From Press Release A bill to help address the treatment of mentally ill offenders by the criminal justice system cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee today, Chairman Chuck Grassley said. The bill was sponsored by Senator Al Franken and was cosponsored by Grassley along with Senators John Cornyn, Patrick Leahy, […]
From Press Release Earlier today, Hillary Clinton proposed various criminal justice reform ideas in an attempt to undo some of Bill Clinton’s work– the same work she cheerfully supported as First Lady. According to Salon, the Clinton administration’s focus on the “War on Drugs” is responsible for increasing incarceration […]
From Press Release Last weekend, Republican presidential candidate Chris Hill received an enthusiastic response to his “People’s Campaign” at the Muscatine County Republican Spring Picnic held on Sunday in Wilton. The annual event was hosted by Chairman Fred Grunder and attended by local and state representatives including Steve Scheffler. […]
By The Iowa Statesman U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) spe yesterday on the Senate floor to call for congressional approval of any final deal with Iran. Senator Ernst emphasized the need to preserve U.S. national security interests, those of our allies, and the need to maintain stability in the […]
By Bob Eschliman Editor There has been very little urgency in the General Assembly – particularly on the part of House Republicans – to finalize the budget during the final official week of the 2015 legislative session. The House Republican leadership unveiled its budget targets last week, nearly two […]
From Press Release U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, today announced his Iowa Leadership Team, naming prosecutor and former Iowa Secretary of State Matt Schultz his Iowa State Chairman, in addition to 23 other state lawmakers, conservative activists and influencers as Iowa state co-chairs. Cruz for President’s Iowa State Director, […]
From Press Release Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley and Ranking Member Patrick Leahy, along with senior committee members John Cornyn and Chuck Schumer introduced legislation Wednesday that would make necessary and commonsense reforms to restore integrity to the U.S. patent system. Judiciary Committee members Mike Lee, Orrin Hatch […]
From Press Release U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) received the Congressional Advocate of the Year award from the Child Welfare League of America on Tuesday for his work to protect children and support of child welfare programs. “Working to improve the lives of underprivileged and vulnerable youth is something […]
From Press Release Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, along with North Carolina senators Thom Tillis and Richard Burr, today introduced legislation prohibiting people with gang ties from receiving deferred deportation and other immigration benefits. The bill also makes gang members deportable and inadmissible […]
From Press Release At least one Republican is aiming to end Democrat state Rep. Beth Wessel-Kroeschell’s service in the Iowa House of Representatives in the 2016 General Election. Sondra Childs-Smith announced Tuesday that she will be seeking election in House District 45, which is made up of southern Ames […]
From Press Release U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, today released the following statement regarding today’s oral arguments in the Supreme Court concerning whether the Fourteenth Amendment requires states to license marriages between two people of the same sex and to recognize same-sex marriages licensed and performed in another state: […]
From Press Release At a Senate Judiciary Committee oversight hearing chaired by U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson acknowledged that a lapse in the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ background check procedures led the agency to erroneously grant deferred deportation to a known gang member […]
From Press Release U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) is pressing the Department of Veterans Affairs for answers on reported widespread mistreatment and punishment of whistleblowers. Grassley called the reported mistreatment “beyond unacceptable” in a letter to the agency secretary and inspector general. “Improvement of veteran health care is dependent, […]
By U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley Each night of the week, around 60,000 young people’s heads hit the pillows in a juvenile detention facility. In communities across America, these youth are in state custody for committing offenses that have brought them into the juvenile justice system. Sometimes detention is necessary. […]
By The Iowa Statesman Another probable Republican presidential contender will be visiting Iowa next week. Next Tuesday, May 5, Dr. Ben Carson will hold a rally and meet-and-greet beginning at 4:30 p.m. at the Marriott Hotel located at 1200 Collins Road NE in Cedar Rapids. The hour-long event will […]
From Press Release U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) released the following statement in response to the riots in Balti: “Today 85,000 Balti city children will not be going to school. Buildings have been set ablaze, stores have been looted, the police in the streets have been seriously injured, and […]
By The Iowa Statesman The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing today on the need for oversight of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. In his opening remarks, U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), chairman of the committee, said congressional oversight of the Executive Branch is a “critical function […]
By Bob Eschliman Editor Monday, the Iowa Senate approved the Fiscal Year 2016 appropriations bill that covers the Iowa Department of Natural Resouces, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, and the Iowa Environmental Protection Commission on a party- vote. Senate File 494 was a “status quo” bill in […]
By The Iowa Statesman State Rep. Sandy Salmon (R-Janesville) has released her weekly Capitol Corner legislative update. She discussed the House leadership budget targets. Capitol Corner may be read in its entirety by clicking here.
By Iowans for Tax Relief The budget impasse continues at the Capitol. The overall state budget targets between the House Republicans and Senate Democrats are than $170 million apart. Last week House Republicans proposed a state budget for fiscal year 2016 that would spend $7.168 billion, while Senate […]
By The Iowa Statesman U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) said today that Luis Angel Martinez of Des Moines and Harrison Patrick Gudorf of West Des Moines have received appointments to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD, and the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, NY, for the 2015-16 […]
By Bob Eschliman Editor With four new “probable cases” of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in northwest Iowa, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship is now briefing the General Assembly and the general public about the outbreak. IDALS held a press conference Monday afternoon in which officials explained […]
By The Iowa Statesman The Republican Conservative Steering Committee is filing an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court tomorrow as it hears oral arguments on a case in which they will consider the constitutionality of state gay “marriage” bans. You can add your signature to the brief by […]
From Press Release Legislation from U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) to enhance the already successful Section 529 college savings plans program will receive Finance Committee consideration on Wednesday. “These reforms will make it even appealing for parents to use 529 college savings plans,” Grassley said. “The additions give […]
From Press Release U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) is co-sponsoring bipartisan legislation to ensure the Department of Veterans Affairs adapts its health care programs to meet the needs of the expanding female veteran population. “The Department of Veterans Affairs should offer health care that fits the population it serves,” […]
From Press Release U.S. Rep. Rod Blum (R-IA 1) led a bipartisan letter with 22 other Members of Congress to Speaker of the House John Boehner calling for H.R. 880, the American Research and Competitiveness Act of 2015, be brought for a vote as quickly as possible. The bill […]
By The Iowa Statesman Friday, U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) will return to Iowa to discuss tax reform as part of an event being held in West Des Moines. LWBJ, one of the largest Certified Public Accountant firms in the country, will be hosting the event, which begins at […]
By The Iowa Statesman U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) will discuss the Senate Judiciary Committee’s upcoming agenda for the 114th Congress at a National Press Club Newsmakers beginning right now. Grassley outd an agenda centered on boosting government accountability and protecting victims of crime while preserving the unique rights […]
From Press Release Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad today highlighted the success of the innovative new Teacher Leadership and Compensation System (TLC) at Southeast Polk Junior High School during his weekly press conference. The press conference occurred following the last of three visits with school districts this month to learn […]
U.S. Rep. Dave Loebsack Iowa’s Second Congressional District Earlier this Congress, I helped to introduce a bipartisan bill (HR 906) that would prevent a surge in electricity costs expected to hit family budgets this year. Federal regulations that went into effect in April may cause a spike in electricity […]
By The Iowa Statesman U.S. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) got a huge boost for his presidential campaign over the weekend when former Iowa Farm Bureau Federation President Craig Lang gave his endorsement at an event in Atkins on Saturday. Saying it was time for a president who is serious […]
By The Iowa Statesman Friday afternoon, Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad signed the following bills into law. Among them are provisions related to expanding existing strip search laws, increasing the penalties for disorderly conduct that funerals or memorial services, amending how compensation for county elected officials is established, and to […]
By U.S. Rep. David Young Iowa’s Third Congressional District The House finished its first 100 days of the 114th Congress last week, and I am proud to report we have hit the ground running. Things have changed for the better. We are working together to find solutions and iver […]
By The Iowa Statesman U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) has released his weekly video address, in which he discusses passage of the human trafficking bill. The bill had been ayed by Democrats who didn’t like an abortion measure included in the bill. The bill also features two provisions that […]
From Press Release Former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) issued the following statement to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the genocide against the Armenian people upon the breakup of the Ottoman Empire: “The massacre of over one million people is a genocide the world must remember. Memorializing this senseless […]
From Press Release Thursday, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) released the following statement regarding a report in The New York Times addressing his support for traditional marriage: “It speaks volumes that The New York Times considers it newsworthy that a Republican who believes marriage is between a man and […]
By Rev. Cary Gordon Executive Pastor Cornerstone World Outreach I personally respect Senator Ted Cruz for many reasons, not the least of which was his firm and valiant refusal to surrender (along with most of the feckless U. S. Senate Republicans) on the great Constitutional usurpation of Obamacare. At […]
By The Iowa Statesman The Iowa Faith & Freedom Coalition‘s Spring Kickoff will be held Saturday afternoon and evening at Point of Grace Church in Waukee, just west of Des Moines. Nine announced or probable Republican presidential candidates will be speaking at the event; they are: • U.S. Sen. […]
By The Iowa Statesman Thursday, the Iowa Senate adopted Senate Resolution 35 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of signing the bill that combined Iowa’s technical schools and junior colleges, creating the state’s community college system. The man credited with the landmark legislation, former Senate President John “Jack” Kibbie, was […]
By The Iowa Statesman Tamara Scott, the Iowa state director of Concerned Women for America, sent out the following message Thursday to the organization’s membership. It relates to Gov. Terry Branstad’s anti-bullying legislation, Senate File 345. Earlier this week, Democrats attempted to force a vote on the measure, but […]
From Press Release In an effort to protect the investing public, improve the oversight of corporate auditing, and ensure that the financial reports of publicly traded companies are accurate and reliable, U.S. Sens. Jack Reed (D-RI) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) today introduced the PCAOB Enforcement Transparency Act of 2015. […]
From Press Release Following a series of letters by U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, investigating allegations of improper use of agency resources and questionable hiring practices at the U.S. Marshals Service (U), than a half dozen whistleblowers have come forward to corroborate these […]
From Press Release U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) joined a bipartisan group of Senators urging the Environmental Protection Agency to issue strong biofuels volume requirements for the 2014 Renewable Fuel Standard and beyond. The Senators asked the EPA to reverse course on their proposed 2014 rule to achieve the […]
By U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley Most Americans are relieved to see Tax Day fade into the distance. This year another ta milestone takes a bit longer to reach the rearview mirror. Tax Freedom Day falls on April 24. That’s how long American taxpayers collectively will work into the year […]
From Press Release U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) released the following statement after opposing the confirmation of Loretta Lynch as U.S. Attorney General. “I have serious concerns with Loretta Lynch’s intention to uphold President Obama’s policies – especially executive amnesty,” she said. “We need a chief legal advisor who […]
By The Iowa Statesman Shortly after the death of her father, Casey Kasem, Kerri Kasem began lobbying lawmakers across the U.S. for legislation to prevent what she and many of families have faced in the past. With the passage of Senate File 306 in both the House and Senate, […]
By The Iowa Statesman U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) spe this morning to a forum hosted by the American Council On Renewable Energy Policy. In his speech, which focused on providing an outlo on renewable energy and federal government policy, he said the renewable energy industry “needs certainty […]
By The Iowa Statesman U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) has had a busy day, dealing with Justice Department nominations in the U.S. Senate. First, his Judiciary Committee to up the nomination of Sally Yates to be Deputy U.S. Attorney General, then the Senate as a whole to up the […]
From Press Release U.S. Rep. Steve King (R-IA 4) made the following statement after introducing his latest bill in Congress, the Restrain the Judges on Marriage Act of 2015. This bill strips federal courts of jurisdiction to hear cases related to marriage. The effect of the bill would prevent […]
By Bob Eschliman Editor Despite no new movement on negotiations between the Democrat-controlled Senate and the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, work on the Fiscal Year 2016 budget continued this week. Although they are hundreds of millions of dollars apart on spending targets, and both budgets would increase spending to […]
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