Articles Tagged: Iowa Legislature

A proposal that would shift sales taxes in Iowa and, in the process, finally finance the state fund for conservation and water quality projects appears to be on life support at the Iowa Capitol.

The pandemic contributed to the time it took to dispose of cases, but the state court administrator said the need for more judges continues to be a larger factor. Based on national and judges’ workloads, Iowa should have an additional 24 district court judges. As a result, the percentage of cases pending in Iowa courts after 12 months exceeds national standards for felonies, dissolution, paternity and custody cases, probate and civil cases.

House File 2416 would require any Iowa schools that get public funding to designate sports programs as open to biological females, open to biological males or coeducational. A similar bill awaits action in the Senate.

Workers at child care centers would be allowed to watch more children, potentially creating new child care slot openings, under a proposal from Iowa Senate Republicans.

Roughly $9 of every $10 in state revenue would be poured into next year’s state budget, while the remaining money would be set aside, under the myriad proposals from Republicans at the Iowa Capitol.

Jeff Cooling is the first candidate to announce in House 77, which includes much of Cedar Rapids from Sixteenth Avenue SW to the Linn-Johnson County line. Rep. Kirsten Running-Marquardt, D-Cedar Rapids, represents that area, but is not seeking re-election to the House.

A new Iowa law that bans teaching “divisive concepts” is having a “chilling effect” on culturally responsive teaching and diversity, equity and inclusion in K-12 schools, some Iowa education experts say. Critical Race Theory is not actually mentioned in the law.

Banning transgender girls from girls sports and requiring E15 ethanol at all gas stations are among the living; restricting eminent domain and requiring video cameras in classrooms are among the dead.

On this week’s edition of the On Iowa Politics Podcast: a key Democrat retires from the Legislature, some highlights from funnel week at the statehouse, and the Ashley Hinson-Liz Mathis race starts to take shape

Ten Iowa middle- and high-school girls — two of them transgender — spoke Thursday at a legislative hearing on legislation that would ban transgender girls from competing in girls athletics in Iowa. Also, Gov. Kim Reynolds signed her first bill of the session: a $3.6 billion K-12 public education package.

Proposed income tax cuts are on the move, and work on the next state budget has started earlier than normal.

Lawmakers are seeking a way to maintain Iowa’s four-decade-old Iowa bottle bill and address retailers’ safety and health concerns about handling dirty beverage containers in their stores.

Advocates for the bill say it gives Iowa parents more school choice, but opponents say vouchers could have a devastating impact on public schools.

Subpoenas are expected to be issued early next week as part of the investigation into conduct that led Gov. Kim Reynolds to reject two nominees for an open judgeship. The committee is seeking documents and testimony from people involved the judicial nominating process.

A proposal to enable parents to start legal proceedings against schools or educators who distribute books or materials the parents deem obscene advanced Wednesday at the Iowa Capitol. Also advancing was a bill that would require Iowa, ISU and UNI sports teams to schedule games against each other.