by Jennifer Shutt, Iowa Capital Dispatch March 22, 2025 WASHINGTON — Americans living in rural communities throughout the country could see their access to health care diminish if Congress changes eligibility for Medicaid or significantly reduces its federal funding. While rural residents who depend on the state-federal program for lower income people would experience the most […]
by Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital Dispatch March 21, 2025 Members of Iowa’s congressional delegation have introduced legislation they say will help lower drug costs. U.S. Congress has largely not met this week, with most of the attention in national politics centering on President Donald Trump’s moves to close the U.S. Department of Education and militarize […]
by Shauneen Miranda, Iowa Capital Dispatch March 20, 2025 WASHINGTON — In a sweeping executive order signed Thursday, President Donald Trump called on Education Secretary Linda McMahon to “take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure” of the U.S. Education Department. Trump signed the order at a major White House ceremony, flanked by children seated at desks. […]
#IowaAgWeek celebrates Iowa agriculture’s significant contributions to the state and highlights efforts to give back to the communities we call home DES MOINES, Iowa (March 20, 2025) – Gov. Kim Reynolds has proclaimed March 24-31 as Iowa Agriculture Week, and Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig is inviting every Iowan to participate in the statewide celebration. The […]
by Cami Koons, Iowa Capital Dispatch March 19, 2025 A bill passed the Iowa House Wednesday that would require schools to forgo federal nutrition standards to instead prioritize Iowa-specific guidelines. House Democrats, who opposed the bill, said in floor debate it makes Iowa students “guinea pigs” for unproven nutrition practices, while failing to address the […]
by Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital Dispatch March 19, 2025 Iowa’s four most populous counties would not be able to access state economic development programs and their funds for three years under a bill advanced Wednesday by an Iowa House subcommittee. The legislation, House Study Bill 310, would impose a three-year moratorium, from July 1, 2025 […]
by Kathie Obradovich, Iowa Capital Dispatch March 18, 2025 The Iowa Senate voted Tuesday to ban the use of handheld cellphones and other devices behind the wheel, while turning down an effort to extend the ban to drivers of farm implements. A few minutes later, senators also voted to raise the state’s “default” speed limit […]
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Representative Mariannette Miller-Meeks, M.D. (R-IA) today introduced the Delinking Revenue from Unfair Gouging (DRUG) Act, bipartisan legislation that would implement de-linking policies to rein in Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) in the commercial insurance market. Reps. Nannette Barragan (D-CA), Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), Brad Schneider (D-IL), Rick Allen (R-GA), and Donald Norcross (D-NJ) […]
by Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital Dispatch March 17, 2025 Iowa local governments would not be able to have citizen police review boards under legislation passed by the Iowa Senate 37-9 Monday. Senate File 311 prohibits cities with a civil service commission — any city with a population over 8,000 — from adopting or establishing citizens’ […]
DES MOINES, IOWA – Iowa’s Labor Force Participation Rate rose to 67.0 percent in January, up from the 66.4 percent first announced for December, after growth and an annual revision of labor statistics added 31,000 people to the official estimate of Iowa’s workforce. Even after the revision, January’s Labor Force Participation increased slightly from the […]
