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Week in Iowa, May 22, 2023: Recap of news from across the state
Senior tax break causes confusion: Local officials are struggling to verify the ages of applicants for a new senior homestead tax credit available to Iowans ages 65 and older. Applicants must provide their date of birth and certify the information is correct, but there is no additional documentation required on the form or by law.
Local officials can use voter registration lists to verify a person's age or ask for a photo ID, but they cannot reject the application if a photo ID is not provided. Local officials said the ambiguity and difficulty of matching voter records to applications is creating uncertainty in the process.
Iowa Utilities Board floats Summit mediators: A state board tasked with approving a 680-mile carbon dioxide pipeline in Iowa suggested hiring third-party mediators to facilitate negotiations between landowners and Summit Carbon Solutions, the company proposing the project. Summit and other companies have faced staunch opposition from landowners along the route opposed to the use of eminent domain to build the pipeline.
Company to receive $4.3 million for ESA program: Iowa will pay $4.3 million over six years to New York-based company Odyssey to administer its educational savings account program allowing parents to pay for private school expenses with state dollars. ESA recipients also will be required to purchase supplies on a marketplace hosted by Odyssey.
DeSantis, Scott enter caucus cadre: Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced his candidacy for president Wednesday after months of setting the groundwork for a campaign. South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott also announced his candidacy. The pair enter a Republican primary with half a dozen other contenders, including former President Donald Trump.
The two quickly scheduled trips to Iowa, which will hold the first-in-the-nation caucuses in early 2024. Scott visited a Christian school in Sioux City, and DeSantis plans to hold a campaign kickoff in Des Moines, followed by stops across the state this week.
Grassley "confident" in debt limit deal: U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley said he is "very confident" a deal will be reached in increasing the debt limit to avert a default on the nation's debt. Grassley, who has been in Congress for decades, said lawmakers will be able to work out a deal when pressed against a deadline.
University of Iowa taps health care VP: The University of Iowa selected retiring U.S. Public Health Service Capt. Denise Jamieson to lead its health care enterprise as vice president for medical affairs and dean of the Carver College of Medicine. Jamieson worked for decades at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Emory University.
They said …
“What we see here brings together a lot of the different things that we are trying to support. Making sure that, of course, we have the support for economic growth, a better passenger experience.” — U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg touring The Eastern Iowa Airport's terminal modernization project
“For the school choice movement, the seeds have been planted over years and years and years. It's going to be fun to watch how the country changes because of quality education.” — South Carolina senator and presidential candidate Tim Scott visiting Siouxland Christian School
Odds and ends
CNN town halls: CNN will host two presidential candidate town halls from Iowa in the coming weeks. Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and former Vice President Mike Pence will both appear in televised town halls, moderated by Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, respectively.
Fraternity arrests: Three members of Iowa State University's FarmHouse Fraternity were arrested this month for allegedly extorting another member to perform a sex act on one of them, threatening to shoot him with an airsoft gun.
Water cooler
First responder pilot program: Iowa will spend $150,000 to pilot a program aimed at decreasing emergency response times in rural areas. The method, adapted from an Israeli nonprofit, uses technology to crowdsource nearby volunteer emergency responders.
Pete Buttigieg visits: U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg stopped at The Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids on Thursday to highlight federal infrastructure investments in the airport. Buttigieg toured the final phase of the airport's terminal modernization project, funded by infrastructure dollars.
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