Articles Tagged: Iowa Senate

Critics say it does not go nearly far enough to protect against spikes in lot rent and fees.

The new law requires every Iowa gas station to offer the higher E15 ethanol blend

Recent state Supreme Court rulings ensured abortion access for pregnant women, but Iowa Republicans are working to nullify those rulings

Republicans say the bill will create more child care opportunities; Democrats say it will burden low-income families with higher child care costs

Governor and Senate Republicans are delaying adjournment in hopes that House Republicans will pass the bill.

Republicans say the bill will help address a shortage of child care workers; Democrats say it will not help, and could create dangerous scenarios with unsupervised teens monitoring multiple toddlers at day care centers

Iowa will become just the fourth state with 16 weeks or fewer of state unemployment benefits under legislation that needs only Gov. Kim Reynolds’ signature to become law.

State lawmakers on Tuesday approved with strong, bipartisan support a proposal to require that most Iowa gas stations sell the E15 blend of ethanol in at least one pump.

The Iowa Senate’s tax policy committee Monday approved Gov. Kim Reynolds’ proposal after making some changes, including the addition of another way for small gas stations to receive an exemption from the proposed requirements and financial assistance for potential equipment upgrades.

Under the new law, cities including Cedar Rapids and Iowa City will no longer be able to restrict firework sales to only certain zoning categories.

Also, Stephen Larson has been confirmed for another term as administrator of the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division

Advocates say the proposal does not go nearly far enough in increasing protections for mobile home owners and renters, and thus does little to address the recent proliferation of out-of-state companies that have bought mobile home lots and parks and increased rent and fees.

The impasse over Reynolds’ private school tuition assistance proposal may be the most significant element of legislators’ attempts to finish their work for the session. It’s something Reynolds has spent multiple years pushing and Senate Republicans have backed. But the resistance where it exists within the House Republican caucus has been firm.

In addition to vouchers, K-12 transparency, unemployment benefits, a proposed ethanol mandate, and the bottle bill remain on lawmakers’ to-do list.

If no Democrats in the Senate vote to confirm Erik Helland’s nomination to the Iowa Public Employment Relations Board, the nomination will fail.