Week in Iowa: Recap of news from across the state

Democrats’ mail-in caucus in jeopardy: Iowa Republicans are advancing a bill that would upend Iowa Democrats' plans to conduct the 2024 presidential precinct caucuses mostly by mail against the protest of Iowa Democrats. The bill would require in-person participation at caucuses and require a person to register with a party 70 days in advance of the caucuses.

The bill is intended to protect Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucus status, according to Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, who proposed it. He said New Hampshire would jump before Iowa if the party held a mail-in caucus because it resembles a primary. But Democrats said it would discourage participation in the caucuses and the Legislature should not meddle in the party's internal processes.

Bill would allow guns in school, public parking lots: Iowans would be able to bring guns onto more public parking lots and roadways, including schools, under a bill House lawmakers passed last week. The bill allows a permit-holding gun owner to carry a handgun while picking up or dropping off a person at a school, if the gun is out of sight and the car is locked while unattended.

Reynolds enters secure Iowa Supreme Court area: Gov. Kim Reynolds entered a secure area where Iowa Supreme Court justices maintain private offices before watching arguments in an abortion case in which she was the lead plaintiff, according to an email from a staff member for Chief Justice Susan Christensen. The letter said Reynolds did not have permission from the justices or Supreme Court staff.

Court hears abortion arguments: The Iowa Supreme Court heard arguments from lawyers in a case seeking to revive a 2018 law that banned abortion after cardiac activity is detected in a fetus — usually around six weeks. The court will not decide the case for several weeks.

Lawyers for the state argued recent rulings from the state and federal supreme courts present a significant change in law and require the court to reinstate the law, which was found unconstitutional in 2019. But lawyers for Planned Parenthood argued the state did not go through the proper procedure, and the court did not have the authority in this case to reinstate the law.

Property tax bill advances: An Iowa House committee advanced a bill intended to lower Iowans' property tax bills. The bill would restrict residential property tax bills in most cases to at most 3 percent higher than the previous year. It would also lower a tax that funds schools and fill in the difference with state money.

They said …

“Everybody I’ve talked to, everyone that I’ve had conversations with on both sides of the aisle, nationally and locally, say that when you do mail-in, it’s a primary. New Hampshire is obligated by law to jump us if we do this.” — Iowa Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, R-Wilton, on bill to require in-person caucuses.

"It’s disappointing that Republicans proposed this bill with no input from Democrats and it is potentially damaging to the history of how Iowa’s parties have always worked together regarding the Iowa caucuses. Iowa Democrats will do what’s best for Iowa and that means moving forward with an inclusive caucus process." — Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart on bill to require in-person participation in caucuses

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Odds and ends

2024 watch: Presidential hopefuls such as Asa Hutchinson, Mike Pence and Tim Scott will be at the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition's "spring kick-off" event next Saturday, and former President Donald Trump will speak to the crowd remotely as all seek to garner favor among Iowa Republicans ahead of the 2024 caucuses. Scott also was in Cedar Rapids this past week, and he announced he was forming a presidential exploratory committee.

Tri-state clean hydrogen compact: Iowa, Nebraska and Missouri are joining forces to apply for a federal grant to open a regional hub for producing clean hydrogen. The Mid-Continent Clean Hydrogen Hub would be competing with other regional proposals to take advantage of $7 billion in federal funding.

Water cooler

Medicaid breach: Personal data of more than 20,000 Iowa Medicaid members may have been compromised in a data breach of a state contractor last year. Independent Living Systems suffered a security breach that exposed the data of more than 4 million people, the company said earlier this year.

Pit bull ban: Iowa lawmakers passed a bill that would block cities and counties from banning residents from owning specific dog breeds in a move supported by animal rights groups. The bill would invalidate bans on pit bulls in dozens of Iowa cities. The Humane Society of the United States argues breed-specific bans do not lower the rate of dog attacks.