Republican Governor Kim Reynolds has signed legislation that establishes tougher penalties for rioting and protests that block pedestrian or vehicle traffic. The law also provides new legal protection to police, so they cannot be sued for most on-duty actions. "Like so many Iowans, I was raised … [Read more...]
Congressman tries again to get derecho loss coverage
Iowa farmers who are still working to recover from losses caused by the derecho last August would likely see benefits in a bill being introduced by Iowa Congressman Randy Feenstra. The Republican from Hull says the legislation would bring derecho relief through an existing federal program that … [Read more...]
Iowa’s governor to seek more personal income tax cuts in 2022
Republican Governor Kim Reynolds has signed a wide-ranging bill into law that cuts personal income taxes, gradually gets rid of the state inheritance tax and erases a property tax levy used to finance mental health services. State money is to be used to finance the mental health system. "Health … [Read more...]
Ernst says IG’s audit may find clues to Covid-19 origins
As debate over the origins of Covid-19 continues, the Biden Administration is launching an audit of federal grants that may have supported coronavirus research in China. Republican Senator Joni Ernst has been pushing for an investigation of a US non-profit that sent about $600,000 in federal grant … [Read more...]
New leader says House Democrats must stop living in 2020, focus on 2022
The new Iowa House Minority Leader says she's unwilling to concede any part of the state to Republicans. The 41 Democrats in the Iowa House met last night and elected State Representative Jennifer Konfrst of Windsor Heights as their new leader. "I talked a lot about the importance of learning … [Read more...]
Senator Grassley wants focus on ‘border crisis’ not amensty
An immigration amnesty bill is subject of a hearing before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee today but Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says the panel is "focused on the wrong thing." Grassley, the committee's ranking Republican, says they instead should be concentrating on finding solutions to the … [Read more...]
Democratic State Representative Ras Smith announces bid for governor
The first candidate to officially declare they're running for governor in 2022 made the announcement online this morning. "My name is Ras Smith and I'm running for governor because I believe that Iowa's greatest days are ahead of us," he said in an introductory video. Smith, a 33-year-old … [Read more...]
Iowa House Democrats select Jennifer Konfrst as their leader
House Democrats have elected a new leader and she is the first woman to serve in the post. The 41 Democrats who serve in the Iowa House met tonight and elected Representative Jennifer Konfrst of Windsor Heights as House Minority Leader. Konfrst replaces Representative Todd Prichard of Charles … [Read more...]
Congressman Feenstra says plant-based products should not carry milk label
Iowa Congressman Randy Feenstra says it's time for a federal law that ensures any product labeled as "milk" came from dairy cows or other livestock, not from plants. "I think we have to have labeling. Milk is milk," Feenstra says. "Everything else is something different, right? You have to call … [Read more...]
Senate candidate says DOJ, FBI should handle ransomware attacks threatening national security
A Republican state senator from Sioux City who's running for the U.S. Senate says if there's a cyberattack against the nation's energy supply or transportation system, the U.S. Department of Justice and FBI should take over immediately. Jim Carlin says letting a private company negotiate and pay … [Read more...]