Week in Iowa, Dec. 1, 2024: Recap of news from across the state

Bird, Pate file lawsuit over citizenship data: Iowa state officials are asking a court to require the federal government to share some Iowans’ citizenship information so the state can determine who is ineligible to vote.

The lawsuit was filed Tuesday in federal court by Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird and Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate.

The Republicans’ lawsuit asks the court to require U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, to “promptly” provide the immigration and citizenship status of each person on a list of 2,176 Iowans provided by the Iowa Secretary of State’s Office.

“The State seeks the information to ensure that its elections were and will be safe and secure,” the lawsuit states.

Deere layoffs total more than 3,100: Deere and Co. announced Tuesday the company will indefinitely lay off 112 workers effective Jan. 3.

Deere cited reduced demand for equipment and a $3 billion loss for fiscal 2024 in a statement announcing the layoffs.

According to numbers posted on the Iowa Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act website, 112 manufacturing employees at Deere Waterloo Operations, 3500 E. Donald St., are affected.

John Deere's Waterloo Operations currently employs 4,700 workers, 2,700 in production and maintenance.

Deere has announced layoffs of more than 3,100 workers company-wide since October 2023, with more than 1,000 of those positions in the Cedar Valley.

"As was recently stated in our fourth quarter earnings report, challenging market conditions continue to result in reduced demand for our equipment with net income down $3B in FY24," Deere said in the statement. "To remain globally competitive, we must continue making workforce adjustments as needed to our manufacturing footprint."

Iowa election canvass complete: Iowa’s 2024 general election results are official — including the recount in an Eastern Iowa congressional district — after a state panel’s certification Monday.

The Iowa Board of Canvass, which consists of top state officials, met Monday via telephone to officially certify the state’s election results.

The certification nearly completes the Nov. 5 elections in Iowa. The state’s presidential electors will meet later this month to commit Iowa’s six Electoral College votes to Republican President-elect Donald Trump, who won the state.

The state Canvass Board is made up of the governor, secretary of state, auditor, treasurer and secretary of agriculture. The certification puts the final, official seal of approval on Iowa’s election results, including recounts.

One such recount was in southeast Iowa’s 1st Congressional District, where Republican incumbent Mariannette Miller-Meeks won re-election over Democratic challenger Christina Bohannan. Miller-Meeks appeared to win re-election when unofficial results reported shortly after the election showed her ahead by 802 votes.

They said ...

“(Pam) Bondi is prepared to refocus the Justice Department (DOJ)’s attention where it ought to be: on enforcing the law and protecting Americans’ safety.” -- U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, in a statement on President-elect Donald Trump’s pick of Pam Bondi as attorney general

“I think it’s really important that we have a serious conversation about, some of these people need to take a look at what’s happening and probably consider self-deporting. If they’re here illegally, they should have that conversation.” -- U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson on illegal immigrants with criminal records

Odds and ends

Farm income forecast shows decrease from 2023: Farm income is forecast to have decreased in 2024 by 4 percent from 2023, largely because of a decrease in cash receipts, or the gross income, from the sale of commodity crops, according to the December update of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s farm income forecast.

Carrie Litkowski, the farm income team leader with USDA Economic Research Service, presented the latest update in a webinar Tuesday, and said the forecast was very similar to its previous September iteration.

“But somehow it feels a little more important, as we near the end of the year, to evaluate the current state of the farm economy as a starting point for considering what challenges and opportunities may lie ahead for U.S. agriculture,” Litkowski said, as reported in the Iowa Capital Dispatch.

Water cooler

Reynolds says she will announce lieutenant governor soon: Iowa has been without a lieutenant governor since early September, when former Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg resigned to take a leadership position with the Iowa Bankers Association.

“In the next couple of weeks, probably, we’ll have a decision for you,” Reynolds said Tuesday.

Without a lieutenant governor, next in the state’s line of succession is the Iowa Senate president: currently Sen. Amy Sinclair, a Republican from Allerton.

Iowa to provide first-graders with books: Nearly 38,000 first-grade students in Iowa will receive literacy instruction books to take home and keep as part of a $3.5 million state investment to boost early literacy.

Gov. Kim Reynolds and the Iowa Department of Education announced the statewide investment Monday to provide elementary schools in the state more than 100,000 “decodable book packs” to send home with students to reinforce classroom reading instruction.

In total, 1 million books will be sent to all public and accredited non-public schools across the state this winter, according to the Iowa Department of Education. Schools and families need not apply; books will be sent directly to them, according to a news release.