by Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital Dispatch April 27, 2023 As Iowa lawmakers hit their final day of paid work, House and Senate lawmakers advanced the first round of budget bills Thursday. The House Appropriations Committee passed four spending bills in Thursday’s meeting: Senate File 558 for the departments of natural resources and agriculture, Senate File […]
by Helena Hayes As the 2023 legislative session comes to a close, things are slowing down around the Capitol. Almost all of the focus has turned to the state budget for fiscal year 2024, which is required to be passed before the Legislature can adjourn “sine die,”(meaning “without another day”) referring to the last adjournment […]
by Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital Dispatch April 25, 2023 The Iowa Senate passed the agriculture and natural resources spending bill Tuesday with a provision Democrats said could limit the acquisition of public lands. Senate File 558 passed the Senate 33-16, appropriating more than $43 million in funds for the state’s agriculture and natural resources departments. […]
by Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital Dispatch April 24, 2023 Republican senators advanced a new traffic camera bill that they said would allow local governments to use the technology to address real safety concerns while putting some limits on using cameras to generate revenue. Lawmakers discussed Senate File 489 in subcommittee Monday. It would require local […]
by Senator Ken Rozenboom Iowans all across the state have been looking for property tax relief, especially with the arrival of new assessments over the last few weeks. Senate File 569 gets at the core of rising property taxes and offers property taxpayers real, permanent relief. The bill passed the Iowa Senate on a 48-1 […]
DES MOINES– Gov. Kim Reynolds today announced her appointment of Richelle Mahaffey as a district associate judge in Judicial Election District 8A. Mahaffey, of Grinnell, Iowa, currently serves as an Assistant Public Defender in the Des Moines Juvenile Office of the State Public Defender. She received her undergraduate degree from Luther College and her law […]
Oskaloosa, IA —For its exemplary record of leadership, service and activities that improve the school and community, the Oskaloosa student council has been recognized as a 2023 National Gold Council of Excellence by the National Student Council (NatStuCo). The NatStuCo program is supported by its parent organization, the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP). […]
by Rep. Helena Hayes A new bill to establish Iowa’s Registered Apprenticeship Program is making its way through the Iowa Legislature. Here is a summary of Senate File 318 and the program it establishes: ● Establishes the Iowa Office of Apprenticeship within the Department of Workforce Development. ● The duties of the office would have […]
April 19th, 2023 Oskaloosa, Iowa – Mahaska County Treasurer Connie Van Polen announced her retirement from public office this past week. The announcement was made official during Monday’s Board of Supervisors meeting. Her last day in office will be Friday, June 9th, 2023. Reading from her resignation letter, Mahaska County Supervisor said, “Connie wishes to […]
April 18th, 2023 Oskaloosa, Iowa – The Oskaloosa City Council met on Monday, April 17th, 2023 at 6 pm inside the Council Chambers at the Oskaloosa City Hall. The Council heard from Oskaloosa Fire Chief Scott Vaughan regarding code enforcement over the past quarter. The goal of code enforcement, according to the City of Oskaloosa, […]
