Tom Barton

Iowa’s four most populous counties – Polk, Linn, Scott and Johnson – would no longer receive state economic development funding under a bill advanced by House lawmakers Wednesday.

Iowa House Republicans continued their efforts to reform higher education policies in the state by passing a series of bills Tuesday aiming to — among other things — further curtail diversity, equity and inclusion programming across not only Iowa’s public universities but its private campuses as well.

The group hopes to expand the 3 Dimensions of Education program to a total of 22 Iowa schools and 13,640 student by 2030.

About a quarter of Iowans would no longer pay co-pays and deductibles for supplemental and diagnostic breast exams under legislation that unanimously passed the Iowa House and advanced Wednesday in the Iowa Senate. But insurers say health care costs would rise for everyone.

LGBTQ Iowans shared a message of hope and perseverance in the face of legislative attacks against transgender Iowans during a rally Tuesday. About 150 people gathered in the Iowa Capitol Rotunda in a show of solidarity during LGBTQ Day on the Hill.

Iowa lawmakers have advanced legislation that would allow Iowa courts to order treatment for individuals showing psychiatric deterioration when people can’t recognize they need help and are unlikely to seek it on their own.

A group of Des Moines firefighters and their family members filled a legislative committee room last week at the Iowa Capitol, hopeful that this will be the year lawmakers pass legislation to expand medical coverage for firefighters who develop cancer on the job. While a House bill passed unanimously through committee, the Senate bill was removed from a committee agenda.

Iowa Republican U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson, of Marion, said she fully intends to continue hosting public town halls across northeast Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District. She said her office is working on scheduling them, and will announce them in her newsletter.

The legislation would phase out the rollback and cap the revenue that local governments are allowed to collect.

Iowa lawmakers this week hit their first ‘funnel’ deadline, which eliminated from further consideration any bills that did not receive a prescribed level of support.

Iowa House and Senate lawmakers Tuesday advanced bills aiming to — among other things — increase intellectual diversity on the University of Iowa campus and sexual abuse awareness and prevention education in schools, restrict state funds to libraries that are American Library Association members, and allow public schools to offer an elective social studies course on the Bible.

The House Education Committee on Tuesday amended a bill that would have banned minors from attending drag shows. The amended bill strikes references to drag shows and instead inserts language from another House Bill that would criminalize exposing minors to “obscene performances.”

Lawmakers also advanced legislation that would lower the minimum age to purchase a handgun from 21 to 18 in the state.

Iowa businesses would pay nearly $1 billion less to fund benefits for unemployed workers under a proposal by Gov. Kim Reynolds advanced by Senate Republican lawmakers.

Gov. Kim Reynolds on Friday signed into law legislation removing civil rights protections for transgender Iowans.