James Q. Lynch

Legislation would honor military members, diplomats and humanitarian service in Afghanistan. Despite the chaotic end of operations, their resolution says their service “is something to be remembered, lauded, and honored.”

The maps, based on population changes between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, will be released at 10 a.m. Thursday in a digital format, which will be available at www.thegazette.com.

Redistricting occurs once every 10 years after the national census has been completed to draw new congressional and legislative districts based on population changes. Using criteria established in the U.S. and Iowa constitutions and state law, the goal is to make the districts as close to equal as possible.

The committee lacks jurisdiction to act, one member said.

Democratic legislative leaders endorsed Biden’s coronavirus vaccination mandates as a response to failed GOP leadership while the Republican Party of Iowa warned the president is “striking a dangerous authoritarian tone.”

“Knowing where your money is going is absolutely crucial to the transparency that I think our government needs,” Hinson told her Cedar Rapids town hall audience.

While making the renewal process safer in the pandemic for driver’s license holders and Iowa DOT staff, the extension also opened a window for scammers trying to steal people’s identity.

Iowa GOP Chairman Jeff Kaufmann feels no such obligation to remain neutral. “I do have an opinion about where Iowa should be in the nomination process. We're going to be first-in-the-nation.”

The Legislative Services Agency plans to release its first redistricting map by Sept. 16. An advisory panel has two weeks to gather public input before recommending a plan to the Legislature, which must wait three days before taking an up-or-down vote on it.

“Just think about how much the world has changed in the last five years. Who knows what the world's going to look like three years from now?” said Rubio, the third-place finisher in the 2016 Iowa GOP caucuses.

Cruz deflected questions about whether he will run in 2024 even as he made a stop on that road to raise funds for Iowa 1st District Rep. Ashley Hinson, praise Iowa’s GOP congressional delegation as well as the state’s first-in-the-nation caucuses and deliver a 20-minute stump speech that had at least half the 700 fellow conservatives in attendance on their feet for its entirety.

“2024 doesn't exist for the Republican Party if we don't win in 2022,” RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said while in Iowa.

Not all lawmakers responded to the Missed Vote Iowa scorecard, but among those who did, COVID-19 and military duty were among the reasons cited.

Senate Budget Chairman Sen. Bernie Sanders said his proposed budget is about “making people understand that government can, in fact, in a democratic society, work for working families, and not just the wealthy and the powerful.”

People are ticked off, according to Ashley Hinson, who said voters think the country is going in the wrong direction and they are ready to engage.