Gov. Kim Reynolds said earlier this month that state data has show an increase in “incidental” COVID-19 among hospitalized patients in Iowa in recent weeks when compared to hospitalizations rates in 2020. Incidental refers to patients who arrive at the hospital for other reasons, but test positive for the virus as part of routine screening.
The Iowa Public Information Board directed a state agency to examine its director’s cellphone for text messages that were requested nine months ago by Clark Kauffman, Iowa Capital Dispatch’s deputy editor, as part of his investigation into unemployment benefits fraud at the time.
Banning transgender girls from girls sports and requiring E15 ethanol at all gas stations are among the living; restricting eminent domain and requiring video cameras in classrooms are among the dead.
On this week’s edition of the On Iowa Politics Podcast: a key Democrat retires from the Legislature, some highlights from funnel week at the statehouse, and the Ashley Hinson-Liz Mathis race starts to take shape
“Quiet title” laws across the Midwest can disproportionately affect homeowners who don’t speak English.
Ten Iowa middle- and high-school girls — two of them transgender — spoke Thursday at a legislative hearing on legislation that would ban transgender girls from competing in girls athletics in Iowa. Also, Gov. Kim Reynolds signed her first bill of the session: a $3.6 billion K-12 public education package.
Proposed income tax cuts are on the move, and work on the next state budget has started earlier than normal.
Lawmakers are seeking a way to maintain Iowa’s four-decade-old Iowa bottle bill and address retailers’ safety and health concerns about handling dirty beverage containers in their stores.
Advocates for the bill say it gives Iowa parents more school choice, but opponents say vouchers could have a devastating impact on public schools.
Subpoenas are expected to be issued early next week as part of the investigation into conduct that led Gov. Kim Reynolds to reject two nominees for an open judgeship. The committee is seeking documents and testimony from people involved the judicial nominating process.
A proposal to enable parents to start legal proceedings against schools or educators who distribute books or materials the parents deem obscene advanced Wednesday at the Iowa Capitol. Also advancing was a bill that would require Iowa, ISU and UNI sports teams to schedule games against each other.
The bill, one of three GOP tax relief plans under consideration, would phase in a four-year gradual reduction in Iowa’s personal income tax rate from the current top rate of 8.53 percent for the highest wage earners to 4 percent for all taxpayers.
Republicans who support a bill that seeks to limit public land buys say the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and county conservation boards shouldn’t be competing with farmers trying to buy timber for cattle grazing. Democrats say its more likely developers or other farmers snapping up land.
Iowa elections’ recount procedures would be streamlined, funding from private groups to help elections operations would be prohibited, and an additional signature requirement for votes cast by mail would be added under a new proposal being considered by state lawmakers.
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