Bob Eschliman Editor As the 2015 legislative session winds down to its final weeks, the number of new bills being created as slowed down tremendously. But, the number enrolled bills – those adopted by both chambers and sent to Gov. Terry Branstad for his signature – has substantially increased. […]
Bob Eschliman Editor For legislators who are fighting for specific pieces of legislation, time is running short. While the official legislative dead to clear the second and final legislative “funnel” is the end of business Friday, in reality, there won’t be much – if any – business conducted Friday. […]
Bob Eschliman Editor While only eight new bills were offered during the past week, the Iowa General Assembly has been at work in committees and floor debate. With the recent release of a new state revenue estimate, work will soon begin in earnest on the new biennial budget. There […]
Bob Eschliman Editor The Iowa General Assembly is now producing far fewer bills as it devotes time to floor debate and preparations to consider the biennial state budget. There have been 16 enrolled bills – those adopted by both chambers and sent to Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad for […]
Bob Eschliman Editor Now that the first funnel dead has passed for the 2015 session of the Iowa General Assembly, the number of new bills being created will slow down substantially. The bill count this session now stands at 1,598. Most of the new bills created this week were […]
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 […]
Bob Eschliman Editor Legislators in the Iowa Senate and Iowa House of Representatives have now offered than 1,000 bills this session. This week alone, 184 bills – 83 in the Senate and 101 in the House – were added to the Bill Bo. To read individual bills, click […]
Bob Eschliman Editor The following is a summary of the bills filed during the past week in the Iowa General Assembly. To read individual bills, click their links below: House File 209 – an act to allow for the sale of unpasteurized milk or milk products produced at […]
Bob Eschliman Editor Despite a self-imposed moratorium on bill filings by individual legislators after the fourth week of the session, there were 178 new bills offered in the General Assembly in the past week. The total for the 2015 session is now up to 751 (and growing). To read […]
Bob Eschliman Editor Friday marks the first legislative dead of the session, when representatives and senators may no longer offer their own bills. As the House begins to debate bills its members have already offered, however, the pace of new bill creation has slowed down. In the Senate, despite […]
Bob Eschliman Editor The past week has seen a number of very important bills offered in both the Iowa House of Representatives and the Iowa Senate. Click on the links below to read the bills that were offered: House Study Bill 62 – an act to establish a […]
Bob Eschliman Editor With many of the ceremonial tasks of the new General Assembly out of the way, legislators went to work introducing new legislation for consideration during the next two years. In all, 192 new bills – 127 in the House of Representatives and 65 in the Senate […]
Bob Eschliman Editor The first few days of any legislative session is a flurry of activity, both ceremonial and business. And, in the first year of a biennial General Assembly is always busiest. But, during the first few days of any session, the bills filed are almost entirely ceremonial, […]
By The Iowa Statesman U.S. Rep. Rod Blum (R-IA 1) has appeared with Rep. Gwen Graham (D-FL 2) to discuss their proposed ban on congressional first-class travel with KGAN-TV in Cedar Rapids. Scroll down to watch video of the entire discussion.
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. […]
By The Iowa Statesman Friday, Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad signed Senate File 227 into law. The bill states, in part, “…the school calendar shall begin no sooner than August 23.” It also imparts financial penalties on districts that start school before that date. The bill passed the Iowa House […]
By Bob Eschliman Editor If you’re currently watching Spring Training, trying to get a clue as to who you should pick next month in your fantasy baseball draft, don’t worry. Your activities may soon, finally, be legal in Iowa. Not that there was ever a threat of police breaking […]
By The Iowa Statesman Question: What percentage of individual bills introduced so far this legislative session in the Iowa General Assembly have been signed into law? The answer is coming, but first, a little explanation. Anyone who has ever been involved in the process to turn an idea into […]
By Bob Eschliman Editor The long-promised personhood bill in the Iowa Senate was introduced Thursday just hours before the last opportunity to be considered by a committee. It did not pass out of committee prior to today’s funnel dead. In January, state Sen. Rick Bertrand (R-Sioux City) announced he […]
By The Iowa Statesman After spending than an hour in caucus, the Iowa Senate immediately to up SF 257, the gas tax increase bill. You can watch the action live by clicking here.
Bob Eschliman Editor If you have ever read our coverage of the Iowa General Assembly, you have likely seen phrases like “House File” or “Senate Study Bill,” and in doing so, perhaps you wondered what that means. Well, we’re going to help you out with that today. As we […]
By The Iowa Statesman The Iowa Senate is scheduled to begin debate on education funding at 11:30 a.m. today. You may watch the debate live by clicking here. State Sen. Tod Bowman (D-Maqueta) will lead the series of debates on all six education funding-related bills. Senators will debate the […]
More than 125 gun rights activists from around the state gathered in Des Moines on Tuesday for Second Amendment Day at the Capitol, hosted by the Iowa Firearms Coaltion and the NRA / NRA-ILA. Representative Matt Windschitl (R, Missouri Valley) and Senator Amy Sinclair (R, Allerton) spe to advocates, as […]
By: Richard Rogers / Iowa Firearms Coalition Legislative Liaison While watching the coverage of the mass murder at the Ft. Lauderdale we must be aware that Florida law designates ALL airports – in their entirety – as “gun free” zones. Not only the secured areas, but the parking lots, […]
By Steve C. Sherman Contributing Writer If you’ve watched any pro football this year or any of the major league baseball post season, unless you’re skipping the commercials, you’ve heard about FanDuel and DraftKings. On fantasy gambling has taken America by storm, some claiming it will be a $2 […]
By The Iowa Statesman Every day, we read through our e inbox in order to present you with the information from the political press releases that are most pertinent to you. Short disclaimer: not all candidates send out press releases to us, so if your favorite isn’t showing up […]
By Bob Eschliman Editor The lamestream media would like you to believe all eyes were on Las Vegas and the Democrats’ presidential primary debate. In reality, most of them were probably on , watching Donald Trump react to the debate, but I digress. There was a whole world out […]
By Bob Eschliman Editor CNN reportedly has a sixth lectern ready to go at a moment’s notice to insert Vice President Joe Biden into tonight’s Democratic Debate. But that’s not what the world is really waiting to see; we already know he’s going to jump in, and it won’t […]
From Press Release Iowa State Senator Mark Chelgren, R-Ottumwa, announced today he will seek the Republican nomination to challenge United States Congressman Dave Loebsack next November. “Our political leadership is on a dangerous and destructive path,” Senator Chelgren said. “However, the strength and beauty of our political system is […]
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of The Iowa Statesman. By Jon the Southern Baptist On the Front s of the Culture War I know if I sent a letter to Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, it’s highly unlikely he would […]
John Thompson Republican Party of Iowa State Central Committee Member Last Saturday, the Republican Party Party of Iowa’s State Central Committee passed a resolution to cease all funding for Planned Parenthood. The organization has long claimed to receive no public subsidies to provide abortions. They claim that all the […]
By S.C. Sherman Guest Contributor Crony Capitalism and collusion, throw in a back room deal, seems to be all I write about any. Too bad there is so much material on the subject. I’ve discovered amongst the hardly noticed articles on the internet many things of great importance that […]
By John Thompson State Central Committee Member Republican Party of Iowa I attended the Greene County Elk’s annual “Heroes Dinner” on September 11th. It was a good event. It also got me thinking about things that for the last few years I have tried not to think about. The […]
By The Iowa Statesman Ahead of his town hall event in Nevada where he revealed his plans to address labor issues nationally, as he did in Wisconsin, Republican presidential candidate Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker released a new video titled “Real Reform.” Building on his “Recall the Recall” message, the […]
By Stephen C. Sherman Guest Contributor Iowa’s Senior Senator Chuck Grassley rocks. Oh yes he does. He’s been in the Senate a long time. You’d think he must have a walker and be crazy, but you’d be wrong. Last year he visited every county in Iowa. That’s 99 in […]
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of The Iowa Statesman. By Jon the Southern Baptist On the Front s of the Culture War Unless you’ve had your head stuck in the sand for the past month, you’re probably well aware […]
By Steve Sherman Contributing Writer Sometimes being the Senior Senator from Iowa is boring. Other times it’s like wielding Thor’s hammer for what is right and good in America! Our bed Senator Chuck Grassley holds the hammer in his strong hands. He is right in the middle of an […]
In a year when Republicans are trying to establish a reason why they should be trusted to control two of the three branches of government, leadership in the U.S. Senate showed Americans it doesn’t matter if you put Republicans or Democrats in charge. In rare Sunday votes, the Senate blocked […]
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of The Iowa Statesman. By Krusty Konservative Dictator of the Iowa Blogosphere Watching the Republican Establishment come unhinged over the antics — and let’s be frank for a moment, he’s planned this all out […]
From Press Release During the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing last week titled, “Under Attack: Federal Cybersecurity and the OPM Data Breach”, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) cited failures due to poor project management as it relates to the Office of Personnel Management data breach, and […]
By The .Gif Shop Staff A few weeks ago, the Office of Personnel Management — the people who keep track of the employee records for all federal government employees — said it had been hacked by Chinese hackers. Initially, it said only a few hundred thousand current employees were […]
By Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and John Thune (R-SD) United States Senators The IRS stumbled its way through tax season, still struggling to try to restore its reputation after its political targeting scandal gravely undermined confidence in the federal tax-collecting agency’s ability to fairly administer tax laws. With the 2015 […]
By The Iowa Statesman Today, businessman Donald Trump, joined by his immediate family, announced his candidacy for President of the United States in front of thousands of supporters at Trump Tower in New York City. “Quite simply, it is time to bring real leadership to Washington,” he said. “The […]
U.S. Rep. David Young Iowa’s Third Congressional District People come to Congress from all across the country. I believe that they come here for the right reasons. We debate the issues and while we may have disagreements, at the end of the day, most are committed to representing their […]
From Press Release This evening, Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina will speak at the Competitive Enterprise Institute in Washington, DC, to give a speech regarding the “state of women in America.” The following are her prepared remarks for tonight’s speech. • • • When I was a little girl, […]
By Bob Eschliman Editor And in a flurry of activity Friday morning and afternoon, the Iowa General Assembly concluded its 2015 session after five weeks of “unpaid overtime.” The House of Representatives adjourned at 3:38 p.m., and the Senate followed suit 10 minutes later, at 3:48 p.m. The House […]
From Press Release Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley vowed Thursday to continue his investigation into countless claims of misconduct by U.S. Marshals Service officials, while working with independent agency watchdogs on a separate examination of the claims. A review of previous investigations by the Justice Department’s Office of […]
By The Iowa Statesman Two new problems, one involving the Internal Revenue Service and the other the Federal Bureau of Investigation, have prompted tough questions from U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. He has asked the FBI to provide details on its largely secretive […]
By Chuck Grassley United States Senator Q: Why is oversight such a key piece of good government? A: Throughout the last century, the federal government has grown dramatically in size and scope. In addition to providing for the military and veterans on behalf of the American people, the federal […]
By The Iowa Statesman U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) to to the floor of the Senate Thursday to out Trade Promotion Authority’s benefits to Iowans. In the speech, he said those who didn’t believe free trade was beneficial to our nation’s future prosperity was “in denial.” The following is […]
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