by Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital Dispatch February 13, 2024 Lawmakers passed dozens of bills through committee Tuesday to keep them available for discussion as they near the first deadline of the 2024 legislative session. It’s “funnel week” at the Iowa State Capitol. That means most bills must be approved by a committee by the end […]
by Jennifer Shutt, Iowa Capital Dispatch February 8, 2024 WASHINGTON — The U.S. Justice Department released a lengthy report Thursday concluding that while President Joe Biden “willfully retained” classified materials following his time as vice president, he won’t be charged with a crime. Special Counsel Robert K. Hur wrote in the 388-page report that prosecutors considered “that, […]
by Brooklyn Draisey, Iowa Capital Dispatch February 8, 2024 Central College and the Pella community are putting their imaginations to work with the goal of creating housing, working and living opportunities for students and residents alike. The “Imagine More: It’s Central to Pella” initiative, publicly launched in December, will blend the boundaries between college and […]
by Brooklyn Draisey, Iowa Capital Dispatch February 7, 2024 The food retailer Fareway has donated $100,000 to Des Moines Area Community College for its new Transportation Institute, which is now under construction. As previously reported in the Iowa Capital Dispatch, the $9 million project includes the construction of a new education facility that will include […]
by Jared Strong, Iowa Capital Dispatch February 5, 2024 Bill Northey, who was Iowa’s top agriculture official for more than a decade and a leader at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, died recently at the age of 64. His death was publicly announced Monday by the Agribusiness Association of Iowa, of which he was chief […]
by Kathie Obradovich, Iowa Capital Dispatch February 1, 2024 Democrats in the Iowa House unveiled several bills Thursday that they said were aimed at improving the economic well-being of Iowans, including proposals to increase the minimum wage and expand the state’s sales tax holiday. The bills also included proposals to eliminate a waitlist for disabled […]
by Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital Dispatch February 1, 2024 The chairs of the Legislature’s tax-writing committees introduced a bill Thursday to gradually eliminate Iowa’s individual income tax. The proposal goes further than the tax cut plan Gov. Kim Reynolds introduced earlier in the session. Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, R-Wilton, and Sen. Dan Dawson, R-Council Bluffs, introduced […]
by Jennifer Shutt, Iowa Capital Dispatch January 31, 2024 WASHINGTON — The U.S. House voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to approve a $78 billion tax package that would expand the child tax credit and reinstate some tax incentives for businesses. The 357-70 vote sends the bill, dubbed the Tax Relief for American Families and Workers Act of […]
by Jared Strong, Iowa Capital Dispatch January 31, 2024 Newly proposed legislation would prevent the Iowa Department of Natural Resources from bidding on private land at auction and from acquiring the land from conservation organizations that obtained it in a “competitive manner.” It is the latest attempt by Republican lawmakers to restrict the state’s acquisitions […]
by Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital Dispatch January 23, 2024 Iowans and private entities in lower-income areas pay more in property taxes than those in wealthier areas, a report issued by Iowa Auditor of State Rob Sand found. In a news conference Tuesday, Sand said the report was the first review of Iowa’s property tax rates […]
