Changes may be coming to Iowa’s recycling law, regardless of how beverage wholesalers and grocery stores feel about it, one state lawmaker Monday during a legislative hearing on the latest proposal in the seemingly annual effort to make changes to the state recycling law, more commonly known as the “bottle bill.”
Some have called expanding the bottle bill to include water and energy drinks, and double the deposit to a dime to increase the penny-per-can handling fee for redemption centers to 2 cents. Even that may not be enough to support redemption centers, especially in rural Iowa, according to Iowa State University economics professor Dermot Hayes, who has been analyzing the bottle bill for about 10 years.
In Iowa, the average gas price Thursday was $3.924, but topped $4 in many rural areas according to AAA. However, Iowa lawmakers say they’ve heard little talk of suspending state motor fuel taxes -- 30 cents a gallon state tax on gas and ethanol, and 32.5 on diesel fuel.
If lawmakers go along with legislation approved by the House, this weekend will be the last time Iowans have to go through the twice-a-year ritual of changing their clocks — if Congress also agrees.
Democratic gubernatorial challenger Deidre DeJear called for the state to fully fund education from preschool to college and to make at least 30 hours a week of child care available to families. She would support a moratorium on “factory farms” and more funding for Department of Natural Resources water quality efforts.
As she has done in the run-up to formally starting to campaign, Gov. Reynolds contrasted her leadership to that of the Biden administrations and the Democratic Congress.
On this week’s edition of the On Iowa Politics Podcast: Reynolds makes it official, filing season, midpoint of the legislative session, and support your local constitutional sheriff.
In 2021, Iowa companies exported $3.1 billion in goods to Mexico, which is the state’s third-largest export destination overall and the second-leading export market for corn, pork and soybeans.
The fiscal 2023 budget proposed by House Republicans represents a less than a 1 percent increase from the current $8.1 billion budget. Gov. Kim Reynolds and Senate Republicans have proposed spending just more than $8.2 billion, a 3.5 percent increase.
Iowa’s state budget is even healthier than experts previously estimated, but over the next two budget years, once newly approved state income tax cuts go into effect, Iowa’s state revenues are projected to decline.
Join us virtually at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, March 10, for a special edition of Pints and Politics, focusing on the history and current issues within Iowa’s Bottle Bill.
Proponents say bills changing the staffing ratios and allowing younger workers to operate with less supervision would allow flexibility in child care facilities, but opponents say the changes could make those settings less safe for children.
Kim Reynolds finally made it official Wednesday: She’s running in November’s election for another four-year term as Iowa’s governor.
Iowa House resolution recognizes the Ukrainian people’s fight for freedom and self governance.
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