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Governor announces $1.83 billion budget surplus, calls for tax cuts

Gov. Kim Reynolds signed a property tax cut into law May 4, 2023. She's calling for more tax cuts after the state recorded a $1.83 billion general fund surplus. (Photo by Robin Opsahl/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

by Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital Dispatch September 27, 2023 Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and Statehouse Republicans said they planned to pursue more tax cuts in the upcoming legislative session, after the governor’s office announced Iowa ended the fiscal year with a $1.83 billion surplus. In addition to the budget surplus in the general fund, the […]

The farm bill is on the verge of expiring. Congress is months away from a new version.

It's harvest time once again in Iowa

by Allison Winter, Iowa Capital Dispatch September 26, 2023 WASHINGTON — As the deadline for Congress to pass a new farm bill looms this weekend, staff members of the House and Senate Agriculture committees say it will be months – if not longer – until they reach agreement on a new bill. Lawmakers must rewrite […]

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds’ husband diagnosed with lung cancer

Kevin Reynolds is Iowa’s first gentleman and husband of Gov. Kim Reynolds. (Official portrait courtesy of the Iowa governor’s office)

by Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital Dispatch September 21, 2023 Iowa first gentleman Kevin Reynolds, husband of Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, has been diagnosed with lung cancer. The governor’s office shared the medical diagnosis Thursday, along with a statement from Gov. Reynolds about her spouse’s plans for treatment. “We’re grateful to the incredible medical team caring […]

Early corn harvests spur optimism about yields despite drought

A corn field is seen in DeWitt, Iowa July 12, 2012. REUTERS/Adrees Latif/File Photo

by Jared Strong, Iowa Capital Dispatch September 18, 2023 Farmers so far have reported average or better corn yields despite their worries about the effect of this year’s drought, according to several Iowa State University Extension field agronomists who monitor different areas of the state. Virgil Schmitt, the field agronomist who monitors far southeast Iowa, […]

Proposed bill would block ‘vexatious’ citizens from accessing public records

Legal documents were filed in Mahaska County District Court by Pella and Oskaloosa to force Mahaska County to once again participate in the 28E agreement for a regional airport.

by Clark Kauffman, Iowa Capital Dispatch September 15, 2023 The Iowa Public Information Board is considering legislation that would enable government agencies to ignore, for up to one year, any public-records requests made by “vexatious requesters.” The board’s legislative committee met Friday to discuss draft legislation aimed at addressing what the board’s executive director called […]

‘Severe’ drought or worse overtakes Iowa

About three-quarters of the state is now suffering from severe or extreme drought. (Courtesy of U.S. Drought Monitor)

by Jared Strong, Iowa Capital Dispatch September 14, 2023 Almost all of the state is suffering from some measure of drought, and dry conditions intensified over large areas of western Iowa in the past week, according to a U.S. Drought Monitor report on Thursday. The only remaining pocket of the state with normal soil moisture […]

U.S. House Speaker McCarthy tells committees to launch Biden impeachment probe

U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy at a press conference on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023, in the U.S. Capitol. (Photo by Ariana Figueroa/States Newsroom)

by Ariana Figueroa, Iowa Capital Dispatch September 12, 2023 WASHINGTON — U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy on Tuesday announced that he has directed several House committees to open a formal impeachment inquiry into unproven GOP allegations that President Joe Biden profited from his son’s business dealings when he was vice president in the Obama administration. […]

Trump, holding wide lead in latest caucus poll, returns to Iowa Saturday

Donald Trump campaigned on Saturday in Ottumwa to an overflowing crowd at the Bridge View Center.

by Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital Dispatch September 9, 2023 Former President Donald Trump was headed Saturday to Iowa, where a new poll shows no other candidates have neared his large lead among likely GOP caucusgoers. Trump was scheduled to make an appearance this afternoon at Iowa State University in Ames, where tens of thousands are […]

Federal officials: Iowa child labor law conflicts with national restrictions on dangerous workplaces

U.S. Department of Labor

by Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital Dispatch September 1, 2023 Iowa’s new child labor law conflicts with federal regulations by easing some restrictions on teenagers working in potentially dangerous conditions, the U.S. Department of Labor wrote in a letter to Democratic lawmakers. Solicitor of Labor Seema Nanda and Wage and Hour Division Principal Deputy Administrator Jessica […]

Job growth exceeds economists’ expectations as unemployment inches up

Iowa Workforce Development

by Casey Quinlan, Iowa Capital Dispatch September 1, 2023 The labor market is stable and healthy, economists and policy experts say, although the unemployment rate ticked up in the month of August. The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ report released Friday showed that unemployment rose to 3.8% in August from 3.5% in July. Meanwhile the economy added 187,000 […]

               

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