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 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 The Iowa Senate unanimously approved a bill removing the sunset on a 2022 measure formalizing rules for informing law enforcement officers placed on “Brady-Giglio lists” because of credibility issues. House File 631 next goes to Gov. Kim Reynolds for final approval. The bill makes permanent changes signed […]
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 Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital Dispatch April 19, 2023 Both the Iowa House and Senate passed separate bills on property tax relief Wednesday as the chambers try to find a compromise on the best way to limit costs for property owners. Senate File 569 and House File 718 both passed out of their respective chambers […]
by Luke Clausen, Iowa Capital Dispatch April 11, 2023 Former Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad said Tuesday that current tax legislation wouldn’t have been possible without the economic restructuring that happened in Iowa after the farm crisis. “The state of Iowa is in the best financial position it’s ever been in history, I think over $3 […]
by Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital Dispatch April 11, 2023 Three state senators have submitted open records requests for all subpoenas State Auditor Rob Sand has issued since taking office. The request comes in response to the Iowa Supreme Court ruling against the auditor’s subpoena of information from a municipal insurance risk pool. Sens. Mike Bousselot, […]
by Robin Opsahl, Iowa Capital Dispatch April 10, 2023 Minors would have to get parental permission to create accounts on TikTok, Instagram and other social media platforms under an amended bill that passed the House Ways and Means Committee Monday. The original version of House File 712 would have barred people under age 18 from […]
by Casey Quinlan, Iowa Capital Dispatch April 10, 2023 Barb Anderson, director of Haven House in Jeffersonville, Indiana, works with homeless people to place them into housing. It’s a job that has shown her firsthand the severe health issues facing unhoused people in southern Indiana, where many people live in tents in the woods and […]
by Art Cullen, Iowa Capital Dispatch April 7, 2023 Gene Jackson hated to part with his 10-year-old mule Jackie. He had to put his best saddle on her for show at Valley Livestock Auction near Monte Verde, Colo. The 19-year-old cattleman can’t justify feeding her in this drought, where water-intensive alfalfa is a precious commodity […]
