Week in Iowa, Feb. 20, 2023: Recap of news from across the state

Senate passes trucking lawsuit caps: Iowa lawmakers are moving forward on a proposal to limit awards for pain and suffering in lawsuits involving trucks and other commercial vehicles. The Senate passed a bill that would cap non-economic damages in those lawsuits at $2 million, mirroring limits on medical malpractice lawsuits Gov. Kim Reynolds signed into law earlier this month.

The bill shields trucking companies from liabilities over an employee's conduct in most cases of negligence. Republican supporters said the bill would provide stability for trucking companies and prevent so-called nuclear verdicts that award tens of millions of dollars. Democrats said there is little evidence of those high-dollar verdicts in Iowa, and Iowans deserve the right to have their case heard by a jury.

Ban on gender-affirming care for minors: House Speaker Pat Grassley said a ban on gender-affirming care for minors may be introduced as a slew of other Republican-led states are considering similar legislation. Doctors told lawmakers Thursday the interventions are important for transgender youth to reduce depression and suicides and improve other outcomes.

Wolf Carbon will not seek eminent domain: Wolf Carbon Solutions will not seek eminent domain authority to build a carbon dioxide pipeline across Eastern Iowa, according to a permit application the company filed Thursday. The company would be the only of three proposed pipelines not to seek authority to take land for the project.

Landowners rally against pipelines: As dozens of landowners and activists from around the state lobbied lawmakers Tuesday to pass bills banning the use of eminent domain for carbon capture pipelines, lawmakers advanced a bill that would severely limit the projects.

The three companies planning to build pipelines in Iowa to shuttle CO2 from ethanol plants to reservoirs underground say the technology is vital to the continued survival of the ethanol industry. A bill advancing in the House would require the companies to obtain 90 percent of a pipeline's route through voluntary easement before being granted eminent domain and block the projects for a year or more until a federal regulator announces new rules for CO2 pipelines.

Election recount changes: Election recount procedures would be standardized under a bill being considered by state lawmakers. The bill makes several changes on the timing and conduct of recounts, and election officials across Iowa generally were supportive of the measure.

COVID reporting changes: Iowa will end its webpage for COVID-19 data and publish weekly data as part of its respiratory virus reports starting in April. The state health department will end its requirement that clinical labs report positive tests.

They said …

“He broke the things that needed to be broken and he worked to fix them. The reason I’m running is we got to move forward.” — Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley on why she's running against Donald Trump.

“No one is rushed through this process. Minors are not provided care without parental support … The evidence shows it not only helps, but can be life-saving." — UI Health Care Dr. Katie Imborek on gender-affirming care for minors.

Odds and ends

2024 watch: Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley told Iowa Republicans they need to "move forward" from former President Donald Trump as she seeks support for her presidential bid ahead of the 2024 Republican caucuses. South Carolina U.S. Sen. Tim Scott — who often is in Iowa but has not announced a bid for the White House — also appeared in the state this past week alongside Gov. Kim Reynolds.

Public universities’ impact: The state Board of Regents released a report showing Iowa's public universities collectively added close to $15 billion to the state's economy in the 2022 budget year. The impact includes operations spending, construction, employees and research.

Water cooler

Unemployment changes: Iowans collecting unemployment benefits would be required to complete more job searches to maintain those benefits under a bill lawmakers advanced this past week. Unemployed workers now are required to complete four job searches a week, but the bill would require them to do up to six depending on the availability of jobs in the state.

COVID cases fall: Iowa's COVID-19 cases fell in the week ending Wednesday, but hospitalizations rose. The state reported 1,581 cases, compared to 1,626 the previous week. There were 159 people hospitalized with the virus compared to 135 the previous week.