By The Iowa Statesman Iran has no intention of building a nuclear weapon, and the sooner the world recognizes that, the sooner there will be a deal aimed at curbing its nuclear capabilities in exchange for the lifting of crippling economic sanctions, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told NBC […]
By The Iowa Statesman The Elwell Family Food Center at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines will become the center of the political universe this weekend when the 2015 Iowa Ag Summit takes the stage, highlighting and promoting agriculture while providing a huge stage for likely presidential candidates. […]
By Bob Eschliman Editor Despite a declaration by one Iowa Senate Republican earlier this session that a personhood bill would be brought to a vote this session, no such bill has materialized with less than 48 hours to go before the first funnel dead. The first funnel is the […]
By The Iowa Statesman Chief Justice John Roberts remained nearly silent. Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy did not. And, at the end of the day, those hoping for a clue as to how the U.S. Supreme Court may rule on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act’s subsidies in King […]
By The Iowa Statesman The Senate failed on Wednesday to override President Obama’s veto of legislation approving the Keystone XL oil sands pipe, falling five votes short of the two-thirds majority needed in a 62-37 vote. According to The Hill, it’s the first time Congress has voted on whether […]
By Bob Eschliman Editor A group of Iowa House Democrats has offered a bill this week to increase the earned income credit applied to Iowa individual income taxes. House File 465, authored by state Rep. Charlie McConkey (D-Council Bluffs) and co-sponsored by 16 of his colleagues, increases the amount […]
By Bob Eschliman Editor State Rep. Chris Hall (D-Sioux City) has sponsored a bill this week that would provide benefits to business owners who are service-disabled veterans. House File 463, if approved, would establish state procurement goals and preferences in government contracting for those businesses. It also would expand […]
By Bob Eschliman Editor A bill offered this week by state Sen. Brad Zaun (R-Urbandale) would reduce the tax rates applied to corporations under the state corporate income tax. According to the Tax Foundation, Iowa ranks 40th overall in taxes, but ranks 49th in terms of corporate income tax […]
By The Iowa Statesman Just days after the U.S. Federal Communications Commission ruled in favor of “Net Neutrality,” signalling the end to a two-speed Internet in the United States, Europe has a different thought on the issue. According to The Financial Times, European internet providers would be allowed to […]
By Bob Eschliman Editor A group of Iowa House Democrats has sponsored a bill that would direct the Iowa Department of Education to develop an “attendance center performance scoring system.” The system proposed under House File 428, authored by state Rep. Cindy Winckler (D-Davenport) and co-sponsored by six of […]
By Bob Eschliman Editor If you’re a homeschool family in Iowa, you understand the costs involved in educating children quite well. Not only do you pay to educate your own children, but through your property and income taxes, you pay to educate others’ children, as well. But this legislative […]
By The Iowa Statesman U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus (ret.) has reached a plea deal with the U.S. Justice Department and admitted providing his highly classified journals to a mistress when he was the director of the CIA. According to The New York Times, Petraeus has agreed to plead […]
By The Iowa Statesman Target Corporation, which operates 22 stores in Iowa, as well as a distribution center in Cedar Falls, has announced it will layoff thousands of its employees over the next few years as part of a multi-billion-dollar restructuring plan meant to address the company’s recent lagging […]
By Bob Eschliman Editor Covenant marriages are those in which marrying couples agree to obtain pre-marital counseling and accept far limited grounds for which they may later seek a divorce. So far, only three states – Arizona, Arkansas, and Louisiana – recognize covenant marriages. But, if one east-central […]
By The Iowa Statesman Tuesday, the Alabama Supreme Court issued a writ of mandamus, ordering a halt to gay “marriages” in the state. The order, request by Liberty Counsel on behalf of the Alabama Policy Institute and the Alabama Citizens Action Program, comes a few weeks after a U.S. […]
By The Iowa Statesman The latest development in the Ferguson, MO, officer-involved shooting of Michael Brown probably is the least surprising in quite some time. The Eric Holder-led U.S. Justice Department has concluded the Ferguson Police Department is racist. According to Reuters, the report stated FPD routinely engages in […]
By The Iowa Statesman U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Mark Lippert was injured Thursday in an attack by a razor-wielding assailant who said he was against the ongoing military drills between the two countries. According to reports from South Korea, Lippert, 42, is in stable condition with non-life threatening […]
Bob Eschliman Editor With the first funnel dead – the dead for bills from individual legislators to come out of committee – less than 48 hours away, there has been a flurry of bills submitted in both chambers of the Iowa Statehouse. In all, 1,359 bills and resolutions have […]
By Bob Eschliman Editor The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution states Americans’ “right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” But, in Iowa, you still have to obtain a permit before you can do so, in most cases, which has been a sticking point for […]
By The Iowa Statesman Some members of Iowa’s congressional egation offered their thoughts on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to a joint session today. Some did not, however. The senior member of Iowa’s egation, U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, made the following comment on the speech: “The speech was […]
By The Iowa Statesman Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel, is about to speak to a joint session of Congress to lay out the case against a deal with Iran over its nuclear program. The speech is being broadcast by C-SPAN. You can watch it on your computer, tablet, […]
By The Iowa Statesman Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the presumptive frontrunner for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination in 2016, very likely bre the law, according to several legal experts. It was recently disclosed that she exclusively used a personal e account to conduct government business as Secretary […]
By The Iowa Statesman Mark Dice was recently at it again, exposing how the intersection of ignorance and the cult of personality bred by our current media environment has impacted America in a new YouTube video. Scroll down to check it out.
From Press Release Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad yesterday announced appointments to fill Iowa’s boards and commissions, and executive branch department directors. The following appointees’ terms begin on May 1, 2015, unless otherwise noted, and are subject to Senate confirmation. Director of Department on Aging Ms. Donna Harvey […]
By The Iowa Statesman The U.S. Constitution clearly lays the power to tax in the hands of Congress. President Obama, however, may lo for another “end around” Congress through an executive action involving the IRS, according to his press secretary. In response to a question regarding U.S. Sen. Bernie […]
By Bob Eschliman Editor A bill offered last week, if adopted, would effectively mute a federal government agency that has been a thorn in the side of Iowa farmers for years. Senate File 343, offered Thursday by state Sen. Dennis Guth (R-), would nullify the regulations of the U.S. […]
From Press Release The Republican Parties of O’Brien, Osceola, Sioux, Lyon, Plymouth, and Cheree Counties today jointly announced that Governor Scott Walker (R-WI) will head a multi county Northwest Iowa Republican fundraising event on Friday, April 24 at 7:30pm at the Lifelong Learning & Recreation Center on the Campus […]
By Bob Eschliman Editor State Sen. Dennis Guth (R-Klemme) – as Bob Barker used to say – is doing his part to control the pet population. Last week, he offered four bills that address the breeding, sale, adoption, and transfer of cats and dogs in Iowa. The bills appear […]
By The Iowa Statesman A group of Texans with a lengthy list of qualms with the federal government, mostly with the behavior of the American legislative and executive branches, got quite a surprise during a meeting last month. According to The San Antonio Express-News, at least 20 officers corralled, […]
By Bob Eschliman Editor A bill recently offered in the General Assembly is already proposing to carve out an exemption for the new school start date law. Senate File 311, offered Wednesday by state Sen. Julian Garrett (R-Indianola), would exempt a school district or school district attendance center from […]
By Bob Eschliman Editor A bill offered in the Iowa House last week would establish “one or ” facilities that may cause concern for residents of any community in which such a facility is operated. House File 399 was offered Wednesday by state Rep. Helen Miller (D-Fort Dodge) and […]
By The Iowa Statesman According to an investigative report by KBET-TV of Sacramento, CA, foreign workers using H-1B visas are replacing American workers for high-paying jobs, including those working on a $200 million project for the state’s Employment Development Department. According to the report, U.S. Department of Labor data […]
By The Iowa Statesman The IRS’s inspector general confirmed Thursday it is conducting a criminal investigation into how Lois Lerner’s es disappeared, saying it to only two weeks for investigators to find hundreds of tapes the agency’s chief had told Congress were irretrievably destroyed. According to The Washington Times, […]
By Bob Eschliman Editor This week, a bipartisan group of legislators from both chambers of the Iowa General Assembly offered resolutions seeking an amendment to the Iowa Constitution. House Joint Resolution 9 is authored by state Rep. Greg Heartsill (R-Melcher-Dallas). Its cosponsors are state Reps. Steven Holt (R-Denison), John […]
By Bob Eschliman Editor A Senate committee bill will allow the state to establish, assess, and collect fees associated with the federal Clean Air Act. The proposed legislation would grant new and wide-ranging powers to the Iowa Environmental Protection Commission, which may use the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ […]
By The Iowa Statesman The U.S. Treasury Department has rebuffed a request by House Ways and Means Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan, R- Wis., to explain $3 billion in payments that were made to health insurers even though Congress never authorized the spending through annual appropriations. According to The Washington […]
By Bob Eschliman Editor A bill offered this week in the Iowa Senate would make the sale price of metered water ivered to residential customers exempt from state sales tax, but would instead create new “water tax” provisions for both the state and local governments. Senate Study Bill 1220, […]
By The Iowa Statesman According to a report from a mainstream media source, Attorney General nominee U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch’s office in the Eastern District of New York pursued 58 cases against “John Doe” defendants since her appointment. Only two of those were terror suspects, the NBC News investigation […]
By Bob Eschliman Editor A bill proposed by the Iowa House Judiciary Committee, chaired by state Rep. Chip Balti (R-Boone), would allow the families of military members whose funerals are disrupted by protesters to sue for damages. House Study Bill 157 makes those lawsuits a matter of civil action […]
By The Iowa Statesman President Obama is using executive actions to impose gun control on the nation, targeting the top-selling rifle in the country, the AR-15 style semi-automatic, with a ban on one of the most-used AR bullets by sportsmen and target shooters. According to The Washington Examiner, the […]
By Bob Eschliman Editor A bill introduced in the Iowa House this week would authorize local school districts to raise taxes on their patrons. House File 359, offered by state Rep. Dave Heaton (R-Mount Pleasant) would authorize any public school district to enact a voter-approved “transportation cost supplemental levy.” […]
By The Iowa Statesman According to a report from The Washington Times, a group of conservatives is planning to stage a protest “walk-out” when former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush takes the stage later today at the Conservative Political Action Conference. William Temple, a member of the Golden Isle Tea […]
By The Iowa Statesman During a recent town-hall meeting about immigration in Miami, President Obama challenged Republicans in Congress to go ahead with a bill to declare his actions illegal. While taking questions from the audience, some of whom were illegal entrants, the president threw down a gauntlet to […]
By The Iowa Statesman Perhaps the third time will be the charm for FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler with today’s 3-2 decision to implement “Net Neutrality.” The rules have not yet been made public, but Wheeler has pledged they will be published “as soon as possible” on the FCC’s website. […]
By The Iowa Statesman After than eight hours of debate, the Wisconsin Senate passed an historic right-to-work bill, 17-15, and moved the bill on to the Assembly, where Republicans hold a much larger majority. Gov. Scott Walker has said he will sign the bill, if it comes to […]
By The Iowa Statesman The Federal Communications Commission is set to meet at 9:30 a.m. this morning for its regular monthly meeting. The agenda includes two action/discussion items: Community Broadband: The Commission will consider a Memorandum Opinion and Order addressing petitions filed by two municipal broadband providers asking that […]
By The Iowa Statesman U.S. lawmakers got a slap of reality in their faces yesterday when a Navy admiral told them China is surpassing the U.S. in terms of the number of a very lethal naval weapon it has at its disposal. He also told them China is deploying […]
From Press Release U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley recognizes the outstanding military service of returning Iowa veterans and the challenges they can face after leaving military service. Senator Grassley wants to offer an opportunity that taps into their civic-minded call to duty and helps veterans transition into their next chapter […]
By The Iowa Statesman The U.S. Senate voted today 98-2 to go forward with debate of a “clean” Department of Homeland Security funding bill this afternoon. The Senate bill will be at odds with a bill approved by the House, which frequently happened when Republicans and Democrats split control […]
By The Iowa Statesman Editor’s note: this article has been updated as new information has become available. We may now know what caused two northwest Iowa legislators to change their votes and turn their backs on their constituents regarding the bill that, among other things, contained a 10-cent […]
Follow Us