Articles Tagged: Iowa Legislature

Also in Capitol Notebook: Gov. Kim Reynolds’ child care and preschool proposal passes the Iowa Senate

The Board of Regents this week is getting ahead of proposed legislation this session by making a handful of policy changes in advance of the bills’ passage — including limiting annual tuition increases for resident in-state students going forward.

Raw milk could be sold in grocery stores and farmers markets under an Iowa House bill advanced Tuesday that drew strong warnings and objections from public health professionals, veterinarians and the Iowa State Dairy Association.

Also, Iowa house approves bill that would allow Iowans to establish catastrophic savings accounts

The bill’s sponsor said events that could qualify for grant funding would be “larger scope, things like PGA, NFL, NBA or NCAA” and “Taylor Swift concerts at Kinnick” to make Iowa competitive with other states trying to attract high-profile events.

In other state government news Monday, Gov. Kim Reynolds has ordered flags across Iowa fly at half-mast to honor Pope Francis, who died Monday.

After more than two years of budget reductions — which included closing an elementary school in Hills — the Iowa City Community School District is “not in a cutting mode” this fiscal year.

A bill advanced from the Iowa House last week that would regulate anaerobic digesters, or systems that break down organic material in an oxygen-deprived system to produce usable biogas and fertilizer, at animal feeding operations.

Early voting begins this week as Republican Bernie Hayes faces Democrat Angel Ramirez to represent southeast Cedar Rapids in the Iowa House.

The outstanding questions and the complexity involved of trying to change Iowa’s convoluted property tax system — with just weeks left in the session — has prompted many to question what, if anything, lawmakers will do on the topic this year.

This week on the podcast: We cover a couple of topics as we pretend anything else is anywhere near as important as Gov. Kim Reynolds announcing she’s not running for re-election next year.

Nearly a year after Iowa saw historic flooding and fatal tornadoes, legislation proposed by Gov. Kim Reynolds that would help fund and streamline the assistance process for rebuilding after natural disasters is going to her desk for approval.

Legislation adding new requirements to Iowa's open records laws was amended in the Iowa Senate on Thursday to bar the public from accessing Iowa Capitol security camera footage.

Also in the Capitol Notebook: Iowa House amends, sends prenatal education requirement back to the Iowa Senate

The proposal, which would abolish a board formed in Cedar Rapids after Black Lives Matter protests, needs only Gov. Kim Reynolds’ signature to become law.