IOWA LEGISLATURE

By James Q. Lynch, Gazette Des Moines Bureau ...

DES MOINES - State revenue estimators took a measured view Thursday of the economy - the turmoil caused by stock volatility, an oil price war and a global coronavirus pandemic - before setting cautious projections for slow, stable economic growth in Iowa, at least in the short-term. ...

DES MOINES - Iowa trails supporters and business leaders called on the Legislature to consider all opportunities to invest in trails, including Gov. Kim Reynolds' plan to fund the Natural Resources and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund. ...

DES MOINES - An update Wednesday on Iowa's controversial Medicaid managed care program from the Department of Human Services was encouraging for leaders of the Iowa House Government Oversight Committee, which held a similar hearing a year ago. ...

URBANDALE - GOP legislators want to make significant income tax cuts, provide property tax relief and fund new mental-health commitments, but the jury still is out on whether they will support Gov. Kim Reynolds' approach - which includes a state sales tax increase as part of the overall pa ...

DES MOINES - Iowa senators voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to clearly put counties in charge of their courthouses after chastising Judicial Branch officials for conducting ill-conceived 'penetration tests' via a cybersecurity contractor in Dallas and Polk counties last year that resulted in ...

DES MOINES - Backers of a bill to bequeath the status of Iowa's state insect to the honeybee are hoping their resolution can make a bee-line to Gov. Kim Reynolds' desk. ...

DES MOINES - Legislation defining 'discharge of sentence' received bipartisan support in the Iowa House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, helping clear the way for approval of a proposed constitutional amendment to restore felons' voting rights. ...

DES MOINES - Iowans with some autistic conditions or post-traumatic stress disorder could be certified to participate in the state's medical cannabidiol program under changes approved Tuesday by the Iowa House. ...

DES MOINES - William Burt said his heart was racing, and that he was holding back tears of joy. ...

DES MOINES - The Iowa Senate passed legislation Tuesday intended to help businesses that provide communications services to expand access to reliable and affordable high-speed broadband to underserved and unserved parts of Iowa. ...

DES MOINES - As part of a bipartisan commitment to address workforce issues, the Iowa House on Monday tackled a handful of proposals to increase the accessibility and affordability of child care. ...

DES MOINES - Daylight saving time arrives Sunday, but hopes some state lawmakers have for making it permanent in Iowa most likely won't spring forward. ...

DES MOINES - The Iowa House on Thursday approved a bill defining anti-Semitism and providing guidance to those investigating anti-Semitic crimes and discrimination, despite Democrats objecting that the bill sends a message that discrimination against Jews is more serious than attacks on ot ...

DES MOINES - Whether you call it 'life means life' or 'dead means dead,' the Iowa Legislature doesn't want to let anyone out of a life prison sentence just because they temporarily have 'died.' ...

Both chambers of the Iowa Legislature on Wednesday approved a 2.3 percent increase - about $85.6 million - to state supplemental aid for education, the largest funding source for Iowa's 327 public school districts. ...

...

By Erin Murphy, Gazette-Lee Des Moines Bureau ...

DES MOINES - Able-bodied adults without school-aged children or dependents would be required to work, volunteer or perform charity work to receive Medicaid benefits or public food assistance under legislation passed Tuesday by the Iowa Senate. ...

DES MOINES - The Iowa House Government Oversight Committee is panning two meetings this month with Kelly Garcia, the new director of the Department of Human Services, to address Medicaid managed care and allegations of problems that have surfaced at the Glenwood Resource Center. ...

DES MOINES - Public K-12 schools are in line for a 2.3 percent state funding boost under an agreement reached Tuesday by state lawmakers. ...

DES MOINES - The chairwoman of the Senate Government Oversight Committee said Tuesday she doesn't see a reason to hold a hearing about how the state signed a $50 million cloud-computing deal without using traditional competitive bidding. ...

DES MOINES - The AARP is calling for quick action on legislation seeking to cap out-of-pocket insulin costs at $100 a month under state-regulated health insurance plans. ...

DES MOINES - Iowans have effectively lost control of their government because of a judicial 'overreach' to create abortion rights that do not exist in Iowa's constitution, Gov. Kim Reynolds told a Statehouse rally Monday. ...

CEDAR RAPIDS - Gov. Kim Reynolds knows the success of her plan to pay for mental health services, natural resources initiatives and outdoor recreation will depend on Iowans persuading reluctant legislators to vote for a sales tax hike. ...

DES MOINES - Three child care bills were approved by the Iowa House Ways and Means Committee over Democratic objections that they didn't go far enough in addressing access and affordability. ...

DES MOINES - A bipartisan group of state senators voted Thursday to confirm Beth Skinner as Gov. Kim Reynolds' choice as director of the Iowa Department of Corrections, but not without some pushback about safety concerns for officers at the state's prisons. ...