Maya Marchel Hoff, Gazette-Lee Des Moines Bureau

During this year’s legislative session, the Iowa House of Representatives and the governor’s office used an Iowa-based AI-native program to help streamline the legislative process for evaluating and tracking bills, a first for the state.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds approved the full state standings budget, Senate File 659, Wednesday after emergency response systems officials asked her to veto a provision over concerns it would lead to budget uncertainty for local 911 boards.

The governor’s office announced Wednesday that Reynolds had signed or vetoed more than 20 bills.

Fifty-six million dollars in opioid settlement funds will be distributed after Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds on Friday signed into law legislation that outlines how the money will be spent, along with 24 other bills.

Iowa businesses will see a $1.2 billion reduction in unemployment insurance taxes over the next five years under legislation signed by Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds on Thursday.

The Iowa DOGE Task Force also discussed possible education recommendations, including making portions of teacher pay merit-based, and consolidating rural school districts as populations in the least-populated areas of Iowa continue to decline.

The water quality concerns in were highlighted during a roundtable held by Democratic Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand’s gubernatorial campaign Tuesday at the Exira Public Library, where he spoke to local residents and officials.

Iowa U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst was being criticized Friday after a comment she made earlier in the day during a town hall meeting in Parkersburg. While answering a question about proposed cuts to Medicaid, a member of the audience yelled “people will die.” Ernst responded, “Well, we all are going to die.”

Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, who was in Davenport for a campaign fundraiser Thursday, said of Medicaid recipients who would lose coverage because they don’t meet proposed work requirements and don’t qualify for an exception, “that's their choice to lose coverage.”

As the country grapples with a health care workforce shortage, health care facilities across Iowa, especially in rural areas, will see some assistance under legislation signed Wednesday by Gov. Kim Reynolds.

Under the current system at Iowa Workforce Development, Iowans must use multiple sites and accounts to file unemployment insurance claims and find job postings. The new system will consolidate all employment services on one website.

Signed in 1965, the Iowa Civil Rights Act provides legal protection from discrimination against protected classes regarding housing, employment, education, public services and accommodations, banking and more. As the act turns 60, some who were involved in its formation and continuation reflect on where it is today and worry about where it will stand in the future.

Under the waiver approved by the USDA, starting Jan. 1, 2026, Iowans who receive SNAP won’t be able to use their benefits to purchase items including garden seeds and food-producing plants, candy, gum, soft drinks, lemonade, fruit snacks, certain granola bars and caramel corn.

Lawmakers use surplus to cover expected $917M shortfall

To resolve 2023 lawsuit, new services will be offered to children in the state with serious emotional and behavioral conditions.