave unanimous approval to a proposal placing constraints on the practice of civil asset forfeiture by law enforcement

Also, House rejects a bill related to topsoil and stormwater enforcement at construction projects

The bills come as legislators across the country consider how to respond to the emerging problem fueled by artificial intelligence technology.

Iowa City Democrat calls the Iowa House proposal ‘ridiculous’ and ‘shameful’

According to a national public-university assessment on what increasingly is referred to in critical terms like “administrative bloat,” Iowa essentially is tied with Hawaii for spending the least on administrators, according to a new Board of Regents report.

Supporters of the bill, which calls for a constitutional amendment, include tax policy groups, the Iowa Association of Business and Industry and Iowa Bankers Association. Critics include the progressive advocacy group Common Good Iowa and the Iowa Catholic Conference.