Legislation that would require Iowa caucus participants to vote in-person — which would effectively kill Iowa Democrats’ plan for mail-in caucusing in 2024 — was introduced this week in the Iowa House by Republican state lawmaker Bobby Kaufmann, the son of Republican Party of Iowa state chairman Jeff Kaufmann.
Gov. Kim Reynolds has asked the court to allow a court-blocked 2018 law to go into effect; abortion rights groups argue the law should remain blocked.
Victim advocates are urging Republican Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird to continue allowing the state’s victim compensation funds to cover contraception and abortion care for rape victims, noting a majority of those served by the fund are juvenile victims of sexual abuse.
Members of the House Ways and Means tax policy committee amended the bill to prohibit companies from collecting data on children under 18 without “verifiable parental consent.”
Iowa lawmakers advanced a bill to fund anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers, fund maternal and rural health care grants and provide state employees paid parental leave.
Eastern Iowa officials question whether the Department of Corrections should take over community-based corrections after missteps on parole decisions.
“As a part of her top-down, bottom-up audit of victim assistance, Attorney General Bird is carefully evaluating whether this is an appropriate use of public funds,” Bird Press Secretary Alyssa Brouillet said in a statement. “Until that review is complete, payment of these pending claims will be delayed.”
Iowa is in a shrinking minority of states that do not offer coverage under Medicaid to new mothers for 12 months after they give birth, and lawmakers are not likely to extend the coverage this year.
Also, new website aims to connect veterans with jobs in Iowa
On this week’s edition of the On Iowa Politics podcast: School swatting calls, Iowa’s baseball bill, Reynolds’ birth control bill, eminent domain, K-12 education policy and more.
Justices will be asked to clear way for ‘fetal heartbeat’ bill
The bills are part of House Democrats’ “People Over Politics” legislative agenda they proposed at the beginning of the legislative session.
Iowa was one of only four states to turn down $3 million in federal money for planning to prevent climate change after a state official advised against it because there were “strings attached.”
Gov. Kim Reynolds said Tuesday she wants to let the lawmaking process play out before throwing her support behind the final measure.
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