By The Iowa Statesman In the first sign of common sense since the release of U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl in exchange for a handful of terrorists held at Guantanamo Bay, Army investigators have announced they will be forwarding the alleged deserter’s case to a court-martial convening authority. According […]
By The Iowa Statesman With nearly 28 million people battening down for the night Monday, it is likely the current Nor’easter smashing the East Coast will likely have huge impacts on national transit. The National Weather Service has warned residents of an area spanning from New Jersey to Nova […]
Under a bill offered today in the Iowa House of Representatives, school districts would be allowed to ask the voters for new ta authority to pay for their transportation costs. House File 84, sponsored by five Republicans and a Democrat, would create the Transportation Cost Supplement Program in which school […]
Update: According to Governor’s Office spesman Jimmy Centers, Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad has been admitted to Iowa Methodist Medical Center and will remain under observation overnight “out of an abundance of precaution” following a health scare during a visit to an agricultural facility north of Des Moines. “Gov. Branstad is […]
One of the candidates for U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst’s former seat in the Iowa Senate who wasn’t selected at the Republican Party’s special nominating convention last month is very likely going to the Statehouse anyway. David Sieck, 57, of rural Glenwood won a GOP special nominating convention Friday to be […]
Raging heat, outside events for the candidates, and even a couple of staged protests couldn’t prevent an otherwise perfect Iowa Freedom Summit. More than 20 speakers participated in the event that spanned than nine hours long and was broadcast live on C-SPAN. To see an archived video, click here. […]
A group of DREAMer protestors attempted to shout down former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie during his speech at the Iowa Freedom Summit today. Perry shouted over the top of them, without interruption, while members of the audience also cheered loudly to attempt to drown […]
In a bill that would no doubt make Sammy Hagar proud, a northwest Iowa senator has proposed increasing the default speed limit on all hard-surfaced roadways in Iowa. Senate File 43, offered this week by state Sen. Bill Anderson (R-Pierson) would make the default speed limit, which is currently 55 […]
Under a bill proposed in the Iowa Senate this week, keeping an animal confined in a hot or cold vehicle could be grounds for an animal neglect charge. Senate File 51, authored by Sen. Matt McCoy (D-Des Moines) establishes that a person commits animal neglect by confining an animal alone […]
“Do to others what you want them to do to you.” As pointed out by state Reps. Larry Sheets (R-Moulton) and Tedd Gassman (R-Scarville) in House File 67, which they co-sponsored this week in the Iowa House of Representatives, the Golden Rule can be found in many different forms across […]
A pair of bills offered in the Iowa Senate would create new restrictions on the practice of abortion in the state. The first would prohibit gender-selective abortions, while the other would prohibit the use of federal healthcare reform funds from being used for abortions. Senate File 44, offered last week […]
An eastern Iowa Republican has authored a bill that would “establish a right in a lawful occupation free from substantial burdens imposed by occupational regulations.” House File 46, offered by state Rep. Dawn Pettengill (R-Mount Auburn) this week, declares that Iowans have a right to engage in lawful enterprise, free […]
U.S. Rep. Rod Blum today released the following statement regarding the announcement of layoffs at John Deere: “Today’s news of layoffs at John Deere stands in stark contrast to the rosy economic picture painted by President Obama in his State of the Union address this week. Unfortunately, the recovery still […]
A bill proposed by the Iowa House Judiciary Committee would effectively authorize strip searches of anyone accused of committing a crime – without any probable cause. House Study Bill 33 specifies that, in general, any person housed in the general population of a jail or municipal holding facility may be […]
A group of House Democrats offered a bill this week to substantially increase the state minimum wage in Iowa, and to increase it annually based on inflation. House File 71, which is sponsored by state Rep. Bruce Hunter (D-Des Moines) and 16 of his House colleagues, proposes to incrementally increase […]
In the first two weeks of the 2015 legislative session, House Democrats have been busy crafting legislation that would both abolish existing state law that names English as the state’s official language, and that would offer in-state tuition to illegal entrants at Iowa’s Regents universities and community colleges. House File […]
Earlier this week, state Sen. Rick Bertrand (R-Sioux City) announced his plan to introduce a “Stand Your Ground” bill in the General Assembly. The proposed legislation would apply only to concealed weapon permit holders who find themselves in self-defense situations. It would eliminate current requirements that a person retreat before […]
U.S. Rep. Steve King (R-IA) and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) today introduced legislation in the House of Representatives and the Senate, respectively, titled The Expatriate Terrorist Act of 2015. U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) is a co-sponsor of the Senate bill. “I believe these American terrorists have voluntarily renounced […]
Last week, Gov. Terry Branstad announced the special election to fill the now-vacant District 23 seat in the Iowa House of Representatives will be held Tuesday, Feb. 10. Republican Party of Iowa chairman Rep. Jeff Kaufmann subsequently established the special nominating convention will be held at 7 p.m. tonight at […]
Conservatives have been bracing for a gas-tax bill in the General Assembly since the start of the new session. So, when state Rep. Larry Sheets (R-Moulton) offered up House File 83 today, there likely was a few folks who cringed. But, while the bill alters how the state’s fuel taxes […]
By Jacob Hall Correspondent The Republican Party of Iowa announced today the hiring of six new staff members in a press release. But, the past of one of the new employees, Communications Director Charlie Szold, have surprised a number of Iowa conservatives. The Iowa GOP’s press release highlighted Szold’s […]
With today marking forty-two years of legalized abortion in the United States due to the Supreme Court decision of Roe v. Wade the organizers of this weekend’s Siouxland Rally for Life have released a statement. “Forty-two years is far too long to permit this holocaust in our nation,” said event […]
Typically, convention of the states legislation has been the domain of conservatives who say they want to undo the damage done to the country over the past 100 years, but a group of Democrats are now calling for one, too. The 18 members of the Iowa House of Representatives presented […]
When visitors come to the Iowa State Historical Museum, they can learn a lot about Iowa’s native habitat. They can learn about the state bird, the eastern goldfinch; the state tree, the oak tree; the state flower, the wild rose; and the state rock, the geode. And, if two members […]
State Rep. Peter Cownie (R-West Des Moines) has reintroduced a constitutional amendment bill seeking to create term limits for members of the General Assembly. House Joint Resolution 1 would limit both members of the House of Representatives and the Senate to 12 years in office. Representatives could serve no […]
State Rep. Bruce Hunter offered a bill last week that could result in “perpetual absentee voting” in Iowa. Earlier, The Iowa Statesman reported on efforts in the Iowa General Assembly to tinker with the state’s election laws. Those efforts continue with Hunter’s newest piece of proposed legislation. House File 48, […]
Nine Democrat legislators have offered a bill that would establish Iowa as the fourth state in the country to have enacted physician-assisted suicide legislation. State Reps. Brian Meyer (D-Des Moines), Dennis Cohoon (D-Burlington), Cindy Winckler (D-Davenport), Sally Stutsman (D-Riverside), Mary Mascher (D-Iowa City), Timi Brown-Powers (D-Waterloo), Mary Lynn Wolfe (D-Clinton), […]
A popular central Iowa legislator has offered a bill that will no doubt make him even popular with many in his own party. State Sen. Brad Zaun (R-Urbandale) offered Senate File 16 last week to remove all education references to the Iowa Core standards, or any core content standards. […]
A pair of eastern Iowa legislators, one Republican, one Democrat, have proposed a bill in the Iowa Senate to force a 10-year moratorium on new gambling licenses issued by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission – after it approves a new casino for Iowa’s second-largest city. Senate File 24, if […]
From a press release The leaders of Iowa-based Patriots for Christ, along with other Christian conservative organizations and individuals, spe out strongly today against reported plans by the members of the Westboro Baptist Church to protest in the state over the weekend and on Monday. Fred Phelps founded the […]
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 […]
Editor’s Note: The following was published than three years ago, but still remains true today. On this the 42nd anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision, we encourage all our readers to share this with your friends, family, neighbors, co-workers, or anyone else who needs to understand what is […]
The leadership teams of Personhood Iowa, The Family Leader, and Patriots for Christ released a joint statement Tuesday afternoon in opposition to the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act (H.R. 36) and partner legislation in the U.S. Senate. “We’re thankful that our elected officials want to defend preborn human life, but […]
The following is the entire text of the official Republican Response to President Obama’s State of the Union Address, given by U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA). You may see a video of the speech by clicking here. Good evening. I’m Joni Ernst. As a mother, a soldier, and a […]
The following is the entire text of President Obama’s State of the Union Address, given before a joint session of Congress tonight. You may see a video of the entire speech by clicking here. Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress, my fellow Americans: We are fifteen years […]
The General Assembly wants to tinker with how elections operate in Iowa. Since the opening of the 2015 session, there have been five bills relating to the electoral process offered in the House and Senate. They range from a bill to allow small cities to hold their municipal elections by […]
The most prolific bill sponsor so far in the Iowa House of Representatives certainly likes to take care of his district. Last week, state Rep. Bruce Hunter (D-Des Moines) authored a bill, House File 37, to create a new income tax check-off for the Iowa Income Tax. The bill establishes […]
The 2012 Republican nominee for president holds a lead over a broad field of GOP potential contenders in the Townhall/Gravis poll conducted Jan. 5-7 among 404 registered Republican voters queried. Note: the polls were conducted using IVR technology and weighted by historical voting demographics. Former Massachusetts Gov. W. Mitt Romney has […]
State Rep. Bruce Hunter (D-Des Moines) has introduced a pair of bills that has organized labor in Iowa quite happy this past week. The first would require a state agency to “consider using a project labor agreement” in large-scale construction projects. The second would authorize the collection of “fair share […]
If a bill proposed by state Rep. Bruce Hunter becomes law, prospective employers cannot discriminate against the unemployed. Although House File 20, if passed, would not preclude employers from considering individuals’ employment history, or from examining the underlying reasons for his or her status as unemployed, it would prohibit employment […]
Last year, the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau approved the production and sale of Palcohol, a powdered alcohol substance, which turns into an alcoholic beverage when combined with water. Lipsmark LLC, the makers of the powder originally touted it as a way to sneak in alcoholic beverages […]
A Polk County Democrat has offered a bill he believes will improve the safety of students traveling in school buses. Last week state Rep. Bruce Hunter (D-Des Moines) has offered House File 35, a bill to require all new school buses ordered for purchase after July 1 to have seat […]
The Iowa Homeland Security & Emergency Management Division wants to know your phone number. It’s for your own safety, of course. The agency has proposed Senate Study Bill 1025, which would grant it the authority to demand the name, address, and telephone number for every subscriber to every E911 service […]
During a recent period of heavy snowfall and windy conditions that followed, eight Iowa Department of Transportation snowplows were involved in motor vehicle accidents on Iowa’s highways. A bill now offered in the Iowa Senate would make that less likely to happen in the future, if enacted. Senate Study Bill […]
Shortly before the start of the new legislative session, Gov. Terry Branstad announced the Iowa Department of Education would no longer automatically waive the statutory school year start date. Iowa Code Section 279.10 requires the school year to begin July 1, and for classes to not commence until the first […]
State Rep. Peter Cownie (R-West Des Moines) last week introduced a bill, House File 1, to require state agencies to use zero-base budgeting principles when preparing their biennial budget requests to the General Assembly. Zero-based budgeting is a method of budgeting whereby all expenses each period must be justified. In […]
The following is the full text of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech given Aug. 28, 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC. You may watch the entire speech by clicking here. I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in […]
By Patrick Wyett Contributor “But they set their abominations in the house, which is called by my name, to defile it” (Jeremiah 32:34). To defile something is to make it unclean or impure before Holy God. To engage in such behavior is not a temporary or insignificant thing. It […]
A forgotten Bible, a medical emergency in the audience, and a case of the sniffles couldn’t keep Iowa Gov. Terry E. Branstad from making history today at the Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center in Des Moines. With a joint session of the General Assembly, the department heads of the […]
The state’s first openly gay legislator has offered a bill that, if passed, will make it illegal for licensed mental health providers to offer sexual orientation change counseling to minors. State Sen. Matt McCoy (D-Des Moines) authored Senate File 31 earlier this week. The bill not only prohibits a mental […]
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